Sports / Diving around Pattaya
Pattaya was the country's original dive center. American servicemen based in Thailand during the Vietnam War discovered that the seas off Pattaya offered fine diving opportunities and would charter boats from local fisherman to explore the nearby islands and their rich marine life.
Today, of course, diving has become a much more sophisticated business with a number of well-managed dive schools and centers offering a variety of courses for beginners as well as experienced divers, along with day trips and longer excursions.
Because of its good accessibility from Bangkok, Pattaya remains one of Thailand's most important and popular dive centers. The resort town provides high standard accommodation at rates lower than at most seaside resorts in the country; furthermore, there is a wide selection of other watersports facilities.
More than 30 offshore islands stretch around Pattaya within a radius of some 48km (30mi), from around Si Racha in the north to Sattahip in the south. A few islands are off-limits as they are under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. Most others have fascinating dive sites. The waters are rich in various coral species, among them mushroom coral, lettuce coral, staghorn and brain coral to name but a few. Tropical fish which can often be spotted include white tip and black tip sharks, stingrays, angel fish and huge seabass.
Approximately one hour by boat are Ko Sak, Ko Khrok, and Ko Larn. These three islands are known as the inner islands. The coral and marine life here has been greatly damaged by pollution and heavy boat traffic. While there are still some coral reefs remaining at depths from 5-15m, marine life is sparse and visibility usually low (3-6m). The large numbers of speedboats and water scooters passing over the dive sites can make diving here a hazardous activity.
The outer ring of islands, approximately 1:30 to 2 hours from the mainland includes Ko Rin, Ko Phi, Ko Man Wichai, Ko Keung Baddan and Ko Leaum. These islands have been protected from development by the Royal Thai Navy and are much more suitable for diving than the inner islands. Coral reefs range from 5-30m depth, with visibility from 5-15m. Ko Rin is especially good for photography, with generally clear water and many varieties of soft and hard coral.
Dive trips to the outer islands depart from various sites at around 8:00. Usually, a mid-morning dive is conducted upon arrival at one of the island reefs. This is followed by a lunch, either on board or on one of the island beaches. A second dive is made in the afternoon at a different reef site. The boats then return to Pattaya, arriving back at about 17:00.
There are also two shipwrecks within reach of the Pattaya/Jomtien area. The Petchburi Bremen is a freighter that sunk in the mid-1930's after engine trouble and an explosion. The Bremen is 100m in length, and lies on a sandy bottom in 23m of water It is located just off the island of Ko Khram in the Sattahip area about 2hrs sailing time from Jomtien beach or about 2:20hrs from Pattaya.
The wreck provides the opportunity to see large schools of barracuda and jacks, as well as many varieties of stingray in the sand surrounding the wreck. The ship itself is upright, and fairly intact with some opportunities for wreck penetration available to trained divers.
The Hardeep is a cargo ship which was commandeered by the Japanese during World War II and sunk by the Allies in the 1942-1944 period. It lies in 27m of water off the island of Ko Chuang in the Samae San area. This ship is lying on its side and is intact. Divers on the Hardeep often tour inside some of the large cargo holds, or search the surrounding area for the bombs responsible for the ship's sinking.
The Hardeep is reached with an hour taxi ride to the Samae San Village pier, followed by a 45min boat trip. Tours to this wreck site are generally done on a small fishing boat with 6 divers maximum. The islands surrounding the Hardeep offer diving opportunities similar to the outer ring of islands previously described, with the Shark Fin Rock being the favorite.
Many of Pattaya's diving schools and centers have PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) or NAUI (National Association of Underwater Instructors) qualified personnel, plus a full range of equipment for rent. They also have workshops for repair of diving equipment. A number of languages are spoken at these schools, including English, German, Dutch, French, Japanese and Thai.
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