Thailand is a diver's bargain.... Whale shark season is usually from March through May, with Richelieu Rock providing an excellent chance of encounters.... Trips to the Burma Banks were stopped for political reasons, but this area has been reopened along with some other new areas; check before departure....

Fantasea Divers, Sheraton Laguna Beach, January 1998, Kathy O'Connor, Virginia Beach, VA. Hour cab ride to Phuket City, had to wade out to long-tail boat in mud; two hour boat ride to Phi Phi Islands. Drift diving was very good: 50-90 ft. water: 78-83 degrees. Dive restrictions: 100 ft., 45 min., depth. . . . Sheraton Laguna Beach in Phuket is a wonderful resort with bargain prices. Fantasea Divers had a good boat and operation, but many divers. Departure point in Phuket City is a slum area with huge crowds waiting for boats. Everyone crowds into overcrowded long-tail boats to get out to the dive boats. A unique, if stressful, experience. (Ph: 011-66-76-340088 or 011-66-76-295511, Fax: 66-76-340309,

e-mail: info@fantasea.net,

Website: fantasea.net)

Pee-Pee Island Cabana Hotel, March 1998, Vaclav Pisko, New York, NY. Several connecting flights on Thai Air from Bangkok to Phuket. A minivan (Baht 100) for trip to the harbor, where you will be greeted by a strong odor of decaying fish in a graveyard of fishing boats. Avoid the stench by boarding the ferry whose air-conditioning system is soon overloaded and the interior becomes a sweat box-so much for the options. Upon our arrival our luggage was picked up by hotel staffer waiting at the ferry. We stayed at hotel room -hotel cabanas lack a/c-Baht 2800/double and included a buffet breakfast. Dive shop is next to hotel; Hotel beach is great and one can walk far out during the low tide. Electricity is 225V, so step down transformers are a must to pack. . . . Two tank dive is Baht 1300. Rental equipment is worn but in good shape-Baht 500; lunch-rice curry, water, bananas-between the two dives on secluded small beaches. Six dives: many leopard sharks, large brain coral, endless anemone gardens. A cave can be reached by an opening in the wall of a magnificent rock formations rising from the water. The cave has a fresh aird. Saw a sea snake resting next to my buddy's hand, although poisonous its mouth is too small to bite a human. Not recommended for those without any cave dive training, but the divemaster will not reject your request for the cave dive. Dive boat is an open dug-out and divers back enter the water, return is via portable adder; divemaster will remove your BC with the tank and hand it to the boatman. Five min. safety stop; dive your profile, computers are ok. I was told to suck the tank dry-divemaster said tanks are visually checked every month and tumbled when needed-no hydrostatic test stamps, but same story in Mexico and Bahamas. Night dives conducted in the bay. Currents are weak. Divemaster (Somporn Chujit) speaks good enough English and knows local waters. Dives 45-50 mins, depth 50-75 feet, visibility around 50 ft. . . . Hotel: complete shutdown of electricity every other day between 3-5 pm. Ask for another room if the a.c. is not up to your standard. We moved twice (no problem with the staff; I tipped the bellboy 40B). Hotel coffee shop and restaurants in town. Exchange US$ into Baht on Phuket as the rates in Pee-Pee or Phi-Phi Island are higher. Credit cards accepted in hotel only, no ATMs. . . . A visit to the Viking cave is a must; reminded me of the end scene from Apocalypse Now, only Brando is missing. Trip from from Bangkok to Phi-Phi Island takes 3-4 hours and is worth it. Dry season ends in April.

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