2000 Chapbook

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....

Phuket

Andaman Divers, January 1999, Aldo Alvarez, Cabo Rojo, PR. Vis: 70-100 ft. Water: 78-80 degrees. Phuket is a bargain. Great resort town, great nightlife, great dining and marvelous diving at a bargain price. You can easily book a 2-3 day trip to the Similan Islands without a reservation, at a fraction of the live-aboard price. Great day diving excursions to Racha Noi, Racha Yai, Shark Point, Phi Phi, Dok Mai, etc. Plentiful sites with hard and soft corals, tropical fish, sting rays, parrotfish, lionfish, barracuda, leopard sharks, jacks, and scorpion. Good boats and divemasters. (Telephone 800-661-9143 or +66 403-253-1163; Fax +66 403-255-2544)

Easy Divers, July 1999, Isaac Aharon, NYC. Vis: 35-50 ft. Water: 27-28 C. Must show dive cert. Three small connected islands. Very nice, very peaceful. Like paradise. Good beach with white sand. Bungalows very nice, clean, restaurant great. Dive operation is great; you feel at home, like one big family. All divers, staff, divemasters great, like Mario Voss, Fulmer Feren. Dive sites very close. Best side for diving Chumphon Pinnacles. (Telephone +66 77-23-1190; Fax +66 77-42-4244)

Fantasea Divers/Karon Beach Hotel, April 1999. Francis Manzella (FranMan@fmdesign.com), Yorktown Heights, NY. Vis: 20-40 ft. Restrictions: 500 psi on return, depth limited by site mostly, buddy up and go once they know your skills. Nice beach. Cute touristy town. Lots of restaurants. Booked day diving over the Internet. Met at hotel by Tuk-Tuk (small covered truck) for 15 minute drive to docks near Phuket Town. Phi Phi islands 1 hr. ride, nice boats. Big and comfy but slow. Good divemasters (mostly Germans). Hans was great. Good briefings with maps. Drift diving, sometimes you'd have to wait while the boat was picking up somebody else, but current wasn't a problem. Pointed out critters. Two tank trip included a nice hot lunch cooked on the boat, fruit, drinks during surface interval. At Hin Bida (Phi Phi Sharkpoint) snorkeled with 20 ft whale shark. Hans spotted a second whale shark (around 30 ft) we dived with for five minutes. Some folks had been on a live-aboard in the Similans and hadn't seen a whale shark. Leopard sharks and scorpion fish every dive. Clown fish: Wideband, Tomota, Anemone. Koh Dak Mai: (thrilling wall drift around small island) and Hin Musang (sharkpoint). Saw 12" Octopus on wreck of Adaman Explorer.Great exotic diving, but I wouldn't plan a trip just for diving. (Ph: 011-66-76-340088 or 011-66-76-295511; fax: 66-76-340309; e-mail: info@fantasea.net; website: fantasea.net)