Thailand Guide
Southern Thailand: the Andaman coast
Diving off Ko Lanta
The reefs around Ko Lanta are reasonably quiet and pristine, and excellent for seeing whale sharks. Some of the best dive sites are located between Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi, including the soft coral at Ko Bidah, where you get lots of leopard sharks, barracuda and tuna. West and south of Lanta, the Ko Ha island group offers four different dives on each of its five islands, including steep drop-offs and an "underwater cathedral" and other caves; visibility is often very good. Much further south, about 56km from Ko Lanta, there's a fifty-metre wall at spectacular Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, plus a good chance of seeing tuna, jacks, silvertip sharks, manta rays and even whale sharks.
The diving season runs from November to April, though a few dive centres continue to run successful trips from May to August. There are dive centres on every beach, though many have their headquarters near the ferry port in Ban Sala Dan. They charge B2600–3100 for two dives, excluding equipment, and B1500 for accompanying snorkellers, with discounts if you do three consecutive days. Diving courses average out at B13,500 for the four-day Openwater course, or B10,500 for the two-day Advanced course.