Thailand Guide
The east coast
Diving around Pattaya
Though Pattaya's reefs are far less spectacular than those along the Andaman Coast, it can be dived year-round, and underwater visibility is consistent. Most dive centres focus on the group of "outer islands" about 25km from shore, which include Ko Rin, Ko Man Wichai and Ko Klung Badaan, where you have a reasonable chance of seeing big schools of barracuda, jacks and tuna, as well as moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, and hawksbill and green turtles.
There are also three rewarding wreck dives in the Samae San/Sattahip area: the 21-metre-deep freighter Phetchaburi Bremen, which went down in the 1930s; the 64-metre-long cargo ship Hardeep, which was sunk during World War II and can be navigated along the entire length of its interior; and the HMS Khram, which was sunk deliberately by the Thai navy in 2003 to make a new artificial reef.
Pattaya is also an easy place to learn to dive.