Thailand

Thailand offers two quite different dive seasons on two coasts. In the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao is one of the world's busiest places to learn, with calm water, short boat trips and good-value courses, and whale sharks visiting its pinnacles in season. On the Andaman coast, Phuket and Koh Lanta are the bases for day trips to Phi Phi, Racha, Koh Haa and the pinnacles of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, and for liveaboards to the Similan Islands and Richelieu Rock, which usually run from mid-October to mid-May. Thailand's dive centres range from small family-run shops to large training centres with their own liveaboards. Choose a region below to compare them.