Wonders under the water - Diving In Thailand

One of the world’s most increasingly popular recreational activities on holiday is SCUBA diving. People as young as 10 years old and as old as their health will allow can breath pressurized air from a tank at depths of 12 metres or more, while swimming alongside marine life such as clown anemone fish, moray eels, turtles, sting rays and even sharks. Such has been the acceptance of exploring this alien world for humans that it has become a huge tourist earner for countries all over the world.

One such example is Thailand in South East Asia. Thailand has a thin isthmus running from Bangkok to the Malay Peninsula, and on either side there are beach resort areas and islands which have great infrastructure to take new and experienced divers into the deep blue to see what’s under the surface of the sea. Although some good recreational diving can be done in areas nearer Bangkok, such as Koh Chang and even Pattaya, the best places for clear water and varied marine life are in the southern areas, such as Phuket, Koh Tao and the world famous Similan Islands out in the Andaman Sea. There really is something for everyone because Thai dive sites offer clear waters, colourful corals and plenty of fish and other marine life at shallow depths just under the surface as well as strong currents, drop offs and large pelagic fish at depths of up to 60 metres or more. To be honest, staying at shallow depths is usually the best idea as this allows the diver to spend more time under water as well as seeing more colour and life in each dive. One need not worry about missing out on the big or special stuff, as it’s possible to see plenty of reef fish at snorkeling depths of less than two metres and even the likes of Black Tip Reef sharks. However, nor must one worry about being bitten or attacked because anything that’s in the sea is not interested in eating humans and therefore absolutely not going to bite. Whereas on land a cornered animal may bite or sting in defence, it’s as good as impossible to be cornered underwater. Sharks, sea urchins, jellyfish and sting rays are not in the business of hurting people who swim, snorkel or dive near them. It’s only in the case of an accident by the human or mistaken identity by a large shark that anything bad could happen.