Pattaya Near Islands Dive Sites
As soon as you leave the Bali Hai pier in Pattaya you escape from the hustle and bustle of this busy coastal city. Island life begins when you get closer to the Pattaya Near Islands.
Most of the Pattaya Near Islands have dive and snorkeling spots on all sides of the island, so there normally is always a relaxed and current-free bay area for snorkeling and try diving.
Although the coral reefs might not be as stunning as the Pattaya Far Islands, you can see a large variety of tropical reef fish and hard coral formations. Huge turtles are often seen while snorkeling / SCUBA diving in this area. Beautiful coral gardens with plenty of anemones and anemone fish (Nemo) color the sea floor at shallow depth at near islands.
It takes about 30 minutes by boat to drive to the Pattaya Near Islands.
Our other boat takes you to the Samae San Islands. Make sure to schedule at least two day trips to explore both Pattaya and Samae San underwater, it is really different!
Read more about what to expect for a day of SCUBA diving or snorkeling with us.
Scroll down for more information about the dive sites around the Pattaya Near Islands.
- Hotel pick up around 08.00 – 08.30.
- Hotel drop off around 16.30.
The hotel pick up is around 08.00 and 08.30 from your hotel, where we meet at the shop to complete paperwork and confirm equipment sizes. Once completed, we head off together to of the two harbors we sail from. We normally visit a wreck dive site and a coral dive / snorkeling site in the morning and after lunch on board we do our third dive / second snorkeling spot.
Once the diving and snorkeling is completed, we head back to the harbor, unload the equipment and head back to the dive shop. Depending on where we go, we usually arrive back at the dive shop between 15.30 and 16.30. Our drivers will then drive you back to your hotel.
Snorkeling gear, lunch, hot / soft drinks, drinking water, fresh fruits and cookies on the boat are included.
We are the main operator on Jomtien Beach Road and take bookings from all over Pattaya. A vast number of hotels use us on a regular basis as we offer great service and value for money.
Please check our price list for prices and bookings or contact us for more information.
We will go to the Samae San Islands or the Pattaya Islands. The Pattaya Islands are divided into the Pattaya Near Islands and Pattaya Far Islands.
We can also combine the Pattaya Far and Near Islands during one day trip. Normally we organize one coral reef dive and one wreck dive during a day trip. Wreck dives are only possible for certified PADI Advanced divers and above.
The exact dive and snorkeling sites we choose depend on the weather conditions and certification level of the divers. We take you to the best dive and snorkeling sites of that particular day, so that you can experience the best of our stunning coral reefs and wrecks.
Choosing the dive site and location is normally done the night before. If you do have any requests please ask when you book and we will do our best to schedule it.
Pattaya Near Islands Dive Sites & Snorkeling Spots
The Pattaya Near Islands are just 30 minutes away by boat. Ko Larn (Coral island) has popular beaches, so we often dive at the islands around Ko Larn that are more quiet, like Ko Krok and Ko Sak. The beautiful HTMS Kut and Mattaphon wreck are located at the ‘Near Islands’.
Do you want to see sea turtles and among bright colorful corals? Then you should definitely visit Ko Krok (or Koh Khrok)! Along the rocky shores in the western part of the island, starting at 3-4 meters, you can find a coral reef studded with hundreds of sea anemones which look like colorful sea flowers.
Koh Khrok and Koh Sak are perfect places for both scuba diving and snorkeling. Unlike Koh Larn, with its often noisy beaches and many tourists, these islands are almost inhabited.
Currents can be strong around Ko Krok.
Koh Sak island has mostly mountain relief and rocky shores. There are two main beaches on the island – along the North and South coast.
Koh Sak attracts scuba divers and snorkelers in the first place. Due to its horseshoe shape the island has a bay with quiet and clear water protected from the winds. In the South of the island there is a coral reef stretching along the seashore where you can see many colorful fish, moray fish, turtles and other interesting sea creatures.
This place is suitable for all divers and as there is no strong current.
We normally only dive here in the afternoon as there are too many jet skiers in the morning. The average depth is 12 meters.
Coral Island is the largest of the islands which can be reached from Bali Hai Pier and is very popular for day trips from Pattaya.
At Ko Larn you can see a large variety of tropical reef fish, sponges and hard corals. Occasionally we even spot barracudas in the blue so it is definitely worth diving here!
Note that we only dive or snorkel around Ko Larn itself when it is not busy with banana boats, jet skis and other motorized vehicles – safety first!
The HTMS Mattaphon (or Mataphon) wreck was sunk in 2012 south-east of Ko Larn near Had Nuen beach. The amphibious landing ship was originally in service for the US Navy during World War 2 and was soon after transferred to the Thai Navy. She was employed until shortly before her sinking and she is the sister ship of the HTMS Phetra which was sunk just three days afterwards near Ko Man Nok, Rayong.
Build: 1944
Type: Landing ship medium
Length: 36 m / 118 ft
Width: 10 m / 33 ft
Maximum depth: 23 m / 75 ft
Like the HTMS Khram, the HTMS Kut was purpose sunk to create an artificial reef in 2006. Both wrecks share the same design with minor differences. Although the Khram wreck features a richer growth of coral (attributed to the longer time under water), the advantage of the Kut wreck is its easy accessibility just minutes away from Pattaya’s Bali Hai pier.
Build: 1944
Type: Landing ship medium
Length: 56 m / 184 ft
Width: 10 m / 34 ft
Maximum depth: 30 m / 98 ft
At No Limit Divers Pattaya we take only certified PADI Advanced Open Water Divers (or above) to the HTMS Kut wreck, people who have done the PADI Deep Adventure Dive or equivalent. This is because of its depth (the top of the wreck is at 15 meters) at possible strong currents.
Not suitable for snorkeling.
If you do not have one of the above please contact us for possibilities not to miss out on this amazing wreck dive with an explosion of marine life.
Pattaya Fun Dive Packages
Silver
2 Dives-
2 Fun Dives
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Dive Equipment
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Dive Leader
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Hotel pick up and return (Pattaya area)
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Fruit, Snacks and refreshments
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Lunch
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Tropical Fruit
Gold
6 Dives-
6 Fun Dives
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Dive Equipment
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Dive Leader
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Hotel pick up and return (Pattaya area)
-
Fruit, Snacks and refreshments
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Lunch
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Tropical Fruit
Platinum
10 Dives-
10 Fun Dives
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Dive Equipment
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Dive Leader
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Hotel pick up and return (Pattaya area)
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Fruit, Snacks and refreshments
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Lunch
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Tropical Fruit
Scuba Equipment
Should i buy my own scuba equipment? To answer this question you will need to take a look at what type of diver you are or will be but the short answer is Yes. It’s always a good idea to have your own gear for many reasons. Some divers prefer to use rental equipment; However, they will buy their own gear after a while. It is absolutely your choice to buy them or not. We highly recommend you to buy the essential equipment for you convenience. If you want to learn more about it, please read our article on Owning Scuba gear or if you have decided to buy scuba gear, We always have something available to suit everyone’s budget. Aqualung, Apeks, Scubapro and Suunto are all top brands available locally in Thailand. We have products to suit your style and have monthly promotions on specific items. Please visit our scuba dive gear shop and DO Not hesitate to contact us, our scuba dive gear specialists would love to assist you to get the best deal.