Pattaya Far 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 Far Islands Dive Sites & Snorkeling Spots
Pattaya’s ‘faraway islands’ are as idyllic as it sounds. These tropical islands have some of the best sandy beaches and the clearest water with some of the healthiest coral reefs around Pattaya.
This is why most day trip boats head out to the Pattaya Far Islands from Jomtien and Pattaya. If the weather and water conditions are good we always try to go the Pattaya Far Islands as it is simply the best snorkeling and SCUBA diving close to Pattaya.
It takes about 60 minutes by boat to drive to the Pattaya Far Islands, giving you enough time to enjoy a cup of coffee, set-up your dive equipment and take photos when we pass-by 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 the islands around Pattaya and Samae San!
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 Far Islands.
This small archipelago of pinnacles offers some great snorkeling and diving opportunities. You can dive along the East, South and West coast of Ko Phai (Bambook Island).
With a lot of sandy areas and corals this is great for try diving and PADI Open Water Diver courses. Often we see Eagle rays at Ko Phai!
The shallow clear-water inlets are also ideal for people who try snorkeling for the first time. The maximum depth at this dive site is 12-15 meters.
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.
Ko Hu Chang means Elephant ears island. It consist of two little islands.
The corals are healthy and abundant at Ko Hu Chang.
The Pattaya fish species tend to swim around in bigger schools at these distant outcrops. The fish and marine life also mature to larger sizes.
We can dive at Ko Hu Chang at slack tide.
The maximum depth is around 18 meters, the top of the reef is at 6 meters.
The Pattaya Far Island called Ko Klung Badan is where you can see the most corals. It offers the best opportunity to see soft corals, sea whips and feather stars.
The back of the island offers an easy shallow dive site for try diving while the dive site at the front of the island drops down to 20-22 meters.
Make sure to take some photos of this island from the boat, it is the picture perfect bounty island.
Koh Man Wichai is one of our favorite snorkeling spots around Pattaya. Schools of fishes circle the tiny island feeding around Staghorn and Table corals.
The current can be strong when diving around Ko Man Wichai. This increases our chances of seeing bigger fish species. We get disappointed if we do not see barracudas, snappers, and jacks.
The seascape looks like fingers underwater, huge coral ripples on the bottom. The maximum depth is around 16 meters. The best part of this dive site is the wall.
This is a dive site we normally only go between October and June.
The United States gave this ship (Former USS LSM-469) to the Thai Navy in 1962. The ship, renamed HTMS Khram, has been in use for more than 60 years. Since 2003 it lies about 300 meters from the Koh Phai shore in 30 meters of water forming a stunning artificial reef.
The wreck is overgrown with hard and soft corals and you will see fish everywhere. You do not need to be a wreck lover to love this dive site. The amount of marine life and the diversity is incredible. This is a dive site where you will see a large variety of marine life.
In the blue there are often Barracudas and Batfish that circle around while you can spot colorful nudibranchs, crabs and soft coral formations on the wreck itself. This is a great dive spot for macro photography!
Build: 1945
Type: Landing ship medium
Length: 62 m / 203 ft
Width: 10 m / 34 ft
Maximum depth: 28 m / 92 ft
At No Limit Divers Pattaya we take only certified PADI Advanced Open Water Divers (or above) to the HTMS Khram 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)
-
Fruit, Snacks and refreshments
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Lunch
-
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.