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Scuba Diving at Koh Phai Beach Pattaya
Even though the beaches at Koh Phai Island are restricted by the Royal Thai Navy, the southern tip offers some of the best diving at this location.
This Ko Phai dive guide contains practical information for scuba divers and snorkelers, with extra details about the diverse marine life found in the northern Gulf of Thailand.
Which Months are Best for Diving in Pattaya
Unlike the Andaman Sea coastlines, the eastern shores of Thailand are unique for several reasons:
- The shallowest coral reef dive sites are ideal for divers of all experience levels.
- You can also find challenging dives (including some of the best wreck diving in Thailand).
- The eastern seaboard tends to get shelter from the worst of monsoon rains that sometimes rule out diving in areas like Phuket and Phi Phi.
It's fair to say that most scuba divers want to explore top diving destinations that have calm conditions underwater and lots of dry sunny weather above the waterline.
In fact, Chonburi Province has more than 300 days of year-round sunshine and the water temperature rarely drops below 29° Celsius (84° Fahrenheit).
As a result, the white sand beaches and clear blue water found at the islands around Pattaya have transformed the region into one of the top places for diving holidays in Thailand.
Here's the thing:
As a consequence of that, diving in Pattaya tends to be an annual activity. Even so, divers need to be mindful that the southwest storms usually arrive towards the end of October and can last for several weeks.
At certain times of the year, the north eastern gulf can have twenty (20) metres of underwater visibility. Thus, the best months for scuba diving and Pattaya snorkeling trips are from the beginning of September through to the end of February.
Pro Tip: Check out our sea life section for interesting facts about sharks (e.g. blacktip reef sharks) and rays (e.g. spotted eagle rays) that sometimes put in an appearance at the outer islands.
Tips for Diving at Ko Phai Island
The main dive site takes a little over an hour to reach by boat from Pattaya Marina. The large shallow bay offers ideal conditions for beginner divers and for refreshing your dive skills.
Plus, the HTMS Khran wreck was sunk on purpose in 2003 and the rusty remains are close to Koh Phai Pattaya. It was a WW II landing craft that has since created an artificial man-made reef and a captivating region for wreck diving.
The average depth is about six (6) metres and the maximum is about eleven metres (36 feet). Divers can expect to have between three (3) and twelve (12) metres of underwater visibility with moderate currents.
Pro Tip: The large quiet bay at Koh Phai Beach is mostly void of boat traffic and jet skis. It's a good location for dive schools to conduct the Discover Scuba Diving introductory program. The rugged topography also provides a superb backdrop for underwater photography and learning how to snorkel.
Marine Life at Ko Phai Island
Having the opportunity to experience interesting topography, clearer underwater visibility, and a superabundance of aquatic creatures are the main reasons divers make the trip to the Far Islands.
Most of the Pattaya dive sites are good places to see big fishes (e.g. pelagics). Plus, divers should expect to catch sightings of common marine life native to the northern Gulf of Thailand, especially during the plankton blooms in March and April, such as:
- Angelfishes (e.g. blue ringed angelfish)
Butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae)- Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)
- Damselfishes (e.g. the dusky damselfish)
- Gobies fish
- Lionfish
- Moray eels
- Octopuses
- Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae)
- Scorpionfish
- Seahorses (Hippocampus)
- Sea anemones (including clownfish)
- Sea turtles (e.g. hawksbill sea turtle)
- Stingrays (e.g. bluespotted ribbontail ray)
- Wrasse fish
Pro Tip: Koh Phai diving site is an exciting destination to explore diverse reef life and marine invertebrates that live around hard and soft corals. It also creates a neat way to combine reef diving and shipwreck diving on the same day, such as at the nearby HTMS Khram and HTMS Mataphon wreck.