The major east coast trio

Since Thailand's recreational diving industry was born in Pattaya, dive centers there have set valuable examples to other more recently opened diving businesses in other parts of Southeast Asia. Their main activities are teaching introductory courses and open water certification courses to new divers. In addition, they specialize in advanced training programs for divers, offering scheduling that is especially suited to residents working in Bangkok-both foreign and Thai. Many of the shops-in Pattaya and other areas of Thailand-have now set up Nitrox facilities, the new technical wave in diving. 

One day trips to nearby islands provide access to wreck dives

All dive centers in Pattaya conduct one day diving trips and some are now diving regularly at Koh Chang near the Thai-Cambodian border. Visitors to the area will be happy to discover that some of the best wreck diving in Thailand is found here. Although there are several wrecks scattered around, the two best sites in the area are the Bremen and the Hardeep. The Hardeep is considered to be the best wreck dive and stores offer one-day and two-day trips to the site. Located between Koh Samaesan and Koh Chuang, the Hardeep is a 42 meter-long Indonesian freighter that sank in 1942 and now rests on her side in 21-27 meters of water.

Today, the wreck is still and tranquil-except for the masses of tropical fish who have made this disaster their home. It is also home to colonies of fan corals and large barrel sponges. Although visibility is not dependably clear here-averaging about the same as the rest of the Gulf of Thailand-the prolific marine life and the possibility of making a safe penetration into the wreck makes the dive one of the most inviting around. 

The second popular wreck is the Bremen located near the village of Sattahip south of Pattaya city. Although there is less and less profile to this 90-meter steel ship every year due to natural deterioration, the wreck attracts large schools of yellow tail snappers and barracuda. 

An excellent deep dive, thewreck rests at about 25 meters and visibility ranges from around 7-10 meters. For those divers interested in more than shipwrecks, coral diving in Pattaya can be fulfilling as well. Often dive centers will offer a coral dive during their trip to the Hardeep an Koh Chuang and Koh Samaesan have healthy coral down to as deep as 30 meters. Although larger animals such as sharks and rays are occasionally seen, the big attractions here are the abundance of soft and hard corals and beautiful, colorful anemones.

Coral diving near Koh Rin

Further off-shore, the island Koh Rin probably offers Pattaya's best coral diving. The underwater profile is more interesting here compared with other places and water clarity can be excellent, sometimes exceeding 25 meters. Rocky canyons form swim-throughs which are not only wonderful for divers but cause currents to wash around the rocks causing great environmental conditions for the marine life living there. Although the day can be long due to the distances involved in getting to the different sites in this area, those looking for clearer water will find the longer traveling times worthwhile.

Koh Chang

Koh Chang lies to the east of Pattaya near the Cambodian border. Over the past three years, several shops have sprung up on the island, and several centers from Pattaya are running either land-based or onboard trips to the area. The area itself is rich in history and culture as it is located almost right on the border with Cambodia. The hilly, jungle-covered islands are striking in their beauty and many of the beaches rival those of Thialand's southern islands.

What most excites divers about the diving around the area are the underwater pinnacles that are located offshore of Koh Chang and Koh Raet. The best diving spots in both the Andman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand are on pinnacles because of conditions which create healthy environments for marine life. Not only will the big animals such as sharks and rays be more common, but the corals and fish-life on these pinnacles are far more abundant. Visibility at some of these offshore dive sites can exceed 30 meters, and whale sharks seem to be more widespread than in previous years.

For those divers looking for an active sporting-life-or a busy night-life as well as diving, Pattaya is extremely convenient and not expensive. In general, diving has a much better appearance in Pattaya than it used to. For the student of scuba, Pattaya offers many opportunities as well. For a week or a weekend. Pattaya has the potential to keep even the most active diver contented.

How to get there: Buses and taxis can take you from Bangkok to Pattaya in a few hours. Flights are available to the town to U-taphao, which is close to Pattaya. This can save some transfer time. For transportation to Koh Chang, buses and ferries can be arranged through your local dive shop or travel agency.