Not that many people know that you can do Freediving in Thailand or in Phuket. Many may have questions such as Is Freediving in Phuket any good? How much depth can you find in Phuket? What's the visibility? Where is the best place around Phuket to Freedive? Is shore dive possible in Phuket? How much it costs to Freedive in Phuket?
Location and Time
Due to the reason that Phuket is an island with many other islands around, you can find plenty of opportunity to Freedive in Phuket and near by region.
Racha Noi Island - Known for great visibility, calm sea, and possibility for depth training, it is the number one dive site we would recommend if you are taking a course or plan to do depth training.
Visibility : 15+ meters on a bad day, and 30 or even 40+ meters on good day
Depth availability : 70+ meters
Good Diving Period : You can dive all year round due to the shape of the island. You can just switch side to avoid the wind and waves on different season.
How to get to : SCUBA dive boat(daily), charter speedboat or special freediving trips.
Racha Yai Island - The island has Phuket's most famous dive site which is Bay 1 located on the East side of the island. Bay 1 has many ship wrecks from super yacht at the depth of 22(bottom)-10(top) meters(newly sunk to be artificial reef in October 2023), to snorkeling tour boat at 22(bottom)-15 meters(top). You can dive at this bay mostly during monsoon season when the wind is coming from the West.
Visibility : 8 meters on a bad day, and 25 meters on a good day.
Depth availability : 25 meters(recommended) for those who plan to do 20 meters depth training. The island has more depth, but you would have to travel quite a bit far from the island and with the strong current you might get swept out into open sea.
Good Diving Period : All year round.
How to get to : SCUBA dive boat(daily), charter speedboat or special freediving trips.
Phi Phi Islands - Phi Phi is one of the most beautiful island around in term of corals, marine lives, and landscape. With many caves, the photoshoot possibility is almost endless.
Visibility : 3 meters on a bad day, and 15 meters on a good day.
Depth availability : 25 meters depth.
Good Diving Period : November -April (high season). Most of the beautiful dive sites are located towards South West side which is the side that gets most of the waves during monsoon season. Visibility are generally not so good during monsoon season as well.
How to get to : SCUBA dive boat(almost daily), charter speedboat or special freediving trips.
Koh Hey - Located in the South East of Phuket, the water around the island doesn't usually have good visibility, but depth isn't hard to find. During some season, there might be many jelly fish around so it's not always good for diving.
Visibility : 3 meters on a bad day, 10 meters on a good day.
Depth availability : 30+ meters.
Good Diving Period : November - April(high season)
How to get to : Longtail Boat
Costs
There are different options for you to be doing freediving. We recommend SCUBA dive boat or special freediving trips where you have instructor conduct training or guiding you around the dive sites. Due to the nature of Freediving where diver spend most time at the surface, it has significant amount of risks with boat traffic accident, so it is best that you go with instructor who knows where it is safe and what to do. The cost of freediving trips can varies depending the boat and its services.
SCUBA Dive Boat - Big SCUBA boat going to these dive sites all the time. They are spacious with lots of conveniences.
Pros : Safe from weather. Comfortable and convenient with facilities like toilets, freshly cook meals, spacious, etc.
Cons : Slow speed so you might spend most of your time travelling. Limited time as it is SCUBA diving boat so it is SCUBA diving schedule which is 50 minutes per dive and 1 hour surface interval(break) between dives.
Cost : Around 3,300 THB
Special Freediving Trip - Occasionally organized by dive schools, it is best for freediving.
Pros : Usually use speedboat for quick transportation for a small group, so you can maximize time spend diving and less on travelling. Can get the depth you want.
Cons : No so pleasant in rough sea. Less space on the boat. Lunch box. Maximum of 1 toilet with no toilet on smaller speedboat.
Cost :3,300 - 3,500 THB
Longtail Boat - Occasionally organized by dive schools, it is cheapest for freediving to some nearby island such as Koh Hey.
Pros : Cheap. Has limited range but can move around to find depth and follow the buoys if doing drift.
Cons : No toilet. Meals and drinks depending on the boat and organizer. No space. Not much cover from the sun and rain, some have no roof at all.
Cost : 1,500 THB - 2,500 THB
Shore dive
Possibility for shore diving is only on the West coast of Phuket island as the East coast(PhangNga Bay) are mostly mangrove forest. Visibility is not good with mud at the bottom, and shallow depth.
Good Diving Period : November - April (high season).
Depth : 10-15 meters max.
Things to be aware of : Boat Traffic. Currents and Waves.
Other unique dive sites around Phuket
One of the unique dive site close to Phuket is Tataeng Lake in PhangNga Province. Tataeng is a fresh water lake lake created from tin mining. The lake has underwater tree, algae field, and wooden structure from tin mining era.
Temperature : 30+ degree Celsius
Visibility : 2 meters on a bad day(monsoon season), 12 meters on a good day(high season)
Depth : 17 meters max
Cost : 1,500 - 2,000 THB
Pros and Cons
There are both Pros and Cons for Freediving in Phuket.
Pros : Good visibility. Warm Temperature of 30+ degree. Joined boat available everyday.
Cons : Most of dive sites are far away, so you have to take boat which can be costly.