Phuket is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand and the gateway to the Andaman Sea where some of the world's finest scuba diving can be found

Phuket is commonly referred to as Thailand's jewel in the Andaman Sea - it's a large island solidly collected to the mainland in the South of Thailand, and ideally positioned for boats to run northwards up the coast to the world famous Similan Islands, and also run southwards to Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and a host of other, lesser-known sites. As such, in terms of convenience, it's hard to beat - simply jet into Phuket Airport, which is served by many direct international flights and a host of domestic carriers from Bangkok. From there you can arrive at the door of your liveaboard tour operator within a couple of hours.

I've been diving with a couple of Phuket dive operators: I did a two day liveaboard with Colona Tours to Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, Shark Point and Koh Bida Nok, and a day trip to Koh Bida with West Coast Divers. Both companies were competent, responsive on email when booking and have a good set-up regarding their boat and scuba gear. [For what it's worth, I went with Colona as part of an assignment for Asian Diver, and with West Coast Divers as a paying customer]. I didn't have any complaints about diving with them at all.

I've described the major dive sites accessible from Phuket previously on Divehappy - the Similan Islands to the north and Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, Koh Bida and Koh Haa to the South. There are other sites that Phuket dive boats visit, like Shark Point, the wreck of the King Cruiser, and Koh Racha Noi, but I've only seen Shark Point once in bad viz so I can't really comment on those sites. The general consensus seems to be they are nice enough but not star attractions - the King Cruiser wreck is in a state of collapse and not particularly safe. If anyone has some up to date info on these sites, please let me know - and if I am missing a great Phuket dive site, definitely let me know!

Phuket, then, is a gateway to these dive sites and the first choice for many people. However, Phuket's reputation means that it is probably the most expensive place to visit in Thailand - even more expensive than Bangkok. That has a lot to do with the huge amount of wealthy expats who live there. By European standards, Phuket is still cheap - but compared to the rest of Thailand, and especially if you're a budget traveller, it's a lot harder to find real bargains. At least, that's been my personal experience in the five or so visits I've made to Phuket. That doesn't really matter if you're only going to Phuket to go scuba diving, where you step off the plane and onto the boat - but if you're planning to do some diving and have a beach holiday as well, you should check which part of Phuket you're staying in carefully - and the reputation of your hotel too. R24's Phuket hotels listings also feature reviews from customers who've stayed there - not all of them complimentary.

The infrastructure around the mountainous island is well advanced, but roads still twist and turn so that journeys take twice as long. There's no metered taxis as in Thailand's capital - in Phuket you need to negotiate every time and prices are expensive compared to elsewhere. As you might imagine, Phuket hotels tend to be on the expensive side too - follow the link to browse a comprehensive list of them. Moreover, the very popularity of Phuket means that its main beaches like Patong are permanently packed with tourists seeking sun, sea and sleaze. The wild nightlife scene around Patong is all a matter of taste: if it's what you want, it's heaven - if you're looking for peace and quiet, it's not so good.

While Phuket gives good access to the Similan Islands and Southern Thailand sites like Hin Daeng, you can get to them equally as well from other, cheaper Thailand destinations too. For the Similan Islands, Khao Lak is a great departure point because it's geographically much nearer the islands themselves, thus making the boat journey there shorter. Khao Lak itself is a small town that's coming back to life after the tsunami and by the 2006 / 2007 season it will have hundreds of luxury hotel rooms available again. Already the likes of Le Meridien have re-opened there - you can browse a complete list of Khao Lak hotels by following the link. Getting to Khao Lak is easy - fly into Phuket Airport and take a taxi north to the town. It's around an hour's drive - the same time it takes to get to Patong beach in Phuket proper.

Similarly, if you want to explore the Southern Thailand dive sites like Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, Koh Bida Nok and Koh Haa, then going to the islands of Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta is a good alternative. Again, you can fly into Phuket and catch a ferry out to either of these islands. Or you can fly into Krabi airport and get a ferry from there. For Koh Lanta you can get a taxi that uses the car ferries which run each day until late. It's a bit more hassle to get to than Phuket proper, but the reward is enjoying a much more laid back vibe with less people and less buildings.

Sculptures of traditional Thai demons have been placed underwater off the coast of Phuket to create an underwater diving park for scuba enthusiasts.

Sculptures worth 4 million baht have been placed on the seabed at a depth of 15 meters close to Koh Racha Yai, and are being promoted as a special “must see” site for divers in the coming high season. Phuket Diving Park, as the site is now known, features sculptures including Thai demons (yak), traditional decorative arches, a sala, two elephants and a giant pearl oyster. Over time they are expected to become artificial reefs, attracting a variety of sea life.

Source: Phuket Gazette, via Envirosea

Koh Racha Yai is off the coast of Phuket, and a popular daytrip destination for dive operators.