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Cheap Scuba Diving In Asia

Scuba diving is not the cheapest of sports to pursue, but if you’re diving in Asia, there are plenty of great dive spots that won’t break the bank to explore in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines

Harlequin Shrimp at Koh Lanta

I’ve dived a lot around South East Asia over the last 12 years, and I’ve often been surprised at how cheap the diving can be here. If, like me, you like to dive often and travel specifically for the chance to dive, then there are plenty of opportunities to do so without having to spend a huge amount of cash.

Indeed, with the cheap flights provided by AirAsia and other budget carriers in Asia, it’s possible to dive in several countries within the space of a few weeks and still not break the bank.

The other great source of cheap diving in Asia is last minute liveaboard deals – where you go on board a boat and basically eat, sleep and dive for typically 4 to 7 days. You can get steep discounts up to a couple of months before departure, so it’s worth checking as the price is typically inclusive of diving, food and accommodation.

Here’s the beginnings of my list of cheap places to dive in South East Asia. The list below is by no means definitive and I welcome suggestions in the comments of other places to add to it. I have stuck with places and dive operators that I have personally visited and dived with.

The benchmark I’ve used is the cost of a one or two fun dives (ie assuming you’re already certified to dive) including all scuba gear. Virtually all operators offer package deals which make dives cheaper, so this is just a rough benchmark to help comparisons.

A tiny cuttlefish attempts to spear its prey

Thailand:
Koh Tao

Koh Tao is the most popular place to get certified as a diver in Asia Pacific outside of Cairns and it’s a renown backpacker destination.

Price: Fun Dives are 850 Baht each on Koh Tao. So two dives is 1700 Baht = $50 US approx. See my article Koh Tao: An Introduction

Koh Lanta
Located on the West Coast, Koh Lanta is Koh Phi Phi’s sleepy neighbour and much more relaxed as a result. Lanta has access to some of Thailand’s best dive sites – Koh Haa, Hin Daeng/Hin Muang and Koh Bida.

Price: 2 dives are twice the price of Koh Tao – 3700 Baht or $110 US approx – because the dive sites are much further away – and you get breakfast and lunch included. The diving here is pretty amazing because the sites are so remote. You can also do liveaboards from Koh Lanta that can help you save on accommodation and food costs.

See my article on diving Koh Lanta.

Khao Lak: Similan Islands Liveaboard
The Similan Islands are widely regarded as Thailand’s best dive spot and are extremely popular. You can do day trips by speedboat but the best way to see them is on a liveaboard.

Price: As of 2019, a budget 4 Day / 4 night Similan Island liveaboard costs around $620 USD all inclusive. You get 14 dives, so that’s around $45 USD a dive – but you’re also getting 4 nights free accommodation and all your food included too. To get maximum dive bang for your buck, liveaboards are hard to beat. Dolphin Queen is a fantastic budget liveaboard boat I’ve been on several times which has been operating for nearly 20 years. It’s important to check guest reviews to see what they say about the staff, food and most importantly, safety. You can compare it with other Similan Liveaboards

I also wrote up a detailed Similan Liveaboard report if you want more of an idea of what a liveaboard trip entails.

Spearing Mantis Shrimp at Lembeh

Indonesia:
Bali – Tulamben
The world famous wreck of the USS Liberty lies just off Tulamben Beach, a sleepy village in northern Bali that has some amazing diving. Great place for beginners to get lots of dives in.

Price: $30 US a dive – $100 for unlimited dives during one day (5 is probably most you could do) as offered by Tulamben Wreck Divers. These are one of the original operators to set up in Tulamben – an Australian husband and wife team, Tony and Dot, who previously pioneered whale shark snorkelling trips in Western Australia – and have been offering the unlimited dives package for $100 since 2010!

See also my guide to diving the USS Liberty and Tulamben

Lembeh
If you like seeing weird and wonderful underwater creatures, this is the place to come. Lembeh has an amazing array of marine life and is very affordable too.

Price: NAD Lembeh resort offers $399 for 8 dives and four nights accommodation and all meals – so that works out as $50 a dive, but you need to factor in the accomm and meals as part of that – see NAD Lembeh’s rates page.

See also my trip report on visiting NAD Lembeh resort and I went back again, and got some even better photos, diving Lembeh Strait in March 2011.

Palau Weh
A remote spot at the northern-western tip of Indonesia, Palau Weh is a superb location for doing lots of cheap dives on the huge house reef right in front of the resort, as well as taking a boat to explore further afield. Full details in the Palau Weh trip report.

Perhentian Islands Malaysia - Dive boats on the beach

Malaysia

Perhentian Islands
The Perhentians have long been a backpacker haven, two small islands with nothing but beach – no roads, no traffic. There’s some nice diving around the area too and a good variety of fish life.

Price: 80 Malaysian Ringgit – around $21 a dive – see Turtle Bay Divers and look under the Price List link.

See also my Scuba Diving the Perhentian Islands: A Quick Guide and my Perhentian Islands article for Asian Diver.

Vietnam:
Nha Trang
Despite having a huge coastline, Vietnam doesn’t get much dive attention. There are some interesting spots to explore but the main area is Nha Trang.

Price: $40 for one dive in Nha Trang, $60 for 2 dives. You can read my Nha Trang report for more info.

Philippines:
Sogod Bay
Sogod is a hidden gem in the Philippines, pristine reefs and annual visits by whale sharks.

Price: 1500 Pesos per dive – $31 US at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. Read my trip report from Sogod about being In The Water With The Biggest Fish In The World

Davao
In Davao in the southern Philippines, it’s even cheaper – 1150 Pesos per dive – $26 US at WindAndWaveDavao.com. Davao is a little known macro heaven – I wrote a full article about Davao for Scuba Diver AustralAsia magazine a while ago.

There are loads of other places in the Philippines to go diving from the beach (eg Anilao, Puerto Galera, MoalBoal, Apo Island etc) and they won’t be that much more expensive (or much cheaper) than these places. See my Best Scuba Diving In The Philippines page for a rundown of what’s great about each of these places.

There are also several liveaboards in the Philippines which offer good value compared to resorts.

That is a quick rundown of places I’ve been too that are cheap to dive – I know there are many more (for example, Tioman and Redang in Malaysia, Sihanoukville in Cambodia, etc). If you have suggestions of other cheap places to dive, please leave a comment and include a specific dive operator you recommend so I can check their prices. Thanks!



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:: Check the availability and pricing of liveaboards in Thailand and book online.


:: Find the cheapest flights to Thailand - Phuket (airport code: HKT) is the nearest airport for diving the Similan Islands. You can get direct international flights to Phuket or go via one of Bangkok's two airports - Suvarnabhumi (BKK), the main airport, or Don Mueang (DMK), the low cost carrier terminal.


:: Make sure you don't forget to bring any of the essentials for your scuba diving trip with our comprehensive Liveaboard Packing List


:: World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.


:: Find available places to stay in Phuket for before and after your liveaboard on Booking.com - usually you can reserve a room with no upfront payment. Pay when you check out. Free cancellations too.


:: Need inspiration? See our Best Places To Dive In Thailand for ideas of where to go and what to do.


Dive Happy Podcast Newsletter

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More Thailand Diving Stories

  • Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Review
  • Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report February 2023
  • Ao Suthep, Surin Islands, Thailand
  • Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report December 2022
  • Diving Stonehenge, Koh Lipe, April 2022
  • Manta Rays at Koh Bon, March 2022
  • Diving Richelieu Rock, Thailand – January 2022
  • Diving HTMS Chang and Alahambra Rock: March 2021
  • Thailand’s Best Dive Sites
  • Where To See Manta Rays In Thailand
  • Whale Sharks In Thailand: Where To See Them
  • Similan Islands Liveaboard February 2020
  • Are There Great White Sharks In Thailand?
  • Myanmar And Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report
  • Koh Lanta Diving
  • Koh Tao: An Introduction
  • Diving The USS Lagarto Submarine – Richie Kohler interview
  • Cheap Scuba Diving In Asia
  • Thailand Diving Home

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My Recent Dive Trips

  • February 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2022: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • December 2022: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2022: Komodo liveaboard, Indonesia
  • June 2022: USAT Liberty shipwreck, Bali, Indonesia
  • April 2022: Stonehenge, Koh Lipe, Thailand
  • March 2022: Manta Rays at Koh Bon, Thailand
  • January 2022: Richelieu Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • March 2021: HTMS Chang and Alahambra Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • February 2020: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2019: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2019: Malapascua, Philippines
  • June 2019: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • April 2019: Tulamben, Bali
  • December 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • December 2018: Anilao, Philippines
  • October 2018: Moalboal, Philippines
  • October 2018: Malapascua, Philippines
  • July 2018: Tulamben, Bali
  • May 2018: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • April 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • May 2017: Apo Island and Dumaguete, Philippines
  • April 2017: Tubbataha Reef, Philippines
  • April 2017: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • March 2017: Triton Bay, Indonesia
  • March 2017: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • September 2016: Tulamben, Bali at Alba Dive Resort
  • August 2016: Cenderawasih Bay on Damai 1
  • April 2016: Sogod Bay at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort
  • February 2016: Raja Ampat and Banda Islands on Damai 1
  • April 2015: Anilao at Crystal Dive Resort

My Less Recent Dive Trips

  • March 2015: Myanmar and Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • May 2013: Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • April 2013: Tubbataha Reef on Discovery Palawan
  • January 2013: Komodo, Indonesia on MSY Damai
  • August 2012: Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
  • April 2012: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • January 2012: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2011: Hanifaru, Maldives
  • June 2011: Tubbataha Liveaboard Hans Christian Andersen
  • April 2011: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • April 2011: Carpe Vita Liveaboard, Maldives
  • March 2011: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
  • December 2010: Menjangan, Bali
  • July 2010: Tofo, Mozambique
  • July 2010: Sardine Run, South Africa
  • May 2010: Sangalaki / Derawan, Tambora
  • March 2010: MV Flying Seahorse, Similan Islands
  • March 2010: MV Orion, Southern Maldives
  • January 2010: Big Blue Explorer, Palau
  • November 2009: MSY Damai, Banda Sea Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MSY Damai, Komodo Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MV Orion, Maldives Liveaboard
  • September 2009: MV Scubanet, Koh Losin, Thailand
  • May 2009: MSY Seahorse, Banda Sea liveaboard, Indonesia
  • March 2009: Sachika Liveaboard, Maldives
  • February 2009: Daytrips, Koh Lanta, Thailand
  • January 2009: MV Jazz, Burma (Myanmar) Liveaboard

Back In The Day Bragging Rights Dive Trips

  • November 2008: Borneo Explorer, Visayas Liveaboard
  • September 2008: S/Y Siren, Komodo Liveaboard
  • August 2008: Ocean Rover, Sulawesi Liveaboard
  • August 2008: NAD Lembeh Resort, Indonesia
  • June 2008: Koh Tao
  • March 2008: Maldives, Bandos Island
  • February 2008: MSY Seahorse, Raja Ampat Liveaboard
  • January 2008: MV Jazz, Burma Liveaboard
  • October 2007: Bali Dive Safari
  • September 2007: Davao, Philippines
  • July 2007: Great White Sharks, Rodney Fox Liveaboard
  • June 2007: Big Blue, Palau Liveaboard
  • May 2007: Whale Sharks at Exmouth, Australia
  • April 2007: Borneo Explorer, Tubbataha Reef Liveaboard
  • December 2006: Komodo Dancer, Komodo Liveaboard

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