Going to Los April 8 to spend 4 days Bangkok alone and then 5 days with a 24 year old son who wants to dive. Pattaya comes to mind but am told the water is not clean, but I want to go there based on the reports I have read. Are there any spots close to Bangkok or must one fly to one of the islands? Clearly I am looking for scuba diving and the other kind, one can only spend so much time in the water!

I'm not much of a diver, but I did go with this company a few years ago to what was then called the "Verticle Wreck" several hours down the coast from Pattaya. The "verticle Wreck" fell over last year and is no more, but I will give thumbs up to the outfit.

www.aquanautsdive.com

Waters get cleaner in the outer islands off Pattaya and around the horn some 15 kilometers down the coast. Many of the dive shops in Pattaya offer an early morning to late afternoon excersion where they truck you several hours away to a good spot. The marine park stuff at Ko Chang off from Trat seems to be a better bet for world class diving, though the intire Gulf of Siam is often murky. Trat is 4 hours from Pattaya by mini bus, any of the many travel agencies in town will have the mini bus schedual and sell tickets.

Check out Stickman's web sight.

McDIJJ

You would not dive in Pattaya bay obviously. There are dive sites around the islands off coast of Pattaya or Rayong-- close by. However the quality of the reefs is poor. Too many tourists and no protection of the reefs. Mostly dead corral and little variety in sea life. For quality diving ( if you want both kinds ) you gotta go to Phuket . If your more interested in the muff variety, Pattaya is by far the better spot. Phuket only a 1 hour flight from BKK. Pattaya is a 2 hour bus or taxi ride. Same same as the Thais would say.

P.S.

Khun mor hates Pattaya and will leave no Pattaya post unscorned.

McDIJJ

Hey Mcdijj !!!! Did I not just say Pattaya was better than Phuket for mongering ?? Where would you rather scuba dive -- Phuket or Pattaya ?? I do not hate Pattaya. I would rather be there than any other place in the world- except BKK. There is little if any scuba diving in BKK to my knowledge. Now as for muff diving, I admit- I'll take BKK over Pattaya anytime.

Khun mor,

What about all of those canals in BKK? (-;
Just think of all the trout you could catch !!!

McDIJJ

LOL -- You would have to bump into them cause you sure as hell would never see them. How could you tell the difference between a turd and a trout until you grabbed it ?? By then it's too late !!!!

Diving in general as surprisingly disappointing 3 years ago even in some of the more remote islands in the south.

El nino is blamed for the death of much corral besides all the other human factors

Diving in general as surprisingly disappointing 3 years ago even in some of the more remote islands in the south.

El nino is blamed for the death of much corral besides all the other human factors