Diving Sites Near Phi Phi Island
Phi Phi is an archipelago of islands lying 30 nautical miles east of Phuket and is a popular holiday spot for divers as well as non-divers. It’s one of the most famous places in Thailand. While there are dive shops and hotels on the island of Phi Phi Don, the only way to see all the local dive sites around Phi Phi is by staying overnight on the islands and using local dive shops.
If you’re coming from Phuket on a day trip, the two closest and best dive sites to Phuket are Koh Bida Nok (outside island) and Koh Bida Nai (inside island.) It takes about three hours to get to Phi Phi by dive boat, so two dives are really the maximum for the day. Local dive shops also visit these two dive sites.
Bida are two small limestone islands lying just next to each other; in fact, you can swim from one island to the other if you have good air consumption. Normally, they are done in two separate dives, with the surface interval taking place in a quiet cove where you can swim between dives. The limestone karst islands give you a pretty straight wall dive with the bottom at 30 meters (100 feet) or so. In the sand, you’ll find leopard sharks and small blue-spotted rays.
The area attracts whale sharks and the occasional manta ray, so you’re warned to keep a good eye out for them. The sea fans are large and healthy, as are the soft corals. It’s a pretty good place for hard corals as well, which are healthy in deeper water. There are shallow caves to stick your head or body into. The dive sites are both very fishy, and anyone will be happy with the diving here.
Diving Sites Map for Phi Phi Island
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