Scuba diving in Pattaya explores meaning behind beer bars and beach party

The Nation: Scuba diving in Pattaya explores meaning behind beer bars and beach party

Although Pattaya has kept its image of wild nightlife, it also has a number of dive sites to occupy you for a few days.

Q: I'm travelling from Montreal to Bangkok for work in a few weeks and would love to do a few days scuba diving for a few days before my job begins. Could you give me some suggestions for dive destinations and beaches that are easily accessible from Bangkok? Thanks a lot. Paul R.

A: There are many dive sites in southern Thailand that are famous all over the world like the Similan Islands, but for a dive destination near Bangkok, I would suggest Pattaya, which is just two hours from the capital.

Although Pattaya has kept its image of wild nightlife, it also has a number of dive sites to occupy you for a few days. Another advantage is that it's also possible to dive here all year round. Pattaya's also offers sites to suit all levels and a number of dive shops to choose from.

Any dive shop will offer you a range of dive sites, some nearer to the coast than others. Koh Sark, Koh Larn and Koh Khrok are around six kilometres from Pattaya and most are ideal for beginners and novice divers with lots of hard coral formations and reef fish. "Far" islands refer to Koh Rin Koh Marn Wichai and Koh Phai, which are about 15 kilometres from the shore. The good thing about these is that they are far away from all the water sports activities and have colourful marine life.

If you are a fan of wreck diving, Pattaya is definitely heaven. There are up to four shipwrecks to explore offshore, namely Khram, Kood, Hardeep and Bremen. If you are interested in viewing US warships that have been intentionally sunk for recreational diving, visit the Khram and Kooh wreck sites. The Khram was sunk in 2003 and the Kood in 2006. Today, they offer plenty of colourful coral and many schools of fish from barracuda, jacks, fusiliers, batfish and sharks. Older wrecks are the Hardeep and Phetchaburi Bremen in Samae San, a village to the south of Pattaya. However, all of wreck sites in Pattaya are quite deep, around 22-30 metres from the surface and the current can be strong. It's possible to spend your days in Pattaya focusing on scuba diving with your chosen dive shop and enjoy a variety of dining and nightlife in the evening. There's a great choice of accommodation and it's easy to find transport back to Bangkok too.