Frequently Asked Questions about diving in Thailand
Here are the Sea Bees answers
You are planning to go diving with us in Thailand but still have a lot of questions? No problem, here are answers to the most commonly asked questions we receive.
The water temperature is 26 – 29 degrees celsius all year round
3mm shorty is normally sufficient and is our standard rental suit. If you plan on diving on the liveaboard you might want to consider bringing a long 3mm suit.
Overall the best time of the year to dive on Thailands west coast is between November to April. The weather conditions are most stable during this time of the year and all dive sites are open. However, as this is the main tourist season prices tend to be higher and the dive sites more frequented.
Unfortunately, the dive sites around the Similan Islands, which are the spots we dive from Khao Lak are closed during green season. This is a regulation by the National Park authority to allow the national park and its dive sites to recover for a few month a year.
Diving is, however, possible all year from Phuket.
All tanks use INT valves, DIN adapters can be rented in our office.
Yes, we do. If you have any special dietary requirements it would be best to let us know in advance so that our cooks can plan ahead accordingly.
Yes, this possible. The price is 1500,- Baht per day.
But there are plenty of other hotels. Just take a look here.
Yes, from Kata Beach, Karon Beach and Patong Beach. All other areas are subject to a surcharge.
Yes, on our livebaoard trips we offer free Nitrox. On daytrips we ask for a surcharge of Baht 250,-per tank
Yes, of course. However, please note that not all daytrips are suitable for swimming and snorkeling.
No, not all sites are suitable for snorkeling. Best are the daytrips to Racha Yai, Racha Noi and the Phi Phi islands.
Yes, we accept Visa and Mastercard.
Yes, at some of the beaches there is good snorkeling. Mostly at the northern and southern ends of the beaches where there are rock formations. Some more information can be found here.
There are several exchange counter close to our dive centers and resorts.
Equipment is not included on liveaboard or daytrips, unless it is a special package, or the OWD course was completed at one of our Sea Bees Dive centers.
The weather in low season is pretty good most of the time, although the humidity is much higher than normal. We have the occasional rain shower during the day, but this usually lasts only for a short time. The visibility and current under water is not much different compared to the rest of the year. Many people prefer the low season, because there are not as many boats and divers at the varies dive spots. Due to the location of our Phuket dive sites are we able to offer day trips year round from our Island.
You can find more information about diving in the low season in this blog post.
We dive in small groups with a maximum ratio of 4 guests per guide.
Experience and air consumption are the main criteria for our decisions.
The minimum number of dives on our daytrips is two. In Phuket, we also offer daytrips with three or four dives.
On the liveaboards there are usually 3 day dives and 1 night dive per day.
The maximum depth is 30m but, with the appropriate qualification can be to 40m.
Safety is the highest priority at Sea Bees and therefore the surface interval is a minimum of 1.5 hours.
We plan all our dives for a duration of one hour.
Sea Bees does not employ temporary guides or young divemaster trainees! We guarantee highly experienced guides with excellent local knowledge.
All our guides speak English.
Contrary to many other suppliers, we are not a diving agency but a real diving company with our own instructors and diving boats.
Absolutely NOT! We collaborate with only a handful of specially selected partners to ensure things run smoothly onbard. This is the only way to provide you with the best possible service during your diving holiday.
Most of it is purchased fresh daily, all groceries on board are stored and prepared to western standards.
he onboard galley on our vessels allows us to provide for any special requirements.
We can arrange for a private guide upon request for a surcharge.
We consider this issue extremely important and our guides are very environmentally conscious, and not just when diving. As all our boats are equipped with septic tanks, the dive sites are kept clean.
All our vessels are equipped with sufficient emergency oxygen with an “ON Demand“ System which guarantees maximum possible O2 care in the event of an emergency.
All our instructors, guides and boat staff are regularly trained and are all qualified O2 and First Aid providers.
Yes, all our guests automatically enjoy accident insurance coverage. In addition, you can also sign up for diving accident insurance coverage.
All our daytrip boats are equipped with 2 engines, and with a particular design making them very stable in the water and safe, even in rough seas.
Our boats are inspected annually using general safety tests. Our DIN / EUF Certification includes this inspection as well.