Welcome to Big Blue

Big Blue Diving Khao Lak operates 3 of our own boats to provide our customers with a full range of options for visiting and diving in the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. Select from any of our trips below.

_______________________Day Trips

We make daily dive trips to Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and the Similan islands aboard our fast and quiet speedboats. Everything is included in our full- service trips. We’ll even pick you up right at your hotel.

_____________________Liveaboards

If you have the time, a liveaboard is the best way to see the Similans. 4 dives per day, frequent stops at deserted beaches, and more time to relax aboard our luxurious MV Pawara, where every cabin has a private ensuite.

________________________Courses

We offer courses from Beginner to Professional. Come diving in the Similans with us for a day, even if you’ve never tried it before. Our highly trained staff all have years of experience looking after our customers and giving them the experience of a lifetime.

Big Blue Blog

Wednesday 17th March 2010

Another gorgeous day in Khao Lak - the sun is shining, the sky is blue, a fab day to be out on the boat diving!

The Pawara's exploring Richelieu Rock and Koh Tachai Pinnacle today,

they'll be able to watch the sunset over the ocean, then a dive tonight at

Koh Tachai reef, a really cool divesite to night dive

- often giant morays hunting, parrotfish asleep in their little bubbles, all different kinds of shrimp and crabs, octopus out and about...

Meanwhile our speedboat has whizzed out a boatload of customers to the northern Similans for some stunning diving and snorkelling around islands 8 and 9.

The snorkellers get to chill out in Donald Duck Bay, known locally as 'shoe bay' ( I think the rock the bay's named after looks much more like a shoe than a duck!) - an island paradise with the ubiquitous Similan white sand and turquoise waters - and see the plentiful marine life in the shallows whilst snorkelling, whilst the divers head off to explore the boulders of North Point looking for leopard sharks and the reef at Three Trees in search of turtles.

There's so many fantastic things to see whilst diving the Similan Islands, the macro nudibranchs and frogfish to the big sharks and rays, and a multitude of stunning fish and animals in between, you never know what surprises you're going to find during a dive!

We get a few species of marine life in the Similans that are a bit more rare than most, one of these being the bowmouth guitarfish. We see shovelnose rays sometimes too (both species are also known as guitar sharks) but a group of divers were lucky enough to find one of the bowmouth guitarfish at Breakfast Bend a couple of days ago. They're quite elusive, good spotting!

Now I know it seems like all we do is work, but sometimes we do get to party! Since Christmas was so chaotic for everyone, we deferred the festive jollies and celebrated Rick-mas the other day at Fanette and Rick's lovely new abode, it was really good to hang out with everyone, catch up and talk about non-work related events....we even popped open a bottle of champagne at midnight - Happy Rick's Year everyone! :)

- Amanda

Click here to read past updates.

About Big Blue Diving

Big Blue has been offering quality diving in Thailand for nearly 20 years and has offices in Khao Lak (across from the new McDonalds) and in nearby Bang Niang as well as operating the Big Blue Diving Resort in Koh Tao. We also have booking offices in Chumphon across from Farang Bar and in Bangkok, just off Khao San road.

Our 2 Khao Lak offices are only open from November to April each year, as the monsoon rains make any Similans diving difficult and dangerous outside of these months. If you're traveling to Thailand from May to October and want to dive, check out our Koh Tao Dive Resort for great year round diving.

We are more than happy to help you with your travel arrangements to Khao Lak or Phuket, as well as setting up accommodation for your stay here. While we don’t offer accommodation of our own, we’ll help you select the resort that’s right for you and help you in booking it. We can also assist in booking elephant rides or rainforest treks in Khao Sok national park for any non-divers you may be traveling with.

Over the past years in Khao Lak, Big Blue has built a reputation for quality focusing on customer satisfaction. We maintain this by hiring the most qualified staff, being on-time with our schedules every day, and giving people what they want - great diving with our fun and safe staff.

Big Blue Khao Lak is a Swedish and Japanese owned and managed PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Resort. We take safety very seriously and ensure the highest standards for all divers and snorkelers with our team of experienced and professional instructors, divemasters and snorkel guides who will provide you with the utmost care and attention. All courses and dive trips are set at a relaxed pace with small groups.

All our rental equipment is quality from Scubapro and regularly serviced by our in-house certified technician. If you prefer, you can also purchase your own gear from an extensive range of top brand equipment and accessories available in the Big Blue shop or by our bi-weekly delivery from major suppliers.

The Similan Islands have been rated among the top ten dive destinations in the world. It also provides spectacular snorkeling. Combine this with the experience and personal service provided by Big Blue and you have the recipe for a perfect day!

Khao Lak

With 16km of golden sandy beaches and lush mountainous jungle, in Khao Lak you will find activities to suit all ages and all tastes, both above and below the water.

The Similan Islands, considered the jewel of the Andaman Sea, lie just 60km west of the coast, making them easily accessible for day trips. A spectacular chain of nine, granite islands, each with tropical jungle, brilliant white sandy beaches and surrounded by warm, crystal clear water which is teaming with colorful marine life and stunning corals.

Khao Lak is very accessible as Phuket airport is only one hour away and lies on the main bus routes to Bangkok and the South.