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

Tuesday 2nd February 2010

Apologies for the delay in updating, what with back-to-back liveaboards on MV Pawara and more day trips on the speedboats out to the Similan islands and Richelieu Rock than you can blow bubbles at, things have been crazily busy West-side!

Koh Bon and Koh Tachai (2 of the islands North of the Similans) have been proving immensely popular recently – not only are they beautiful dive sites, the visibility’s been great, with flat seas making the journey time to Koh Bon less than an hour - our favourite ocean residents are back!

The manta rays are here and are as playful as ever, up to 5 metres big, these gentle giants make for some fantastic diving experiences, either cruising over the coral reef at Koh Bon or barrel rolling and diving around and over the rocks at Tachai, they’re certainly a sight to behold – lucky fundivers the day before yesterday on a daytrip with one dive at each site and mantas at each too!

Big Blue just certified 2 of our youngest (and most energetic!) students ever! Joep and Sjoera passed their Open Water course making 4 amazing dives in the Similans.

Rick has already offered them jobs when they become instructors as these guys speak 4 languages each!

Also Ralph got his Bubblemaker certificate at the same time – a whole family of scuba divers J Hope to see you soon guys – come back next year for your Advanced Course!

Outside of our Khao Lak bubble, the rest of the world is realising more and more what a fragile ecosystem coral reefs are.

According to a new study reported in the journal ‘Science’, coral reefs give rise to many more new species that other tropical marine habitats – new species originate 50% faster in the reefs than in other habitats.

Coral reefs are often compared to rainforests in terms of their biodiversity as they give shelter to such a huge number of different marine species, and the destruction of this ecosystem could be devastating to the planet. The planet is losing 2% of its reefs each year, mainly due to human activity, and we need to act now to preserve the coral reefs before it’s to late. Save our seas!

Back to Khao Lak, and the last few Pawara trips have also been very successful, lots of mantas, leopard sharks, some white tips at Elephant Head Rock and Koh Bon plus the usual array of weird and wonderful macro life – seahorses, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish aplenty We’ve had a fantastic mix of people on the boats, newer divers and seasoned divers, plus a multitude of different nationalities.

So many people experiencing amazing diving, but adding that personal touch to their trip as well – we’ve had customers celebrating their 100th, 200th and 300th dives,taking their advanced open water courses, becoming enriched air divers, and celebrating some birthdays on the liveaboard.

We’ve had honeymooners on board, and then last trip even had an underwater proposal – congratulations to Erica and Christian who popped the question underwater and got engaged in style in the Similans! Who wants to get married on the Pawara?!

Last but not least, felt I should mention our techie friends too. The technical diving crew from Koh Tao came across as part of their round-Thailand trip exploring the depths, caves and shipwrecks of the ocean, and headed out on the daytrips to Richelieu and the Similans, plus a trip out on the liveaboard to show us recreational divers what we’re missing out on. Shame they ruined their macho image by being as excited by the manta rays as we were ☺

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.