The area west of of Phangan is a protected Marine National Park, the Ang Thong Marine Park and as such is a protected sea environment, in a similar way a forest park may be protected from development. It’s to Thailand’s credit that it is ahead of many countries in creating these Marine Parks, and there are lessons which could be learnt from many western governments about sea life protection. There is always the danger of over use and the diving community must be aware that their very ‘sport or hobby’ can in itself be detrimental to the very environment they enjoy.

The favourite dive sites are around Phangan itself with the main island providing the base for day trips. The popular sites are found to the north west of Chaloklum, at Koh Ma, and at Koh Tai Nok on the western side of the island. Oh Ma is connected to Phangan by a sandbar, and provides an ideal place to enjoy snorkelling, if full blown diving is not on the list of things to do. The coral around the island is some of the bes to be found.

There are plenty of sites to choose from and a company such as Chaloklum diving , which is located in the place of the same name, will offer local dives and places further afield such as Sail Rock Here the depth of dive can go to 40 metres whilst the more local sites are 24 metre dives with unpredictable visibility. At Sail Rock the sea creatures living around the area include big Grouper fish, and schools of Barracuda, Batfish and Queenfish. The underwater scenery is said to be fantastic.

Phangan is well set up for divers and is as good a place as any to learn. Apart from the afore mentioned dive company at Chaloklum, there are diving schools at the major centres such as Haad Rin and Thong Sala. Always make sure the tutors are PADI registered and have all the correct qualifications to teach. Dive schools with the best reputations are generally the ones to use.

Beginners may well be taught in a more controlled environment such as a swimming pool, but most companies guarantee one open sea dive as part of the package – that is if you pass the course! The one day courses cost around 2,000 Baht and allow you to dive with an instructor within 14 days of the course. This also goes towards the higher level courses so your learning is not wasted.