Thailand's complete scuba diving information source: dive centres, dive courses, dive equipment, dive sites

Facilities in and around Koh Phangan

How to get there
Koh Phangan can be reached indirectly by air, rail and road and directly by sea. Read more...

Where to eat
Aside from all the eateries and bustling activity found at the two Haad Rin beaches... Read more...

Dive facilities
Koh Phangan is becoming an increasingly popular scuba diving destination and... Read more...

Dive trips
The price per diver for visiting the local sites is inclusive of all equipment, boat... Read more...

Dive courses
The full range of dive courses is available on the island, up to and including the level of Instructor. Read more...

---

How to get there

Koh Phangan can be reached indirectly by air, rail and road and directly by sea.

By air: There are no airports on Koh Phangan, but flights to neighbouring Koh Samui provide relatively easy access to the island. Flight routes are as follows:
Bangkok Airways: Daily flights from (domestic) Krabi, Phuket and Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport and from (international) Hong Kong and Singapore to Koh Samui. Contact: Within Thailand, Tel. 1771; from outside Thailand, Tel. +66 (0)2 265 5555.
Thai Airways International: Daily flights from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Koh Samui and Surat Thani (on the mainland). Contact: Tel. +66 (0)2 356 1111. Nok Air: Daily flights from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Surat Thani. Contact: Within Thailand, Tel. 1318; from outside Thailand, Tel. +66 (0)2 900 9955
Nok Air: Daily flights from Bangkok’s Don Muang Airport to Surat Thani. Contact: Within Thailand, Tel. 1318; from outside Thailand, Tel. +66 (0)2 900 9955.

By bus: Daily VIP air-conditioned buses from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal. The journey to Surat Thani takes 12 hours. Buses connect with the Express Boat in Surat Thani, or continue for an extra hour’s journey to join the ferry boat in Donsak. For information contact Bangkok Southern Bus Terminal: Tel. +66 (0)2 435 1199, (0)2 435 1200.

By boat: Express boats depart five times daily from Surat Thani pier, and there is a passenger ferry (day and night) from Donsak. The journey to Koh Phangan takes two and a half hours. All boats arrive at Thong Sala jetty. Express Boats leave Koh Samui’s Na Thon pier regularly between 07.00hrs and 17.00hrs and arrive at Thong Sala 45 minutes later.

Boats also depart from the pier in Bo Phut and arrive at Haad Rin beach 30 minutes later. Two high speed catamarans depart Koh Samui twice daily (weather permitting). For further more contact Seatran Discovery: Tel. +66 (0)77 246086-8 or Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran: Tel. +66(0)77 247401.

By train: There are two worthy train services from Bangkok to Surat Thani. The ‘Express’ train, which leaves Bangkok Hua Lumphong Railway Station every hour or so and takes around 12 hours, and the ‘Sprinter’ train, which departs five times daily and takes around nine hours. For further information regarding train services, contact Hua Lumphong Railway Station: Tel. +66 (0)2 223 7010.

Where to eat

Aside from all the eateries and bustling activity found at the two Haad Rin beaches, the majority of the island’s resorts have their own restaurants. Most have a good selection of dishes following Thai and European recipes, and of course there is always the delicious local seafood.

For more information and insight on where and what to eat, see Pocket Guide FOOD Thailand − launching first quarter of 2010 − and its online version, www.foodguidethailand.com

Dive facilities

Koh Phangan is becoming an increasingly popular scuba diving destination and there’s a selection of facilities on the island ranging from small dive centres up to 5-star resort operations to meet the growing demand. These are backed up by numerous booking offices, which although found punctuating the island’s beaches mainly concentrate along the west coast.

Dive trips

The price per diver for visiting the local sites is inclusive of all equipment, boat, Divemaster, fruit and soft drinks. Day trips to the further destinations of Ang Thong Marine Park, the Samran Pinnacles and Sail Rock are also all-inclusive and you even get lunch and breakfast! Local dive trips include a number of sites accessed directly off the beach as well as some dived from Longtail boats.

Dive courses

The full range of dive courses is available on the island, up to and including the level of Instructor. There is also a range of technical diver training. On the whole course prices are typical of the area and there are good deals available for group and multiple bookings. Courses are available in a variety of languages.

---

For more information on Koh Phangan contact Tourism Authority of Thailand
Tel. +66 (0)77 281828.

Go to top