Phuket Scuba Tour: Is the King Cruiser, Shark Point & KDM Trip Right for You?

Considering a scuba outing close to Phuket, maybe? Very likely you’ve already spotted mentions of trips bundling the King Cruiser wreck, Shark Point, and Koh Doc Mai (KDM) together. It’s like, a very common itinerary promoted, and for what seems to be decent reason, these sites bring rather different flavors to the underwater experience. In this review, we will look at what makes this combo trip what it is, who will enjoy it rather more, and what to, like, look for to make the most of your time.

What’s the Deal with King Cruiser, Shark Point, and KDM?

So, what seems to make these three locations popular, anyway? First up is the King Cruiser wreck. The former passenger ferry sank in 1997 after it, it is believed, hitting Anemone Reef. Don’t you worry too much, that’s just a little distance away. What is really special these days is that it sits upright at around 30 meters, has turned into a very artificial reef that attracts a fair number of species.

Shark Point, rather delightfully, does indeed get its name due to the presence of sharks. These are generally harmless leopard sharks, so not too dramatic. This place is marked by colorful soft corals, sea fans, and quite some smaller marine life that makes it seem rather vibrant.

Koh Doc Mai, translating simply as “Flower Island”, is actually, surprisingly, more like a set of limestone cliffs rising sharply from the sea. It’s almost famous for wall diving, plus has a couple of caverns and overhangs that create rather neat spots to explore. And yep, expect tiny critters aplenty there, also.

What Awaits You on This Scuba Tour: A Typical Day

What may occur on a typical outing is usually quite straightforward. What usually occurs, you’ll get picked up from your hotel more or less early, around 7:00 AM something like that, and taken to a departure pier. From there, a boat takes off, like, typically Chalong Pier or Rawai, sailing for, such as, maybe two or three hours to reach the dive sites. Some operators, such as, offer quicker speedboat options for what you might consider a steeper price.

Often the routine includes getting a briefing on the boat, actually, before the first and second dives, at least. Often you’re grouped according to your diving skill levels. Expect guided underwater tours – even though experienced divers tend to be mostly permitted to buddy up and independently see stuff. After the dives, lunch often gets served on board, after which comes the return to the pier and eventually your hotel, mostly around 5:00 PM or 6:00 PM, maybe.

Who Is This Tour Best Suited For?

Arguably, divers holding an Advanced Open Water certification seem better equipped to take it all in, due to the King Cruiser’s depth. A little experience of diving in current conditions may just improve things quite a bit, as well. Novice divers usually can appreciate Shark Point and KDM a bit, given suitable guidance, very true. People with maybe specific wreck exploration interest are likely to get a big kick out of King Cruiser, arguably. What seems really cool to nature enthusiasts is that Shark Point is teeming with varied marine creatures. Likewise, underwater photographers get so much from capturing macro life around KDM, arguably, too.

What to Expect From the Individual Dive Sites

King Cruiser Wreck: What to Expect

King Cruiser, anyway, as a wreck dive, may present a few distinct considerations. Visibility can, actually, vary; it’s really subject to the time of year, plus current water conditions too, apparently. On clearer days, though, really! That sunlight streams rather dramatically through the ship’s remains, to be honest. Sometimes the currents will kick up there, which does just make it very key to listen to your guide’s advice plus keep good buoyancy control to remain safe. As the wreck really acts as a man-made reef now, often you may find big schools of fish, such as snapper, fusiliers, and also even barracuda just circling around there, in a way.

Shark Point: What to Expect

Shark Point offers, in effect, gentler conditions more or less in contrast with King Cruiser, which often just makes it, sort of, really proper for divers of most grades. Really often visibility seems adequate, even if maybe not constantly awesome. Coral cover feels colorful, what with all the soft corals plus gorgonian sea fans basically spread out every place. Leopard sharks is that the main attractions usually rests on the sandy bottom, too. Really they’re usually, actually, pretty tame, nonetheless approach slowly basically while not just making, basically, very quick moves so, actually, it don’t scare them.

Koh Doc Mai: What to Expect

What I am thinking is Koh Doc Mai’s submerged cliffs and cave-like structures will make this quite a distinctive diving area. Pretty often there can be moderate currents as you explore along the walls of the island. Commonly little animals are what’s remarkable at this place – nudibranchs are just there, furthermore different kinds of shrimps and so, like, just tiny crabs just crawling, in fact, almost any place on the rocks; an extraordinary place to find things to see should you actually see correctly. Search the numerous gaps basically inside rock constructions – that can often times hold, I feel, maybe, so, simply wonderful marine animals. Very key, too it’s almost, for not, possibly, touching stuff mainly because the wall area tends to get, quite likely, coated in a bunch of life which is, like, effortlessly broken with bad buoyancy basically and/or just simple, actually, bad method, seemingly.

Tour Operators: A Few Options

Basically numerous outfitters from Phuket present King Cruiser/Shark Point/Koh Doc Mai trips, apparently. So that you could try: Local Dive Thailand, Phuket Dive Tours or Scuba Cat Diving – amongst others; many possess at least quite a few years’ standing within area operations that, actually, they have worked inside basically. So that you would possibly start your search on journey websites similar to TripAdvisor and Divebooker too it’s almost that would possibly, I feel, at the least enable comparing some customer surveys which I would propose studying just before actually determining whatever basically vendor in fact.

How Much Will All This Cost?

So that the rates vary more or less. A typical day tour appears to value round $130 to $180 USD almost – this tends to often, I think, consist of, definitely, equipment rental fees (entire package like wetsuits/BCD and regulators in any other case having private gear obviously), foods meals as lunch included/bottled fluids and pick-up / drop out solution, seemingly, within Phuket regions too it’s almost. Very make sure when double-checking, like, on specifically which are basically factored into – and also what is basically omitted that may additionally include small prices; park and harbour, too it’s almost – this tends to actually be appropriate whilst coming up.

Making the Most of Your Trip: A Few Tips

• Verify the Dive Gear: Always do, seriously, gear exams ahead for security causes by and large – this implies analyzing regulators, BCD, wetsuit and so forth beforehand – in reality simply ahead entering the sea itself with, such as, whatever pieces, so that may affect a trouble, for actual basically.
• Consider Seasickness: Just in case basically prone, be actually properly organized; mainly consider basically acquiring, almost, medications or just making usage, virtually, of seasickness jewelry since some thing which might aid you lots basically with that – do not let that kind, right?, in fact ruin an normally remarkable vacation tour trip! Actually, seriously!.
• Listen to the Briefings: Truly very carefully notice – as usually tour basically briefings just provide valuable intelligence with, seriously, actual, underwater conditions actually on, and a, trip that may truly affect safe means, simply as with anything, right?!.
• Respect Marine Life: To guarantee sustainable dive the eco systems always admire then not, arguably, I believe, whatever kind to – avoid – touching (marine beings or just generally marine being parts etcetera) – I feel or disturbing marine creature at all whilst there at sites actually! Truly, right?!.

Potential Downsides to Consider

Honestly so what drawbacks can there, like, be basically?, like – mainly during peak periods sites could get over, something right, extremely congested together along numerous dive visit operators; something this may, just, negatively impact actual quality/feel when, that, in the fact to actually what has usually possibly have really, actually happened, maybe,. Visibility, in effect, can suffer on sure days – generally really all comes about simply depending up time of years’ rainfall quantity mainly; some people are a little – distressed primarily from how some what remote and somewhat challenging is mainly just the, to me and/or myself at times whilst out basically in any event, yet something that has a capacity really to always remain minimized due – speed craft alternative instead by really that trip type with – perhaps; just so right?

FAQs: Your Questions Answered

Is Previous Scuba Experience Required?

While accredited beginners tend basically still permitted Shark Location, typically getting previous previous practical familiarity really aids at getting to simply do considerably more basically – to in effect just appreciate to full capacity, at very all activities for and as nicely primarily – King boat needs to probably at minimum want sophisticated grades nevertheless though seriously

Are There Sharks? Is it Safe?

Oh yes – mainly – leopard types by that is actually quite mild animals that typically relaxation primarily at mainly seafloor primarily whilst being extremely mild which by then means absolutely by the most parts virtually zero main likelihood generally and typically is certainly virtually extremely small likelihood definitely when it simply concerns protection virtually any problems etcetera. Right? Seriously? Just something perhaps not fear then in virtually reality primarily I mainly always typically find very reassuring typically typically and virtually at any of any points always seriously with most of many primarily experiences in primarily these instances perhaps basically!!

What About Equipment Rental?

For just usually these dive service companies usually generally give total full tools with complete pieces, generally in truth primarily ensure primarily they always mainly match great properly – but seriously primarily always double check something actually whilst performing ahead whilst being ready inside those conditions as the primarily at nearly anytime during!

Can I Bring My Camera?

Yea simply bring it usually simply; seriously! Whilst it may possibly extremely always to always mainly mainly acquire brilliant pics during these locations typically constantly typically – maybe ensure there a appropriate typically homes with them and seriously respect actually water – with their actions virtually or basically near simply all – dwelling with this.

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