Chaweng Beach - Diving Holiday Destination

Chaweng Beach (Thailand)

Geographically Thailand sits 14 degrees North of the equator, bordering Burma, Laos and Cambodia to the West, North, East and tapers into the Malay Peninsula to the South. It has over 2,000 kilometers of coastline, brushed by hundreds of offshore islands. It enjoys a tropical climate and its waters are warm and clear and home to an immense variety of marine life and coral reefs making it heaven for scuba divers. Diving in Thailand is concentrated mainly around the tourist centers of Phuket and Koh Samui, although there are notable sites elsewhere.

The Island of Koh Samui is located on the Gulf, on the South-East coast of Thailand, About 700 km from Bangkok. Koh Samui has been welcoming visitors since the early 1970's and has developed into the most popular tourist destination on the east coast of Thailand. Koh Samui has more than it's fair share of beautiful beaches, ranging from quiet, laid back beaches with few people and authentic Thai villages, to beaches that are busy, with modern resorts with lots of people and attractions.

Koh Samui is Thailand's third largest island and much of it is still covered by coconut plantations, verdant clad jungle and rugged mountains of granite that roll down into the cool clear waters of its azure sea. Nowadays it is a preferred base for divers who are looking for an up-market western infrastructure in the Gulf of Thailand.

Chaweng Beach is the longest beach on the island, having the biggest centre for both entertainment and shopping. There are many hotels and bungalows along Chaweng's fine white sand beaches. You can find anything from five-star luxury resorts to little budget bungalows remaining from Koh Samui days as a backpacker's haven. Just in from the beach, the main road is lined with the restaurants offering every imaginable cuisine (you can even find Japanese Sushi, Mexican and Thai food), numerous dive shops, and a few excellent open-air discotheques where you can revel enjoy your evening after having relaxation at the beach during the day time. If you wander further inland from the beach toward Chaweng lake you can stumble upon the local Thai boxing ring, a giant open-air produce market and numerous food stalls catering to locals.

Climate

Thailand's climate is tropical. High in both temperature and humidity. Most people find it pleasant. The average temperature is about 30 degrees Celsius, or 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Koh Samui Weather
Rainy Season
Koh Samui is a tropical island. Inland parts of the island are a dense tropical forest, expect some rain at anytime in any month on Koh Samui. The time of heavier and more consistent rain is October through to mid December.

Dry Season
When the rains stop and the plants grow wild and beautiful is the Dry Season, or as the Thais call it, winter. Winter on Koh Samui is usually 30C / 85F and sunny. This season is typically mid December through March.

Hot Season
When the ground has dried from a lack of rain and sand dusts the road, the Hot Season has started. The over-head tropical sun is brighter and hotter than usual. Many tropical fruits ripen during this season. This season starts in April and lasts until the cooling rain, which begins in September / October.

Dive Facts

Great for: Small animals, beginner divers, value-for-money, snorkelling and non-diving activities
Not so Great for: Wrecks and drift dives
Depth: 5 - 40m
Visibility: 5 - 40m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Calm to moderate
Water Temperature: 27 - 29°C
Experience Level: Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites: 10
Access: Day trips from Koh Samui by speedboat.

Dive Attractions

Diving in Koh Samui offers warm water and all year round visibility with a great diversity of dive sites to choose from. Reefs, wrecks, pinnacles, walls, Koh Samui has it all.

Scuba diving trips depart everyday to all the great Koh Samui dive sites:

- Koh Tao
- Koh Nang Yuan
- Chumpon Pinnacle
- Sail Rock
- Angthong Marine Park
- Koh Pangang

Shark Island is one of the most popular dive sites in the area. See in more detail in our Dive Sites Directory.

Sailrock - See in more detail in our Dive Sites Directory.

Marinepark: Consists of 52 islands.
It is the North part of the area witch is interesting for divers as it is loaded with fish and beautiful corals. This place fits all kind of divers as it is quite shallow and aloud long bottom times, also good for snorkeling.

Other

Currency: Baht

Language: Thai, English widely understood

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