A week of diving in Phuket

A week built around dive tables, not sightseeing

A diving week in Phuket runs on different logic to every other itinerary on this site: the sites you can dive depend on your certification level, the days need to build from shallow to deep rather than jump around, and the last day has to leave a real gap before your flight. This itinerary assumes you’re either doing an Open Water certification from scratch or arriving certified and want a full week of sites, with Chalong as a base — most of the island’s dive shops operate out of Chalong Pier or nearby Rawai.

Day 1: Arrival, no diving

Land, check into a Chalong or Rawai base, and use the day to choose a dive shop rather than book the first one you see — ask about instructor-to-student ratios, boat size, and whether Nitrox is available if you plan to dive several days in a row. Fill out the medical questionnaire honestly; certain conditions (recent surgery, some heart and lung conditions, uncontrolled ear problems) require a doctor’s sign-off before you’re allowed in the water, and it is far better to find that out on day one than on day three.

Days 2-4: PADI Open Water certification

If you’re not yet certified, this is the core of the week: confined-water skills and theory on day two, followed by two full days of open-water training dives, typically at Racha Yai, where visibility is reliable and the site is sheltered enough for skills practice. Many shops let you complete the theory online before you arrive, which shortens the in-water days — worth doing if your week is tight.

3-day PADI Open Water certification

If you’re already certified, swap these three days for progressively more demanding recreational dives instead, starting with a Discover Scuba refresher or an easy Racha Yai dive to knock off any rust before moving to more current-exposed sites later in the week.

Discover scuba diving at Racha Yai

Day 5: King Cruiser wreck and Shark Point

Once you’re certified (or already were), step up to Phuket’s best-known wreck dive: the King Cruiser, a car ferry that sank in 1997 and now sits split in two at around 12-30 metres, with current that can run strong and visibility that varies more than the reef dives earlier in the week — not a first-time site. Shark Point, a nearby pinnacle dive on the same boat run, is usually paired with it.

King Cruiser wreck and Shark Point dive day

Day 6: Phi Phi, three dives — your last diving day

Make this the final diving day of the trip, not day seven — you need a genuine gap before flying. Phi Phi’s sites (including Shark Point on some routings) are considered among the best day-trip diving from Phuket, with better average visibility than the sites closer to the mainland.

Phi Phi and Shark Point 3-dive day trip

If your schedule allows a longer trip, a Similan Islands liveaboard (available in the November to mid-May season only — the park is closed the rest of the year) is widely considered the best diving in this part of Thailand and worth returning for on a dedicated trip rather than squeezing in here.

Day 7: No diving — a flight-safe buffer day

This is not an optional rest day, it’s a safety requirement: dive-training guidance generally calls for at least 18-24 hours between your last dive and flying, longer after multiple days of repetitive diving, to reduce decompression sickness risk from the drop in cabin pressure. Spend the day on land — a walk around Phuket Old Town, a spa, or simply the beach — and treat the buffer as fixed regardless of how you feel; symptoms of decompression sickness can be delayed, and “feeling fine” is not a reliable test.

Choosing a dive shop and season

Diving conditions vary noticeably through the year: rougher, lower-visibility water on the west coast in the May-to-October monsoon, and the Similan Islands closed to visitors entirely during that window. November to April gives the calmest seas and best average visibility across all the sites in this itinerary; see the diving season guide for a month-by-month breakdown, and PADI Open Water course in Phuket for a longer look at certification pricing and shop selection. If you’d rather stay in shallower water, snorkelling versus diving sets out the tradeoffs.

What a diving week costs

Item	Typical price
PADI Open Water certification (3 days)	11,000-15,000 B (315-430 USD)
Fun dive, 2 tanks, certified diver	2,800-4,000 B (80-115 USD)
King Cruiser / Shark Point day (2-3 tanks)	3,500-5,500 B (100-160 USD)
Phi Phi 3-dive day trip	4,500-6,500 B (130-185 USD)
Equipment rental (if not owned)	600-1,000 B/day (17-29 USD)

A week combining certification with two additional dive days typically runs 20,000-28,000 B (570-800 USD) per person for diving alone, before accommodation and food; see the full Phuket budget breakdown for daily living costs on top.

Frequently asked questions about diving in Phuket

Do I need to be a strong swimmer to get certified?

You need to be a comfortable swimmer able to complete a basic swim and float test, but you do not need to be an athletic or fast swimmer — the course is built for genuine beginners.

How soon after diving can I fly?

At least 18-24 hours after a single no-decompression dive, longer after multiple days of diving — follow your instructor’s specific guidance for your dive profile, and don’t treat this as flexible.

Is the King Cruiser wreck suitable for a newly certified diver?

It can be, depending on conditions on the day, but current and visibility vary more than at the training sites — a good shop will assess your comfort level before including it, and it’s reasonable to ask to skip it in favour of an easier site if you’re not confident.

When is the Similan Islands diving season?

Mid-October to mid-May, with the islands closed to all visitors mid-May to mid-October for environmental recovery — never book a Similan trip inside that window.

Can I dive on the same day I arrive in Phuket?

Physically yes, but most shops won’t take a jet-lagged, undocumented diver straight into the water, and it’s a reasonable idea to give yourself one land day first — this itinerary builds that in deliberately on day one.