Scuba Diving with Aqua One in Hat Nai Yang Beach, Phuket, Thailand

How I ended up in Hat Nai Yang, Thalang District on Phuket, Thailand

Exactly at the moment that I decided to escape the winter in Europe this year and go back diving again, I got a message from somebody telling me that he had opened his own dive centre in Phuket, Thailand. We were both dive instructors in the Dominican Republic in 2008 and after that, I accidentally met him again on Malapascua Island, the Philippines in 2012. That’s when we exchanged Facebooks and we kept in touch thereafter. At the moment he invited me to come over and dive with him, my plan was made! I booked a flight to Phuket and Manfred picked me up at the airport, showed me Hat Nai Yang, located in the North of Phuket Island, before dropping me off at the room I had booked for a month.

Nai Yang Beach is a quiet and peaceful place for a diving holiday away from the crowds in Thailand!

In certain places, Phuket Island, in the south of Thailand, can get a bit crowded. If you would like to do something away from the masses and don´t like to hop on a liveaboard at Khao Lak, which is located north of Phuket, you might want to consider to do a diving holiday in Hat Nai Yang. Nai Yang is part of the Sirinath National Park and located in a beautiful area. The place is developed just enough with everything you need like bars, restaurants, minimarkets, massage salons, accommodation for all budgets and ATM´s. However, it´s a small, very laid back place away from the crowds. There’s a nice, long beach surrounded by nature and casuarina trees and there are only 2 dive centres in the whole village! It’s the perfect place for a quiet, relaxing time with some easy, but good quality diving, no matter whether you´re travelling around Thailand, planning to have a one-week vacation or just going on holiday with your family. Additionally, it’s a very safe place and I have seen solo female travellers and also families with young children.

 

Hat Nai Yang Baeach in Phuket Island, Thailand
Hat Nai Yang Beach in Phuket, Thailand is quiet and peaceful

 

Hat Nai Yang on Phuket Island in Thailand offers great diving just a stone’s throw away from the village!

Nai Yang is home to some great dive spots, which are just around the corner from the beach. They are all located between 10 and 30 minutes away by boat. To name a few, you can find ´Monkey Rock´, ´Lost Rock´, ´Hin 333´ and ´Hin Gluay´ are not even 10 minutes away; then there is the beautiful small island of ´Koh Waeo´ located at 20 minutes from the beach and finally the wreck called ´Tin Lizzy´ is reached within 30 minutes. Because the dive sites are so close you can do a double tank dive and be back in time for lunch. This makes it ideal to combine diving with some sightseeing or spending time in the afternoon with your family if you´re travelling with them. Most dive sites are around 8 – 20 metres deep. The Andaman Sea is part of the Indian Ocean. It is said to be home to more than 3000 different types of fish and over 500 unique corals.

Three of my favourite dive sites from Nai Yang Beach

I have made a selection of three dive sites that I really liked to dive, in this part of Phuket. It describes scuba diving at the small islands of ‘Koh Waeo’, the dive site called ‘Stone Coral Garden’ and the wreck dive ‘Tin Lizzy’.

Dive site 1: The little islands of ´Koh Waeo´ off Phuket Island, Thailand

My first dive after I arrived in Nai Yang was at Koh Waeo, which is an amazing dive site. The 2 small islands of Koh Waeo are rock formations with a windblown palm tree on top. You can dive around all sides of both islands and even go through the small channel in between. Because of this there are a variety of dives here and every dive is different! We dived ´Kow Waeo West´ and came back through the small channel. When we first went down I was surprised by the amount of fish I saw there. The visibility was good too, about 10-15 metres, I guess. When we descended, I immediately spotted a huge masked porcupinefish (Diodon Liturosus) and a variety of fish and lots of big schools of fish. To name a few: boxfish, batfish, oriental sweetlips, angelfish, damselfish, different species of clownfish or anemonefish, groupers, triggerfish and surgeonfish. During the dive, we also spotted 4 octopuses (Octopus Vulgaris), a Kuhl´s stingray (Dasyatis Kuhlii), trumpetfish (Aulostomus Chinensis) and cornetfish (Fistularia Commersonii). Knowing that this part of Thailand was hit by the tsunami in 2004, I was positively impressed with the state of the coral reefs. The reefs we dived contain a high diversity of corals, including soft and hard corals, sea fans, anemones, gorgonians, pinnacles, whip corals and barrel sponges. The coral reef is home to a lot of macro life as well.

Dive site 2: Stone Coral Garden

Stone Coral Garden is a shallow dive site with lots of coral and fish similar to Koh Waeo. The site is a bit closer to Nai Yang beach and the visibility was even better, probably because it’s a bit more protected from the open sea. This site will be amazing for beginners and what a spoiled diver you will become if you do your Open Water course here! There’s even more macro to be seen here and I lost count of the number of nudibranchs I saw. After 20 minutes I saw a green turtle (Chelonia Mydas) right in front of me, it swam away for a while before turning back and swimming another circle around us. The green turtle is one of the endangered species listed by IUCN and CITES. Right after that, I saw two seagrass ghost pipefishes (Solenostomus Cyanopterus), or robust ghost pipefish if you like. Wow, I´ve never seen this type of ghost pipefish before, something to tick off my ´underwater bucket list´! To make the dive even more complete we spotted 2 big lobsters under the coral, a lionfish and 3 brightly coloured crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster Planci). Amazing, I was very satisfied when climbing back on the boat.

 

Ghost Pipe Fish
Ghost Pipefish during scuba diving Nai Yang Beach in Thailand, photo by Silvia Gegenwart

 

 

Green Sea Turtle scuba diving Thailand
Green Turtle during scuba diving Thailand, photo by Silvia Gegenwart

 

 

Crown of Stars during a dive in Hat Nai Yang Beach
Crown of Stars Thornfish, photo by Ellis Derkx

 

Dive site 3: The wreck dive ´Tin Lizzy´ is close to Bang Tao Beach, Phuket Island, Thailand

Tin Lizzy is a wreck from a Chinese excavator which came to dig for the mining of tin, many years ago. It’s said to have been sunk in the early 90s. The wreck is situated in about 14 metres of water. You can swim around and over the remains of the tin dredger and it attracts a huge amount of fish life. Only then did I realise that the one lionfish spotted at Stone Coral Garden was nothing! I´m not sure how many lionfish I´ve seen but at one time I spotted about 10 together in a group just on top of the wreck. Although lionfish are considered a pest in some parts of the world, around Nai Yang the numbers have been stable for many years. Big schools of fish swim around the large buckets and there´s life to be spotted all over the place. Groups of barracuda, pufferfish, and batfish, I saw different species of moray eels, scorpionfish and a lot of macro life including shrimps, nudibranchs and wart slugs! Other stuff included porcupinefish, trumpetfish, groupers and triggerfish. I recommend that you bring a torch to look under overhangs and in the holes.

 

Lion Fish during scuba diving Phuket Island
Lionfish during scuba diving Hat Nai Yang Beach

 

 

Moray Eel scuba dive pic
Moray Eel scuba dive photo

 

Nudibranch scuba dive photo
scuba dive photo of a Nudibranch in Thailand

 

My experience: Diving with Aqua One Watersports in Hat Nai Yang Beach, Phuket.

I was so happy to be back in warm water! After wearing my 7mm, extra 2mm vest and a hood on the Canary Islands, I felt so grateful to dive again in a 3mm surf suit which my good friend from New Zealand left me as a present upon leaving Europe. And still, I was warm after an one-hour dive!

 

A typical dive day with Aqua One Watersports in Phuket

A typical day of diving at Aqua One Dive Center in Phuket is very relaxed. As soon as you arrive at the dive centre, the staff will take care of you. You can have a nice breakfast in Mingly´s Café, it´s located right next to the dive centre and the café opens most days at 07.00 am. Ming is very friendly and makes very good coffee and amazing breakfasts. Once your equipment is packed and your paperwork is filled out, you will be brought to the beach by a pick-up truck. There’s no need to carry your tank or equipment to the boat, it will be done for you as part of the service. You will get a complete safety briefing for the dive, the boat and the spot you´re going to. The speedboat provides a quick, comfortable ride to the dive sites, while on the way you can enjoy the beautiful view over the coast of this part of Phuket Island. For more information about Aqua One Watersports, click on the link above or click here for their Facebook page.

Update December 2022: Aqua One has moved its location to the shopping street in the centre of Hat Nai Yang Beach. Owners have changed in the meantime and Aqua One is a PADI 5-star dive resort with ethics for ocean protection and supporting PADI Project Aware project. You can read more here:

https://www.aquaone-dive.com/about

Scuba diving is still done in small groups per dive guide

During the surface interval on the boat, you will be provided with water, bananas and biscuits and you can even enjoy a cup of coffee! Manfred, the owner of Aqua One Watersports, or the instructor/guide will assist you before, during and after your dives; making you feel very comfortable. The diving is always done in small groups of 4 divers max with 1 guide. Once you return back to the dive centre, the staff will wash your equipment for you while you can enjoy a chat with your fellow divers in the laid-back dive centre.

The whale shark was spotted scuba diving Hat Nai Yang Beach

Whilst chatting to one of the other divers, who come here on a regular basis, I discovered that the whale shark can be seen here too! You have to be lucky, but he spotted one on a previous holiday! After having done about 10 dives around Nai Yang with Aqua One Watersports, I´m still excited to go again. Courses are offered from beginners to pro, snorkelers are welcome, night dives can be organised as well as day trips to the Similan and Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock, Ratcha-, Phi Phi Islands and more. High-quality rental gear is available mostly all from the brand Aqualung.

 

Whale shark scuba diving photo
Even the whale shark was seen scuba diving Hat Nai Yang

 

My conclusion about a diving holiday in Hat Nai Yang

I think Hat Nai Yang is a perfect place for either a dive holiday, to start your travels around Thailand or to get warmed up before you go on a liveaboard. The place is ideal too if you´re looking for dive courses or planning to learn to dive, with shallow, easy dive sites a few minutes away by boat. With the water temperature around 29-30 degrees Celsius the whole year around, you don´t need a thick wetsuit to stay warm. Also, there are many fun activities, day tours and excursions to do, besides of scuba diving, from Hat Nai Yang Beach in Phuket!

Some practical information for your next scuba dive vacation

Nai Yang is located less than 3 km away from Phuket International Airport. For about 300 Baht you can get a taxi from the airport to your accommodation and for less than 100 Baht you can get the airport bus! Phuket Town is located 30 km away and is also reachable by bus for 100 Baht. Rooms can be found for a price between 800 – 1200 Baht. There are plenty of options to book a day tour, including excursions to the islands around Phuket, like the famous James Bond Island or Phi Phi Islands. You can book massages like you can everywhere in Thailand and there are some basic supermarkets in Nai Yang Beach too.

 

Tip for your travels to Hat Nai Yang in Thailand

Use 12go.Asia for your travels to Phuket from anywhere in the world. No matter if you need an onward flight from Bangkok, an international flight from Europe or just a train- bus- or ferry ticket from somewhere else in Thailand. This company can book you all those services, scanning different options and price categories, for the same price as you would have booked it directly. Use the link above or the search box below, and Splashpacker earns a small commission without you paying extra. Thank you!

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Restaurants and places to eat in Nai Yang Beach, Phuket

There are lots of good places to eat all around. At the beach, you can choose between restaurants offering Thai and international food or the food stalls on the street offering lovely, authentic Thai food. If you come out of the ´Walking Street´ the second one on the left with an umbrella next to the stall, is the place I like a lot. They have Thai dishes, pancakes and vegetarian spring rolls.  For the night owls, there are some bars to hang out and enjoy a beer or a cocktail.

Accommodation for your scuba dive holiday to Nai Yang Beach

Hostels are also to be found and for the budget traveller, you can find a bed in a shared room too. I heard positive feedback from a fellow diver staying in a private room in Eco Guesthouse. But there are places all over Nai Yang and you can check a variety of budgets and locations in Nai Yang by clicking on this link.

If you like to book accommodation, I can recommend using booking.com. Almost all options are listed on this website and you´ll book for the same price as directly with the accommodation. Most rooms can be cancelled free of charge too, in case you change your plans. Please click on one of the links above or use the search box below and I will get a small commission without you paying anything more. If you prefer to book through Agoda, then please click here. They have really good deals currently, after COVID19! I receive a small commission on your purchase with Booking and Agoda.



Booking.com

 

I receive a small commission on your purchase through this search box

If you would like to book an excursion to see more of the beautiful surrounding on Phuket, I highly recommend to use Get your Guide. Once again, I receive a small commission on your purchase through this link to book your day tour in Phuket.

 

Enjoy your travels and: Happy Bubbles!

*As an associate from Booking, Agoda, 12go.co and Get your Guide, I earn from qualifying purchases

6 thoughts on “Scuba Diving with Aqua One in Hat Nai Yang Beach, Phuket, Thailand”

  1. Thank you for your nice feedback. I was hosted by blogger before and under another domainname, so maybe you red the same post on that site before.

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  3. Hi there, thanks for your comment. I am wondering if you experienced this problem again when you checked later on. Could you please let me know? Thanks for your help! Kind Regards,

  4. I’m not sure exactly why but this blog is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a problem on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.

  5. Hi thanks Neil, my faithful reader 🙂 Yes it's in that style. It should everywhere be that style remember the words 'you're on holiday!!!':-)

  6. I enjoyed this review Ellis and have added this location to my holiday wish list, sounds idyllic and the dive centre ethos is much like Dave & Ellen that you're on holiday, relax and we will do the work just enjoy the dive time. ������

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