Love Diving Phuket: Day Trips, Courses & How to Choose

Featured image: JULIANISME, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Love Diving Phuket at a Glance

Love Diving Phuket sells boat dives, PADI courses and shore dives around Phuket. Its course pages describe PADI instructors and PADI certification. Sources disagree on where the operation sits. Its own pages describe Chalong Pier departures and a dive center at Paradise Beach. An unclaimed DiveNavigator listing gives 31 Bangla Rd in Patong, with 12:00–20:00 hours every day. Ask the operator which address is the shop and which is the boat departure point.

• Day tours: Racha Noi and Racha Yai; Phi Phi with Shark Point and Koh Doc Mai; King Cruiser with Shark Point and Koh Doc Mai.
• Courses: Discover Scuba Diving, Advanced Open Water, EFR and PADI Rescue Diver, all listed on its site.
• Shore diving: beach and night dives from Paradise Beach, per the operator.
• Languages: the Rescue Diver course is described as available in many languages.
• Contact: +66 88 768 78 69 on its website, or +66 88 768 7869 on the directory listing.

Day Trips From Phuket: Which Site Suits Which Diver

Each day tour covers a different mix of reefs, pinnacles and a wreck. Wildlife is never guaranteed. Blacktip reef sharks, zebra sharks and manta rays are sometimes seen, depending on season and current. Pick by your certification first and by what you hope to see second.

A Typical Dive Day: Pickup to Return

Boats leave Chalong Pier at 8am. The operator lists hotel-lobby pickups before that, and times are approximate. Return times assume three dives. Phi Phi days finish latest, at about 7pm. Avoid booking that trip the day of an evening flight.

• Kamala: 6:50–7:00am
• Patong: 7:00–7:15am
• Karon: 7:30am
• Rawai: 7:30am
• Kata: 7:40am
• Chalong: 7:50am

Courses and Rescue Diver Training

Prices and hours checked November 2026. The operator's course page lists PADI Rescue Diver at ฿10,900. Training takes 2 days. Day 1 covers rescue skills, often at Paradise Beach or a pool. Day 2 recaps skills and runs rescue scenarios, ideally on a three-dive Racha day. Requirements include age 12 or older, Advanced Open Water or equivalent, and a valid EFR certificate. The page also bars flying within 18 hours of the rescue dives. Confirm the price before paying. Check Divers Alert Network guidance on flying after diving for your own schedule. Book the course well ahead of a departure flight.

Shore and Night Diving vs Boat Trips

Shore diving suits divers who get seasick, have under a full day, or want a night dive. The operator says its Paradise Beach base lets it shore dive for most of the year. Conditions depend on tides, currents and weather. Beach dives can show frogfish, pygmy pipehorses, nudibranchs and green turtles, per the operator. Boat trips usually give clearer water and bigger fish schools. Many divers pair one shore dive with a boat day.

Costs, What's Included, and What to Bring

Tour prices sit on the operator's own prices page, so request a current quote. Listed inclusions are transfers on main routes, water and soft drinks, breakfast and lunch, a full gear set, a guide, and diving insurance. Course days add certification and dive computer use. Pickups from Phuket Town, Nai Harn or Bang Tao may cost extra. Take a towel and swimwear. Bring cash for Phi Phi marine park fees, since the operator says they are paid in cash. A doctor's certificate for health issues usually costs ฿300–500 at a local clinic.

• Ask about group size and dive guide ratio.
• Ask what happens if the site changes.
• Ask whether insurance covers your certification level.

Weather, Season and Site Changes

Weather can move a trip. The operator says sites may change on the day, with Racha Yai or Koh Maithon as fallbacks. Both offer calmer water than exposed sites. Dive profiles run to 50 minutes or 50 bar with surface intervals of at least 1 hour. That is the operator's practice, not a universal rule. Ask about refunds or credit if a tour is rerouted.

Getting There and Where to Stay

Phuket International Airport is about 24.4 km from the Patong address on the directory listing. That figure only holds if Patong is the real base. Nearby listed sites include Karon Rock at 6.8 km and Kata Beach House Reef at 7.8 km. For day tours, stay in Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata, Rawai or Chalong. These areas are on the free pickup routes. Chalong puts you closest to the 8am pier departure.

How to Compare Phuket Dive Operators

Use the same checklist for every operator. Ask about boat size, group size, briefing quality, oxygen and first aid on board, instructor ratio and cancellation terms. Our Phuket dive shop comparison lays out the wider field. Read the Sea Bees Diving profile for one alternative. Open the Merlin Diving profile for another. The All 4 Diving profile adds a third option. You can also compare published schedules, for example on the Sea Bees Diving official site.