Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

What are the dive conditions like in Koh Phi Phi?

Dive conditions in Koh Phi Phi are variable according to weather and conditions. The average visibility in Koh Phi Phi is 10 – 15 meters, some days the visibility extends to 30 meters.
Water temperature is 29 – 30 degrees centigrade year round.
During the high season between October and May the wind comes from the direction of Krabi, weather is sunny and wind conditions are good allowing access to all dive sites including those further afield like Hin Daeng and Muang and Koh Haa.
During the low season between June and October the weather can be changeable with occasional monsoonal storms and high waves. During the low season, trips to Hin Daeng and Muang, King Cruiser Wreck and Koh Haa are weather permitting and not as regular as in high season.
If the weather conditions are unsuitable we do not use the longtail boat but instead go by big boat as safety is always a priority.

Currently, we make reservations through the enquiry page, and take a deposit on arrival.

For those without Travel Insurance with coverage for diving, Blue View Divers provides free limited diving insurance with every course and diving trip that we conduct, which offers coverage for accidents and injuries when diving.
This insurance is with AIG Insurance and covers customers to a maximum amount of 10,000 THB or 2,000 GBP.

For an additional 4 Euro a day you can have comprehensive cover for divers, snorkellers and passengers with InDepths Insurance Company. InDepths offers insurance that covers activities on the boat including Scuba Diving, Snorkelling and Passengers that will pay up to £100,000 for Emergency Medical Expenses and Hyperbaric Treatment Costs.
They offer up to £75,000 for Emergency Air Evacuation or Repatriation and up to £50,000 for Search & Rescue Costs.
They offer up to £5,000 in respect of Reasonable Transportation Costs and Additional Accommodation Expenses.
The maximum recoverable amount under this policy in the aggregate shall not exceed £150,000.00

The cost of getting full insurance coverage is only 200 THB a day, for those who book diving activities with Indepths insurance in advance online you will receive a discounted rate of
150 THB per day!

Phi Phi is easily accessible from both Phuket and Krabi by ferry, the journey takes approximately 1 hour and a half.

The ferries from Phuket to Phi Phi are at 8.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm
The ferries from Phi Phi to Phuket are at 9am and 2pm

The ferries from Krabi to Phi Phi are at 10am and 3pm
The ferries from Phi Phi to Krabi are at 9am and 2pm

(Note that ferry times are subject to change in the high season)

Phi Phi diving is operated by a price agreement which means that all dive schools charge the same prices, this is meant to ensure a high standard of dive education and equipment.
Discounts for fun divers are available to those who bring their own equipment, dive multiple days or hold a professional certification of divemaster or instructor.
Course discounts are available to those who bring their own equipment, do multiple courses with Blue View Divers or fun dive after a course.

General Diving Information

Blue View Divers has a strict no touching policy and we do not allow divers to wear gloves whilst diving, when we touch things underwater we could destroy a home, destroy fragile coral which takes years to regrow, alter relationships between animals and people or between the delicate symbiosis of marine animals or get injured.
Learning buoyancy control benefits our own comfort and safety as well as the health of the reef. Both are important! Reefs are constructed by colonies of coral animals called polyps, coral thrives by secreting a limestone skeleton protected with a thin layer of living tissue which can be easily damaged by contact with human hands or fins.
If the thin living tissue is damaged, the coral will become susceptible to infections and affect the entire colony of corals.
Besides the impact on the coral, contact with the reef can injure you as corals can cause cuts and stings which can be more susceptible to infection in the hot temperature of the tropics.
For the mutual benefit of the reef and ourselves, we encourage divers to practice good buoyancy and minimize physical interaction with reef and marine life. We are there to enjoy the underwater world as an observer and our aim is to leave the reefs as beautiful and untouched as we discover it.

While throwing food in the water may be an easy way to attract large numbers of fish, this alters natural behavior and diet of fish.
Many human foods are unpalatable to fish and cannot be digested easily, as fish are not accustomed to what humans consume.
Furthermore, the fish alter their behaviour and this can affect the entire reef ecosystem. Commonly, fish that respond to fish feeding include parrotfish and sergeant majors who often keep the reef in check by consuming juvenile crown of thorns starfishes.
When fish alter their preference from starfish to human food, the starfish population goes unchecked, despite its beauty the Crown of thorns is a ravenous feeder that consumes and destroys huge quantities of coral when the population is left unchecked.
We strive to have little impact on the underwater environment and the reef ecosystem and educate people on the consequences of fish feeding.

The best souvenirs are pictures and memories.
We do not encourage taking any souvenirs of marine life, shells or coral from the underwater world. Not only is it illegal to take souvenirs of any kind from a National Park in Thailand, but it could cause serious degradation.
Empty shells are a valuable part of the ecosystem, and they get recycled many times. Besides the obvious environmental concerns, beautiful shells such as cone shells often house dangerous residents that can sting with dangerous toxins.
Please do not purchase or take souvenirs from the underwater world or purchase them from souvenir stores. Every little makes a difference.

Blue View Divers is active in reef conservation and regular beach cleanups around the national marine park. We believe that any rubbish should be disposed of properly and plastic and cans recycled. Blue View Divers conducts regular cleanups on the beaches of Phi Phi Ley where we enjoy our lunches. We always carry trash bags during our outings, both from shore and from boats. Please pay special attention to plastic bags, though you are offered plastic bags for every purchase, please try to reduce your consumption of plastic bags, they blow away easily and once in the water they closely resemble jellyfish, which is the diet of turtles and some species of fish resulting in death and suffocation.

Day Trips

If you book in advance we can most definitely organize a dive trip which allows you to be back with plenty of time to catch the afternoon ferry. For more information or reservations contact info@blueviewdivers.com

We dive with small groups with a maximum of 4 people per divemaster.

Minimum time between diving and flying is 18 hours. Please ensure that you have made allowance for this when booking diving.

Courses

We teach with small groups, with a maximum of 4 students per instructor.

The resort pool is shallow and allows for a controlled environment for new divers and divers who haven’t been in the water for a long time.
Having the pool means that confined sessions are just a short walk away from the dive center door instead of having to walk all the way down to the beach to make your confined water dives or training sessions which makes learning to dive easier!

Junior Open Water course available for children aged 10 and upwards. After the course children aged 10 and 11 must dive with a parent, guardian or professional to the maximum depth of 12m. Children aged 12 to 14 can dive with a parent, guardian or professional to the maximum depth of 18m.

We have two prices for upgrading, if you have completed your discover scuba in Blue View Divers or in another country or dive school.

• Discover Scuba Diving to Scuba Diver Course
  8,900 THB Total 3 Dives PADI course manual 900 THB
• Discover Scuba Diver to Open Water Course
  13,900 THB Total 5 dives PADI course manual 900 THB

SSI and PADI are two different training organisations that certify divers. The standards of both organisations are set by the R.S.T.C (the Recreational Scuba Training Council), which basically means that the theory and skill requirements for each course level are virtually the same.
PADI (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the biggest dive agency, but this does not mean that it is necessarily better than SSI (Scuba Schools International). All dive centres worldwide recognise both PADI and SSI as good training agencies.
SSI offers a more flexible way to train so many instructors prefer it for teaching. There is no set order for teaching skill development, so if a student is finding a particular skill difficult, then they can carry on and come back to it later. PADI is much more strictly structured in the order of their training.
PADI and SSI both offer temporary certification cards immediately, and once certified both agencies can be checked via their website if the card has been misplaced or lost. Certification cards are sent to you in the post after 3 to 4 weeks.
Our instructor team can teach both PADI and SSI courses; we became a dual shop to give YOU a choice. Ask our instructors which course will best suit your needs.

If I am a PADI certified Open Water Diver can I do an SSI advanced and vice versa?

PADI and SSI are also both interchangeable allowing you to do your Open Water Course with PADI and then to go on to become an SSI certified Advanced Open Water Student and Vice Versa. Both certifications are recognised by either certification agency allowing you the choice and flexibility to decide how you want to learn.

Don’t want to spend your holiday studying for your course? Blue View Divers accepts referrals for all courses allowing you the flexibility of completing your theory and study in your own country and doing your dives here in Koh Phi Phi with us.
Alternatively you can complete part of your Open Water here at Blue View Divers and then complete the rest of the course elsewhere within a year allowing those who are short on time to still achieve their goal of becoming Open Water Certified Divers.

If you have completed all of the theory and confined sessions elsewhere:

• The cost for just the 4 Open Water Dives is 7200 THB including the PADI PIC card
• The cost for just the 4 Open Water Dives is 6500 THB including the SSI PIC card