At sea, on land, or even above it, Phuket's remarkable range of sports, tours, diversions and adventures guarantee a fun-packed holiday for all.

This can be enjoyed in sheltered bays all around Phuket. It is particularly enjoyable at easily accessible reefs at Patong, Karon and Kata beaches.

Snorkelling equipment, fins, mask and snorkel, can be rented on a daily basis from shops all over the island.

This form of eco-tourism is available in several forms, as popular one-day tours, or more extended tours involving overnight camping on island beachs, and occurs principally in the neighbouring Phangnga Bay and Krabi, where mangrove swamps and island grottoes are accessible only by canoe.

Phuket diving sites number among the very best to be found. In fact, the readers of the top diving magazine voted Phuket diving among the top ten in the world. Diving Phuket's warm clear blue waters is best from mid-October to May, when the calm seas and rain free days make Phuket diving off Ko Kaew Noi, Ko Rajali Yai, Shark Point a truly unique experience.

Phi Phi Island diving is also one of the highlights for any serious dive itinerary, Phi Phi Island diving takes the diver to one of the most famous diving sites in the world, and facilities for Phi Phi Island diving are among the best for such a site.

Expeditions regularly leave Phuket for dives around neighbouring islands, and further afield, most particularly around the enduringly popular Phi Phi Islands in neighbouring Krabi province, some 2 hours east of Phuket, and the Similan Islands, some 110 km northwest of Phuket, and the Raya Islands, 1-3 hours due south of Phuket, depending on the type of boat.

Diving equipment : Several dive shops concentrated in the Patong, Kata and Chalong areas have Asian and European expatriate(s) (speaking English and several other languages) and bi-lingual Thai dive instructors who offer inexpensive beginner's courses. All diving equipment is available for hire.

• Phuket 's West Coast
  Phuket's western shore is dotted with a dozen pristine white sandy beaches, including Surin, Patong and Nai Yang beaches, which abound with aquamarine life. Listed among the top 10 Scuba diving destinations in the world, the beaches on the west coast of Phuket offer some supreme Scuba diving with the depths from about 30 to 45 meters. Good close-up photographs can be taken. Also, regular diving cruises and private trips can be arranged to other highly regarded diving areas such as the Similan Island.

• Similan Island
  The nine granite islands of the Similans National Marine Park, lay only fifty miles northwest of Phuket. Remarkable visibility of up to 120 feet, gives divers a rare opportunity to view vast panoramas of giant fan and soft coral spread throughout the 25 dive sites in the park. The granite cliffs of some of the islands descend over 150 feet into the clear waters, and the waters around the Similan Islands are home to literally hundreds of colourful and unusual fish and other species of marine life.

• Surin Archipelago
  Thirty miles from Thailand's mainland and forming a natural marine border with Myanmar, is another of Thailand's national marine parks. The Surin archipelago's 1100 square miles contains only five islands, of which only two bare much plant life. These are Koh Nua and Koh Koli Tai, and they are joined by a shallow channel that can be walked across at low tide. Both islands have small, pleasant beaches and some interesting caves to explore. Of the Surin Archipelagos dive sites, Richelieu Rock is certainly the most interesting, as it is often visited place for Whale Sharks.

• Phi Phi Island
  The Phi Phi islands is one of the most popular diving areas in Thailand, and is also popular with non-diving tourists. For this reason, it is often considered too busy by serious divers who prefer quieter dive sites. However, there is a very good reason why Phi Phi is so popular, and that is that few other places offers quite the diversity of dive sites and marine life.

• Shark Point
  1.5 hours east of Phuket, a small rock pokes just above the surface of the water. This unassuming rock is the natural marker for a national marine sanctuary and one of the most wonderful dive experiences available in the area. Shark Point's underwater limestone escarpment is alive with a staggering range of tropical marine life and is coated in a startling collage of soft corals and sea fans. Several dives need to be taken to truly experience the vast array of wonders Shark Point presents. The coral tapestry descends 75 feet to the seabed, where the harmless leopard sharks come to play and rest.