Best Scuba Diving Experience In Pattaya: Dive Site, Costs, and Tips

Scuba diving has always been a top adventure on both my and Mr. Daaku’s bucket lists. So, during our recent trip to Thailand, we dedicated an entire day to this thrilling activity. It was the one experience I was most eagerly looking forward to.

Arrival To Pattaya

After spending a week in Bangkok, we headed to Pattaya (read here about my unexpected encounter with a pop-pop show and the experience on the roads of Siam). 

We researched numerous places to stay in Pattaya but found the choices less than ideal. The accommodations were either too far from the attractions we wanted to visit or too expensive.

Both Mr. Daaku and I don’t prioritize luxury in our stays since we spend most of our time exploring the city. We preferred a place close to the beach, and while browsing Airbnb, we stumbled upon View Talay. It was exactly what we were looking for, and we booked it instantly.

We received an e-mail from Tueinchai (our host, of course), and she was kind and helpful with all our queries about traveling to and from Pattaya. The apartment was almost pool-facing (you will know what I mean soon, haha), spotless, and equipped with all the necessary amenities (like towels, food, microwave, toiletries, etc.). I will talk about the places to visit Pattaya later; for now, let’s focus on scuba diving.

Diving Centers In Pattaya 

Getting back, Mr. Daaku and I had researched a lot on diving centers, and we knew the most reliable and recommended of all was the Mermaids. So, I quickly googled up the location, and it was 5 5-minute walk from where we were staying. *time to dance*

My hubby and I walked excitedly to the dive center, where we met a helpful woman at the desk. We asked all our questions and registered for the next day. If you’re interested in scuba diving, reserve an entire day for it—it takes that long. The cost was around 8,500 THB, which included an underwater camera.

We were told the bus would pick us up from our residence at around 8 AM, so we woke up early the following day and eagerly hopped on the bus.

Note: Mermaids is permanently closed down after COVID hit. You can dive with Pattaya Dive Centre or Real Divers Pattaya PADI 5 STAR IDC Center

Our First Dive In Pattaya

All of us hopped onto the boat and chilled on the deck for almost 1 hour and 30 minutes until we reached the island where the boat was to be anchored. We were the only first-time divers, and hence, we were assigned to Mike (along with Claire). It was such a relief to know that it was going to be just the four of us diving. (I won’t drown, yay!)

During this “build-up” period, Mike briefed us on certain dos and don’ts of scuba diving. He explained the concept of equalizing ear pressure, clearing the water into your mask, or tackling situations where the regulator comes out of your mouth.

I am unsure if I was happy to know the tactics that will save me underwater or scared that I might experience such situations when I am 10 – 20 feet inside of water. He also gave us a quick tour of the diving equipment. Time to suit up and jump! *Jump*

We were the only odd ones out. Rest everyone on the boat, suited up quickly, and jumped in like a pro. Mr. Daaku and I were suiting up slowly but steadily under the wing of our super instructor. Jumping with such heavy gear is freaky at first. You have hefty weights tied across your waist. While it is tough to balance and walk in that weight, you will hardly feel any of it once you have jumped. So, jump!

I kept reminding myself to keep breathing. After all, it’s against the natural course to breathe freely underwater. Mike took us to shallow waters 6 – 10 feet deep to practice the basics of scuba diving. Our instructors (Mike and Claire) were extremely patient and calm as we tested our scuba equipment and got used to breathing underwater. Once we got the hang of our masks, neutralized ear pressure, replaced regulators, and continuously breathed underwater, we decided to go deeper to explore.

After a while, I became comfortable inside the water. Popping the ears, clearing the mask, and breathing constantly came naturally to me. It wasn’t as easy as it sounded in the line before. I struggled to breathe with my nose instead because my throat felt dry (due to my mouth breathing and pure oxygen!). After which, breathing from my mouth seemed like a survival instinct, and I tasted quite a bit of salt. For someone like me, who is overexcited, impulsive, and hyper, it is arduous to keep calm. We kept swimming deeper and deeper, and Mike kept communicating through hand gestures to ensure we were alright with the water pressure.

The calmness associated with listening to your breathing voice is incredible. I loved exploring the reefs, fish, and wildlife there. It’s truly surreal. We dived for around 60 minutes and came back up. Guys, I forgot I had such heavy weights on me. So when I tried to climb the ladder to the deck with the flaps and weight, I almost fell into the water. Mike helped me remove my flaps and carried my buoyancy weight until I reached the ship. *Phew*

We had lunch, loitered on the ship, played with our newly bought drone, and suited up to dive again. This time around, the entire process was much faster. Also, I could keep my movements under control this time, and I was surprised at the ease of navigating in water.

We dived for another hour before Mr. Daaku’s oxygen cylinder indicated 50 on the meter, and we had to rush back up. Mike is truly a seasoned veteran and the best instructor you can have for your first dive.

A thumbs up for Mermaids. The crew was top-notch (they cooked a really tasty lunch as well), and we felt at home diving with them. We sincerely thanks Mermaids and especially Mike for being so awesome!  Thank you for marking off one of our Bucket List items. You can check out the video to see the location we dived at:

For all those who are going for your first ever dive,

1. Choose your scuba diving location and instructor wisely –

   The location of your dive must have unbroken corals and fish—the least you can see in scuba diving. But choosing a reputed PADI center and instructor is more important. Do a lot of research before you decide on one because you are entrusting them with your life.

2. Do not hesitate to ask –

   If you have a question, ask! The more you talk, the better it is. When we were going to dive, I heard a sound coming out of my oxygen cylinder, which resonated “fissss,” similar to when air escapes from a pipe. I wasn’t sure if I should ask Mike about it, but I did, and it turned out the knob wasn’t tightened properly. So, you get my point. It would be best if you talked about whatever is going on in your mind. This helps your instructor know you might not be as cool as a fish inside water. it’s always good to know someone is taking care of your comfort.

3. Do not haste while diving –

   Scuba diving is all about baby steps. The better you learn, the better diver you will become. You must keep calm and try to fix the situation underwater instead of wanting to run to the surface. DO NOT PANIC. Mike told me to be as lazy as possible, and after I dived, I realized what he meant. You have to be lazy and calm to deal with situations underwater. Bottle up your emotions – your urge to cry, shout, flap your hands and legs, and open this bottle when you have reached the surface.

Follow all of the above golden tips, and you will absolutely have a wonderful time. Just focus on the fish, other organisms, corals, and weeds. While diving once, Claire and I were swimming very close to the surface, and I thought I would get hurt by the spiky black creatures (see below), and I started to panic. But then I remembered that things appear much, much larger and closer underwater than they are.

Happy diving!