thailand ??

[Kirk]

If the primary intent of your trip is to go diving, there are much better places in the region to dive (Pulau Weh and Bunaken in Indonesia and various places in the Philippines).  The use of dynamite by Thai fishermen have kind of messed up a lot of the reefs.  That said, Thailand is one of my favorite countries to visit.  It has good infrastructure for independent travel, friendly people, and a very interesting culture. 

The diving is better on the Andaman Sea side than on the Gulf of Thailand side.  The best diving is probably the Similian Islands area, though that is best dived from the affordable liveaboards out of Khao Lak.  For shore based diving, I’ve enjoyed the diving off the small islands near Railey in Krabi.  This isn’t shore diving per se, for one actually does most of the dives off long tail boats.  Railey is also a really nice place to stay, although it is much more popular with rock climbers than divers.  The diving off Koh Phi Phi is pretty good as well. 

Have fun.  I’ve been to Thailand four times, and would love to go back some day.  - Kirk