THAILAND, the heart of South East Asia, offers some excellent diving: in the Gulf of Thailand and, better still, in the Andaman Sea, both in the south and further north, in the Similan Islands. On the west coast, most of the diving is made around Phi Phi Islands and the Similan Islands. The Similan Islands are accessible from the liveaboards or speedboats that operate out of Phuket.

The Similan and Surin Islands, and beyond up to Burma banks, are synonymous with manta rays, whale sharks, leopard sharks, and other species like frogfishes and multicoloured cuttlefish. Further north in the Surin Islands, a group of five islands and two islets located close to the Burmese border, there is also a marine park. These islands provide some of the best diving in Thailand.

Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock are among the highlights of Surin, where rays and whale sharks are normally spotted. Rays come in from the ocean to feed and get cleaned, while whale sharks are sighted close to the Richelieu pinnacle that has become a legend among divers.

On the eastern side of Thailand, there are small, pretty islands that also offer good diving areas. Koh Samui is one of them and Sail rock is perhaps the best dive in the region. It is a small rock where wall diving can be enjoyed among a wide selection of fish species and mantas and whale sharks, even though these sightings are not as common as on the west coast.

Diving in Thailand is available at all times of the year, although visibility changes according to the season. In the Andaman Sea the best time to dive is from October to April, and in the Gulf of Thailand, from May to September. Thailand has very clear waters and an average sea temperature of 28oC.

INDONESIA, the world's largest archipelago containing 10-15 percent of the world's coral reefs, is home to some of the most idyllic islands. It is strategically located across both the Asian and Melanesian-Australian biological realms, a reason for the abundance of the fish population here.

Colourful nudibranchs, pipe fishes and seahorses roam amongst the chrynoids, gorgonians and soft corals, a whole rainbow hue covering the entire extension of the reef walls. Big fish pop up every now and then, offering superb sights of big tunas, shoal of barracudas, manta rays and sharks.

There is a dive experience for every level of diver - from shallow-water dives for beginners and snorkellers, to steep drop-offs, where you can drift with the current, and dives off underwater shipwrecks. The biggest challenge for divers in Indonesia is choosing from the many great dive locations – there are still many areas in the country in which no one has ever dived before, opening up the chances of finding new pristine diving sites and the uncovering of unique marine species.

You can also explore the Komodo archipelago and its incredible underwater bio-diversity, while the macro heaven of Sulawesi is considered the world's best for small-critters-diving around Manado, Bunaken and Lembeh strait. Many regions have been recently discovered and diving liveaboards are now able to take you in the Banda sea, the Raja Ampat area and beyond.

MALAYSIA holds many attractions for tourists and scuba diving is high on the list of most visitors. The incredible bio-diversity of marine life, coupled with beautiful islands, white sandy beaches and clear warm waters means Malaysia is fast becoming one of the leading dive destinations of the world. It is one of the richest marine environments in the Indo-Pacific Basin, which is why scuba divers keep coming back for more.

The coral reef system supports more that 50 types of coral and more that 200 species of fish. The incredible tropical reefs also boast an additional attraction for the diver, the overlap of macro and pelagic. Malaysia is one of the very few dive destinations in the world where the large pelagic and the macro "critters" can be found so close together. From schooling Hammerhead Sharks, to huge schools of barracudas and various species of turtles to the bizarre Frogfish and Ghost Pipefish, there is always something to fascinate the diver; a true photographers dream.

Top dive sites around Malaysia include the Tioman island area, which is also a great holiday destination. However, the best of the best diving is the Borneo/Sabah region. Divers can have great experiences exploring the reefs of Sipadan, Mabul, Lankayan and Layang Layang islands.

The PHILIPPINES, also known as the Pearl of the Orient Seas, is located 1,210 km (750 miles) away from mainland Asia, consists of 7,107 islands and forms a part of the Malay Archipelago.
With 334,539 kilometres of natural harbours, gulfs and palm-fringed white sand beaches, it has the longest discontinuous coastline in the world. The country is blessed with some of the best diving in the world; its warm, crystal clear waters has underwater visibility of up to 60 meters.

Shipwrecks, drop-offs, over 2,000 species of fish and more than 800 species of soft and hard corals make the Philippines a year-round divers heaven. The average water temperatures (December-March 21 C to 25 April -November 25 C to 28 C) allow divers to experience the underwater world in comfort.

Cliffs covered with sponges, colourful corals, gorgonians, turtles, sharks, and rays are among the Philippines's underwater wonders and divers hunting for small fishes and creatures will find excellent sites for macro photography where the very rarely seen exotic fishes like Spanish dancer, harlequin ghost-pipefish, camouflaged frogfish, fire gobies and various species of Seahorses can be spotted. The Philippines is a real treasure to be found by adventurous divers!

In MYANMAR, the Mergui Archipelago with 800 unexplored tropical islands promises to be the adventure of a lifetime. In 1997 the Mergui Archipelago in the south of Burma was slowly opening up to foreigners for the first time in over fifty years.
But, since then the Mergui Archipelago has been left largely alone and today it is an area of some mystery. Numerous Islands remain unexplored, and the region presents the possibility of hundreds of exciting new dive sites.

Trips here certainly have an exploratory feel, with visitors being amongst the first foreign faces ever seen by the local sea gypsies. The topography of the area comprises mainly undulating hills, no higher than 600 m, allowing for exploration of the islands. There are literally hundreds of islands, islets and outcrops, many of the biggest ones boasting superb beaches fringed by rich mangroves with streams flowing down.

Wildlife is profuse, with brahminy kites and sea eagles circling in contention for fish. However, the area's greatest attraction is diving with big fish, namely sharks, rays and a wealth of pelagics. The excitement at a number of the open ocean sites is indescribable. Many of the rocky islands have underwater caves with abundance of small critters. All the diving in Myanmar is organized with liveaboards from Phuket in Thailand and visit the dive sites of the Similan islands on the way to Myanmar.