Diving in January felt like a perfect way to start the year. I chose Koh Lipe due to its proximity to Malaysia, and I missed authentic Thai food.
Day one started horribly. Before arriving here, I booked my place with this dive centre (Let’s call it P centre). When I checked out P centre in person, the vibe was absolutely dreadful. To make things worse, the divemaster and the customer service were shambolic. Their behaviour was unacceptably rude. I genuinely think it is because of my skin colour. Although I paid the deposit, I immediately searched for another dive centre. I had never said anything bad about any dive centres until this encounter. I guess there is a first time for everything.
Thankfully, Adang Divers came to the rescue. This dive centre was better in every single way: the environment, the staff, the clients, the atmosphere. The customer service was excellent; the dive masters knew what they were doing. I highly recommend Adang Divers. Bonus points if you’re vegetarian or vegan: their restaurant/café is fully vegan.
The highlight of Koh Lipe diving is definitely Stonehenge and the 8 Mile Rock. Stonehenge was full of beautiful, soft coral that was surprisingly healthy. I don’t think I ever seen so many different colours of soft coral in one spot. Stonehenge’s depth is only 5-15 meters, so it is definitely an easy dive, and a good introduction to divers with less experience.
8 Mile Rock was definitely a challenge, hence only experienced people can go. However, there was an incident before I even entered the ocean. Apparently, one of the divers swallowed too much seawater at the surface, and he couldn’t breathe, panicking and returned to the boat. To be fair, the wave was fairly big, and he probably got shocked. When I descended, the visibility was poor, only 5-7. meters. However, despite the poor visibility, I could still see huge schools of jackfish, trevallies, and batfish. The grouper (Pla Kao) at this dive site was bigger than average. Interestingly, the lionfish around Koh Lipe were black in colour, rather than the more common brown.
Would I come back to Koh Lipe again? The sunrise was breathtaking, and the beach was immaculate. I love Thai food so much, and my favourite is Pad Kra Pao. I think I had it every day! As usual, I would always make friends on (almost) every dive trip. However, I don’t think there is much to do here besides relaxing, drinking, and diving.
To answer the question, I would like to return to Koh Lipe, provided I have someone to go with. Not necessarily a dive buddy, but I would love to have a companion. It is funny how the internet wants us to do more solo trips, while I am on the opposite side of it. I had been on solo trips since 2018 in Paris, and as the years pass, I find myself yearning for a partner.
As per usual, here is the video. Enjoy!