From Phi Phi: Half-Day Trip for Certified Divers (2 Dives)

Phi Phi’s best scenery is below the surface. This five-hour trip takes you to the Bida Islands and Phi Phi Leh for two guided scuba sessions, with a good chance of seeing hawksbill turtles, blacktip reef sharks, and large schools of fish. The reefs also bring walls, pinnacles, swim-throughs, wrecks, and small creatures such as seahorses and ghost pipefish.

I like the small-group format and the guides’ eco-minded approach, including Green Fins practices and National Park rules. I also like the practical timing: morning trips can fit before onward travel to Phuket or Krabi, while afternoon trips return in time for sunset drinks. The main consideration is that you need recent certified experience, and the 600 THB National Park fee is extra.

Key points to know before booking

• Two different underwater settings: Expect the Bida Islands for shark spotting and Phi Phi Leh for turtles, coral gardens, walls, and rock formations.
• Recent certification required: You must have dived within the past year, or pay for a Scuba Refresher.
• Small groups help: A PADI guide can give closer attention during checks and underwater exploration.
• Lunch is served on board: A Thai lunch, fresh fruit, water, and a zero-waste lunch box are included between sessions.
• Choose your timing: Morning and afternoon departures are available, each lasting about five hours.
• Budget for extras: The 600 THB National Park fee is not included, and a dive computer costs 250 THB if needed.

Two reef sessions around Phi Phi’s best sites

At $93 per person, this is a fairly complete half-day outing rather than a bare-bones boat transfer. Equipment rental, neoprene boots or open-heel fins, a PADI guide, lunch, fruit, water, basic Thai opt-in insurance, and free water refills are included.

The price is easier to judge once you add the National Park fee of 600 THB. You may also need to budget 250 THB for a dive computer, 800 THB for a refresher session, or 2,000 THB for a private guide. Photography is separate as well.

The key value here is time in the water. You get two sessions at different locations, not one short swim with a tank. Blue View Divers also uses a small-group format, which matters when you need help with equipment, safety checks, or identifying smaller marine life.

The exact sites can change with weather, sightings, and the time of year. That flexibility is sensible in a marine park, though it means you should not book this expecting one fixed site or a guaranteed animal. The named locations include Finger Reef, Bida Nok Wall, Bida Bay, Bida Nai Wall and Bay, Malong Shelf, Malong Wall, Mushroom Rock, Palong Pinnacles, Pileh Walls, and Viking Gardens.

Meeting near Phi Phi Pier

You meet at the Siam Commercial Bank next to Phi Phi Pier. Look for the purple bank beside McDonald’s, two doors down, and meet in front of the ATMs.

The day begins with about 20 minutes for registration and a safety briefing. This is when you should settle any questions about your certification, recent experience, equipment, and the day’s plan. You must contact the dive centre through WhatsApp after booking, then check in one day before the trip by 5pm. Your booking is not complete until you make that contact.

This detail is easy to miss and important. Include a working WhatsApp number when you book, and allow time for the centre’s required administration. The operator says you must be staying on Phi Phi Island, so this is not a practical choice if you plan to arrive from Phuket or Krabi on the same morning.

After the briefing, the boat ride to the sites takes about 30 minutes. Most locations are only around 20 minutes from the pier, depending on the selected site. You can travel on the refurbished boat Dory, or request the custom longtail boat Georgie.

The first session around Ko Bida Nok

The first underwater session is planned around the Bida Islands, often chosen for the possibility of seeing blacktip reef sharks. Ko Bida Nok offers walls, reef areas, bays, and changing rock shapes. Sites such as Bida Nok Wall and Bida Bay give the guide different options depending on visibility and conditions.

Blacktip reef sharks are harmless to people, but wildlife sightings are never promised. Keep your attention moving, and do not spend the whole session scanning only for sharks. Schools of snappers, reef fish, coral, and smaller animals can make the reef interesting even when larger creatures keep their distance.

Before entering the water, you complete equipment checks and a pre-session safety review. The small-group approach is useful here because a guide can keep the pace manageable and help you get settled before you descend.

You might see Nemo, large schools of fish, or macro life tucked into the reef. Seahorses and ghost pipefish are the sort of finds that reward patience and a careful eye. They are not guaranteed, and spotting them depends on the guide, conditions, and your ability to look closely without touching anything.

The first underwater hour includes the descent, exploration, and safety stop. Walls and sloping reefs can offer different views from one section to the next. If you prefer dramatic rock formations, Finger Reef and the Bida walls may appeal more than a flatter coral area.

Lunch and a proper break on board

After the first session, you return to the boat for about an hour of rest and lunch. A Thai meal, fresh fruit, and water are provided in a zero-waste lunch box.

This pause is more useful than it may sound. Two tropical underwater sessions can be tiring, especially in warm water, so you have time to eat, drink, dry off, and prepare your gear again. Free water refills are available, and tea or coffee is available at the office before or after the trip.

The boat lunch keeps the schedule moving. You do not lose time returning to Phi Phi Pier, and you get to remain near Phi Phi Leh for the second session. Bring a towel, swimwear, sunscreen, a hat, and comfortable clothing for the surface interval.

The operator asks guests to use biodegradable sunscreen and to avoid touching marine life. That policy matters in a protected marine area, where careless contact can damage coral or stress animals. Bring a camera only if you can use it without chasing animals or brushing against the reef.

Phi Phi Leh for turtles and coral gardens

The second session takes place around Ko Phi Phi Leh. This area is associated with hawksbill turtles, coral gardens, walls, bays, and unusual rock formations.

Sites such as Malong Shelf, Malong Wall, Pileh Walls, Palong Pinnacles, and Viking Gardens offer different shapes and habitats. Depending on conditions, you might pass along a wall, move above a sloping reef, or explore a rocky section with swim-throughs.

Phi Phi Leh is a good contrast to the first session near Bida Nok. The first location may appeal to you if sharks and open reef scenery are your main interests. The second can be more rewarding if you want turtles, coral, and a closer look at reef structure.

Again, the marine life list is a possibility, not a promise. You may see a hawksbill turtle, but you should also expect smaller reef creatures, fish schools, and coral formations to make up much of the experience. The guide chooses the location according to conditions, season, and recent sightings.

Once you finish the safety stop, you return to the boat and log your sessions during the trip back. The overall schedule allows about 30 minutes for the return journey, though sea conditions and the selected sites can affect timing.

The eco-minded approach

Blue View Divers says its professional PADI team follows Green Fins principles and National Park regulations. In practical terms, you can expect reminders about not touching marine life and an emphasis on careful movement around coral.

That approach is especially useful for a trip built around small animals and coral gardens. A guide may point out a seahorse or ghost pipefish, but finding such creatures should not mean crowding them or holding position by grabbing the reef.

The exact meaning of eco-friendly practices depends on how everyone behaves. You can help by keeping your hands off coral, using biodegradable sunscreen, avoiding contact with turtles and sharks, and controlling your equipment so hoses and fins do not scrape the reef.

The National Park setting also explains the extra 600 THB fee. That charge is not part of the advertised price, so include it in your budget before deciding that $93 is the full cost.

Boats, guides, and group size

You may travel on Dory, a newly refurbished boat, or request Georgie, the custom longtail boat. The information does not promise one specific boat for every departure, so ask the centre if the boat matters to you.

A professional PADI guide leads the trip, with instruction available in English, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. One review specifically praises a guide named Po for patience and care during a first sea session. That detail may reassure newer certified guests, though you still need recent experience unless you add the refresher option.

Small groups are available and are worth requesting if you want a more personal pace. A smaller group can make equipment checks less rushed and may give you more chances to ask about reef animals or site conditions.

A private guide costs 2,000 THB. That may be useful if you want close attention, have unusual needs, or prefer a fully private pace, but most certified guests should find the standard guided arrangement sufficient.

Who should book this Phi Phi outing

This trip fits you best if you:

• Hold a scuba certification and have been in the water within the past year
• Want two underwater sessions in one morning or afternoon
• Like seeing both larger animals and small reef life
• Prefer a guide-led outing rather than planning sites yourself
• Are happy to follow marine-park rules and avoid contact with animals
• Need a schedule that works around time on Phi Phi Island

If you have not been in the water during the past year, you must upgrade to a Scuba Refresher for 800 THB. This is not designed for non-swimmers, pregnant women, people with back problems, or anyone prone to seasickness.

You also need to plan around air travel. The operator says not to have a flight within 24 hours after the trip. That is a safety requirement, so do not schedule this on the last possible day before flying.

What to bring and what to leave behind

Bring swimwear, a towel, a hat, comfortable clothes, sunscreen, water, insect repellent, and a camera if you want photographs. Biodegradable sunscreen is requested.

You can rent the main scuba equipment, including neoprene boots or open-heel fins. A dive computer is not included unless you bring your own or pay the additional 250 THB rental charge.

Underwater photography rules in Thailand have changed, and the centre will explain the current rules at check-in. Camera rental and photography services cost extra, so ask about the current options before setting off.

Leave any plan to touch, hold, feed, or chase marine life behind. The experience is built around observing the reef without disturbing it.

Morning or afternoon: which works better

Choose the morning departure if you want to finish in time for onward travel to Phuket or Krabi. You still need to account for the 24-hour no-flight rule, so a morning finish does not make same-day flying acceptable.

The afternoon departure suits you if you are already staying on Phi Phi and want a slower start. You return in time for sunset drinks, though the exact timing can shift with weather and the selected sites.

Both options last about five hours and include the same two underwater sessions, lunch, fruit, water, equipment, and guide service. Check the available start times before booking, and contact the centre promptly after reserving your place.

My take on the $93 price

I consider the base price reasonable for two guided sessions, full equipment rental, boat transport, a Thai lunch, fruit, water, and a professional PADI guide. The small-group option adds value if you care about a calmer pace and closer supervision.

The final cost is higher once you add the 600 THB National Park charge. A computer, refresher, private guide, camera, or photography service can add more. Still, the package is useful for certified guests who want a straightforward day without arranging gear, food, transport, and site planning separately.

The strongest parts are the two-location plan and the chance to look for both larger animals and macro life. The main limits are the strict recent-experience rule, possible seasickness, changing site choices, and the fact that no animal sighting can be guaranteed.

Should you book it?

Book this if you are certified, recently active, staying on Phi Phi, and want a compact trip with two guided underwater sessions. The mix of Bida Islands reef and Phi Phi Leh coral areas gives you a better range of scenery than visiting one site alone.

Skip it if you have not been in the water for a year and do not want a refresher, if you are flying within 24 hours, or if you are uncomfortable on boats. Before paying, confirm your WhatsApp contact, check the National Park fee, and ask about the day’s departure time and boat.

FAQ

Where does the trip meet?

Meet at the Siam Commercial Bank next to Phi Phi Pier. It is the purple bank beside McDonald’s, two doors down, in front of the ATMs.

How long does the experience last?

The outing lasts about five hours, including the briefing, boat transfers, two underwater sessions, lunch, and the return to Phi Phi Pier.

Is this trip for certified scuba guests?

Yes. You must be certified and have recent experience within the past year. If you have not been in the water during that period, you must upgrade to a Scuba Refresher.

How much is the National Park fee?

The National Park fee is 600 THB and is not included in the tour price.

Are morning and afternoon departures available?

Yes. You can choose a morning or afternoon departure, subject to availability.

What food and drinks are included?

A Thai lunch, fresh fruit, and water are included. The lunch is provided in a zero-waste lunch box, and free water refills are available.

Is scuba equipment included?

Yes. Equipment rental is included, along with neoprene boots or open-heel fins. A dive computer costs an additional 250 THB.

Can I request a private guide?

Yes. A private guide is available for an additional 2,000 THB.

How soon before a flight can I take this trip?

You should not have a flight within 24 hours after the underwater sessions.

What languages are available?

Guides and instruction are available in English, Thai, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian.