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Rare & Peculiar Critters

Rare & Peculiar Critters

Looking for that special critter, the one that has alluded you all of your diving career, the Moby to your Ahab? In this section we detail some of our most peculiar and spectacular finds here in Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand!

crown of thorns starfish Rare & Peculiar Critters

Crown of Thorns Starfish

Fortunately Phuket hasn't got a huge population of crown of thorns starfish. They're strange appearance and beautiful colours make them great to look at but high numbers can cause immense damage. Their diet of healthy corals and venomous spines don't place them high on the welcome visitors list which is incredibly unfair. The venomous spines is all on them but destroying coral reefs? In a healthy ecosystem they would be just another li [...]

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blacktip reef shark at koh bid nok Rare & Peculiar Critters

Blacktip Reef Sharks

Blacktip reef sharks are a very frequent sighting on our Phi Phi diving tour, often with many sharks in your field of vision. We get all different sizes from the almost 2m adult females to the tiny pups. We generally schedule Koh Bida Nok for our first dive on the trip so blacktip reef sharks are one of the first animals you'll see. A great start to your days diving. They're not a guaranteed sighting by any means but it's very unusual not [...]

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male ornate ghost pipefish Rare & Peculiar Critters

Ornate Ghost Pipefish

Ornate Ghost pipefish seemingly appear from nowhere. After months of no sightings they suddenly show up, some years it's just a few and some years it seems every crinoid has a pair. They spend the first part of their life as plankton, drifting along in ocean currents until the time is right to settle on one of our many reefs. How long they travel the ocean currents is not known but unlikely to be long. They disappear just as quickly as the ap [...]

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harlequin shrimp are without question the most beautiful crustacean Rare & Peculiar Critters

Harlequin Shrimp – Thailand’s Cruel Crustacean

Sure harlequin shrimp are incredibly beautiful, a rare sight that excites guides as much as guests. However they do have a very macabre way of filling their little shrimpy bellies. They are reasonably frequent finds on our Phuket dive tours and have been spotted from the Racha's to Phi Phi. Harlequin shrimp are very difficult to find, it's usually just sheer luck but occasionally a maimed starfish or two can point you in the right direction. [...]

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leopard sharks can be found in phuket Rare & Peculiar Critters

Leopard Sharks In Phuket

We call them leopard sharks in Phuket and in south east asia in general but the rest of the world refers to Stegostoma (covered mouth) fasciatum (banded) as zebra sharks. Along the west coast of the US and Mexico, a small hound shark - Triakis semifasciatais is commonly referred to as leopard shark. It must have been named by somebody who's never seen a leopard, the markings have no real resemblance. We'll stick to calling them leopards shark [...]

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a hawksbill turtle in phuket Rare & Peculiar Critters

Sea Turtles In Phuket

Turtles are endearing creatures and we're lucky enough to find plenty around Phuket. Their slow movements, tolerance for divers and wisened features make them a firm favourite with divers all over the world. We mostly get hawksbill turtles around Phuket but we also get green, loggerhead, olive ridley and the biggest of all the seven species - the giant leatherback. Unfortunately all are endangered thanks to us... Plastic pollution, destructio [...]

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thorny seahorses in phuket Rare & Peculiar Critters

Seahorses In Phuket

We're very lucky to get at least four different species of seahorse in Phuket. They're not hanging off every branch of coral so our guides have to work hard to find them but find them we do. Some of our Phuket diving trips are seem more attractive to seahorses than others. Anemone Reef, Shark Point and Koh Doc Mai are very productive but for some reason King Cruiser isn't. For the biggest variety of species you can try Kata Beach. Ne [...]

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Local Guides, Local Knowledge, Local Experiences

Don't trust your diving to amateurs or freshly minted dive guides, dive with local experienced experts from Local Dive Thailand. Our Scuba Diving Phuket Tours will take you to see the rarest of the rare critters, you will be amazed by the macro life our guides can find, in the secret places only they know. To put it in perspective, if you were going to climb Mount Everest you would certainly hire a local sherpa to lead the way & keep you safe. Diving is similar because there is absolutely no substitute for local experience & local knowledge, Local Dive Thailand's guides are Phuket's Sherpa's of the Andaman Sea!

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Scuba Diving Phuket In Pictures

See exactly what our Scuba Diving Phuket Dive Tours are like, visiting the amazing reefs & wrecks of Phuket, Phi Phi Island & Thailand

Spectacular views of famed islands like Phi Phi, Koh Doc Mai, Maya Bay & many more
Spectacular Views
Amazing & rare marine life gallery
Amazing Critters
See how hppy all our customers are after a day of scuba diving with Local Dive Thailand
Happy Customers

Scuba Diving Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand

When talking about Scuba Diving in Phuket, you should believe the hype, many seasons we have had Whale Sharks grace us on our regular and easy to reach dive sites and on a good day you can add Sea Horses, Sea Moths, Snake Eels, Frog Fish & Octopus to what you can see on any given dive and so much more. If we are heading to Phi Phi Island for the day, you can possibly see Hawksbill Sea Turtles and Black Tip Reef Sharks, also don't forget the King Cruiser, 84 meters of beautiful wreck and the most amazing reef nursery for fish and nudibranch. Local Dive Thailand day trip tours to these locations are not to be missed when you are scuba diving Phuket, get in touch with us and book an 'awesome' day of diving.

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Latest News From Local Dive Thailand

See why we are Thailand's leading scuba diving Phuket tour provider, stay up to date & watch out for news & special liveaboard offers!

great discounts on the junk and phinisi liveaboards Diving Discounts & Special Offers

Discount On Junk and Phinisi Trips 2024

There's up to 25% discount offer for some of the first trips of the 2024 season on The Junk and Phinisi departures to the Similan Islands in 2024. For some October trips these fantastic boats are offering deals for all cabin types. A rare opportunity to dive the incredible Similan and Surin Islands in style at a great price Similan and Surin Islands 4 nights 14 dives Departures: 19th - 23rd October, 10 spaces available in all cabin [...]

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take a diving refresher in the clear waters at racha noi Scuba Diving For Beginners

Keep Your Skills Up To Date With A Diving Refresher

A diving refresher or a PADI Reactivate programme is something all divers should consider if they haven't had the opportunity to dive for extended periods. We're not all fortunate enough to be able to dive when and where we want. Logistics, finances, health can all make getting a dive in a bit of a struggle. The recent pandemic kept the majority of divers away from the hobby they love for years. Diving refreshers were in high demand in 202 [...]

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crown of thorns starfish Rare & Peculiar Critters

Crown of Thorns Starfish

Fortunately Phuket hasn't got a huge population of crown of thorns starfish. They're strange appearance and beautiful colours make them great to look at but high numbers can cause immense damage. Their diet of healthy corals and venomous spines don't place them high on the welcome visitors list which is incredibly unfair. The venomous spines is all on them but destroying coral reefs? In a healthy ecosystem they would be just another li [...]

Read Full Story
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