History
Diving began in Thailand in 1962 . The Thailand Sub Aqua Club was founded by two Thais and an Englishman who had just arrived . The club was very active and the Minister of Tourism became their patron . The first ever professional dive centre was opened in Pattaya in 1975 by which time the sport had become well established and the Thailand Sun Aqua Club had its own premises in Pattaya . Shortly after the popularity of diving for both Thais and foreigners in Thailand increased .
After Pattaya, the next destination to see divers was Phuket and they were soon heading out to dive in the Similan Islands and the rest of the Andaman Sea . The Similan islands have been ranked as one of the top ten diving sites in the world. Today, diving is popular all over the Andaman Sea, including Tarutao and the Surin islands.
Over on the other side of Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand, Ko Tao (Turtle Island) has recently emerged as the biggest diving destination in Thailand with over twenty major centres located on the island.
Read more about this topic: Diving In Thailand
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