Are you going on holiday to Pattaya in Thailand? You’ll want to take advantage of the many water sports on offer. Read on to find out more about water sports in Pattaya.
Pattaya is a seaside resort located about one hour drive south of Bangkok. Since the days it first became popular as a resting spot of American soldiers in the Vietnam War Pattaya has grown in size considerably. Today tourists flock in the hundreds of thousands to Pattaya to enjoy the various nightlife and attractions.
Unfortunately with the continuous development of hotels and resorts to cater for the increasing number of tourists in the 1980’s came an increase in pollution. Up until recently raw sewage was being pumped into the bay at Pattaya severely damaging the water conditions there and making water sports a much less attractive option.
The situation has started to improve however in recent years with the government investing in infrastructure such as a sewage treatment plant, and although still not entirely clean, the water is getting better.
Swimming in Pattaya
Swimming in the water in Pattaya Bay is still probably not a good idea due to the dirty conditions. If you want to go swimming then your best option is to go to Jomtein beach which is a 15minute drive south of Pattaya. The water here is cleaner and the atmosphere is less crowded. If you do want to swim in Pattaya bay then the water is cleanest at the very north end.
Snorkelling in Pattaya
Most visitors to Pattaya wanting to do some snorkeling usually go to one of the few islands that are situated a short boat ride away off the mainland. The best Islands around which to go snorkeling near Pattaya are Ko Khrok, Ko Sok or Ko Lan. Rental of snorkeling equipment for the day costs around 500B and can be rented from the organizers of the boat trip.
Slightly further away are the Islands of Ko Man Wichai and Bamboo Island, both of which have great beaches and snorkeling opportunities in the nearby coral reefs. A boat journey to either of these Islands from Pattaya will cost about 2000 Baht.
Scuba Diving around Pattaya
Although there isn’t much scuba diving actually done in Pattaya Bay, there are plenty of dive shops set up in Pattaya who can take you out to the best diving spots in the surrounding areas. The standards of these dive shops are good with qualified English speaking Expat instructors on hand to help. Most divers based in Pattaya prefer to go diving around Ko Si Chang and Sattahip where provided you’re qualified, depths of up to 40 metres can be reached.
