Diving  Game fishing Riding Golfing Sailing Canoeing Elephant Trekking Rock Climbing Bicycle Tours Paintball Gokart Motocross Hash House Harriers Jetskis Mini Golf |
 One of the major assets of Phuket as a flourishing vacation resort is its abundance of diving destinations both in its vicinity and off islands several hours boat ride away, all offering a fantastic underwater world of tropical fishes and coral formations, so exotic and colorful.
From Phuket, all sorts of diving tours are organized lasting from half a day to 2 weeks. The nearest are sites off the west coast where you can explore soft and hard coral reefs, with a large variety of tropical marine life. There are good close-up photo opportunities with dives up to 20 meters.
Much more popular are trips to islands lying to the south and east of Phuket about 30 minutes to 2 hours away by motor boat including Coral Island (Ko He) which offers a dive all year round and has very beautiful natural scenery; Ko Racha, which has dives of down to 30 meters; Shark Point, a favorite sleeping spot of leopard sharks and stingrays; Ko Dok Mai which offers an impressive wall dive and a series of cave dives; and Ko Phi Phi where you can see white tip sharks, stingrays and moray eels besides colorful reef fishes.
Truly world class diving sites are located further away including Ko Similan, Ko Surin, Richelieu Rock and Burma Banks. Despite their long distances, tours are organized by some agencies in Phuket regularly during the dry season. All the first three island groups are marine national parks which offer magnificent coral gardens. Burma Banks being the farthest and newest, is in the best condition as a diving site.
There are a lot of dive schools in Phuket, all staffed with qualified instructors who are members of PADI or NAUI, and provided with all sorts of modern equipment. |
 An important sports event took place in Phuket early in 1991. That was the 13th Asian Game Fishing Tournament organized by the Asian Game Fishing Federation. It took place from 21 to 24 February with Chalong Bay near the southern end of Phuket as its base.
The event pointed to the fact that Phuket is fast becoming a top game fishing destination in Southeast Asia. Indeed the list of fighting fish species available in the Andaman Sea around Phuket is as long as one to be found in a game fisherman's handbook. They include Marlin, Sailfish, Tuna, Giant Trevally, King Mackerel, Wahoo, Cobia, Barracuda, Rainbow Runner, Dolphin Fish, Queen Fish and African Pompano. These 12 were the eligible species listed for the tournament.
The available fishing grounds in the Phuket area extend far beyond the nearby waters. In fact, annual game fishing contests have been held in Krabi since 1982. Krabi is a province about 75 km to the east of Phuket and Phi Phi is a part of it. Phuket's west coast is a good fishing ground and is a starting point for fishing tours. |
 To satisfy the needs of foreign tourists, especially those from Europe who enjoy horseback riding, riding clubs have been set up in Phuket. Instructors are available for beginners. And those accomplished rider can walk their horses to admire the natural beauty, or seek adventure by riding at a canter through the forests, along the beaches or over the hills. |
 Thailand has rapidly become an important golfing destination of Asia, boasting well over 100 golf courses scattered throughout the country. Many of them are newly opened with lush surroundings and superbly equipped club-houses. And many more are being developed. Some of the courses have been designed by well known golf pros such as Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
The rapid booming of golfing facilities in Thailand has been attributed to several factors: the healthy economic development with a high GNP growth rate for several years successively; the favorable weather conditions throughout the year with hardly any long-lasting rain even in the rainy season, and the comparatively low green fees and caddy fees.
Some of the best golf courses in Thailand are in Phuket.
The rapid booming of golfing facilities in Thailand has been attributed to several factors: the healthy economic development with a high GNP growth rate for several years successively; the favorable weather conditions throughout the year with hardly any long-lasting rain even in the rainy season, and the comparatively low green fees and caddy fees.
Some of the best golf courses in Thailand are in Phuket. |
 The Andaman Sea around Phuket is emerging as the newest addition to the foremost yachting regions of the world. An annual event, the King's Cup Regatta, first held in Phuket in 1987 as a 60th birthday tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is a gold medal sailor himself, has taken place in Phuket with great success each time.
The regatta has attracted more and more yachting enthusiasts from neighboring countries every year and is now one of the prime yacht racing fixtures in Asia. In 1991, it was joined by several world class participants in the Europe 92 Round-the-World Rally who had arrived just in time for the event.
The rapid development of sailing activities in and around Phuket has been due to several factors. First, the natural beauty of the area is unparalleled, especially the scenery in the Phang-nga Bay. Second, the climate is warm throughout the year and the sea is calm from December to April. Third, all equipment and facilities for the sport are available. And fourth, there are countless other attractions in Phuket for the sailors. |
 It has long been known that some islands in Phang-nga Bay and the sea off Krabi such as Ko Tha, Ko Hong and Ko Phanak contain caves accessible through small openings which are immersed in sea water at high tide but which are just a few feet above water when the tide is at the lowest.
It was found only a few years ago, that there is another big world inside these undersea caverns. The water is calm and clear, the sand is white and powdery, and the mangroves grow better than elsewhere.
To help tourists find out these secrets of natures polyester canoes have been imported by some tour companies and are used as vehicles to pass through the narrow entrances conveniently. And undersea cave exploration tours have been organized regularly.
When making such a tour, the canoe is Aiwa's paddled by a professional assigned by the tour agency. As a sport, you can also paddle it yourself, not to get into a cave, but to get a close look at the rocks and plants of the islet.
Phuket provides even more different kinds of exciting activities. Trekking through the natural environment with a wealth of tropical flora and fauna is a great adventure. |
 Elephant trekking is another form of enjoyment for visitors to the island. The wild elephant population of Phuket was wiped out last century but has been replaced in recent years for the tourist trade. Sicne logging was banned in Thailand (officially at least) about 10 years ago, hundreds of elephants have been out of work and tourism maybe a blessing for these actually work-loving creature. Riding an elephant is an experience not to be missed. These lumbering monsters are incredibly agile for their size and can negotiate slippery slopes that even humans would falter and slip on - and all this while carrying three people on their back. Taking an elephant ride helps keep these peaceful animals out of the cities, where there owners otherwise are forced to go in search for food and money. |
 An even more challenging activity is rock climbing in the limestone mountains where the adventurers can experience world class climbing opportunities. Phi Phi Islands and Krabi now are without doubt Thailand's most developed and extensive climbing area. With over 500 bolted routes in walking distance, the ability to belay off the beach in many areas and all year round sunshine, this has deservedly become one of the world's top climbing holiday destinations. Many choose to spend their entire winters here on the famously steep rock. Prices are cheap by western standards with most bungalows charging nothing more than it would cost to pitch a tent at home. |
| Go mountain biking and explore Phuket on two wheels. All equipments plus insurance available at the Phuket Mountain Bike Club. |
| Stalk through jungle, acting out your fave Sly Stallone scenes. Test your shooting skills. Your type of afternoon. It's all there at the Paint Ball and Shooting Range near Chalong. |
 Gokart does not need an explanation. A nice gokart track is between Patong and Kathu.
ATV - which means All Terrain Vehicles - are new now in Phuket, it is a great adventure to explore the nature on this strange looking vehicles. The program starts with a short training session to learn how to ride these vehicles plus basic safety rules. They're fun and easy to ride! All the instructors are professional riders and offer training in different languages.
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| Rally Motocross Bikes, Buggies and Quads on a custom built dirt track. Try some off-roading along jungle trails. Pleasure Zone, Chalong. |
| Join the loonies in their running and drinking club every Saturday at 2.30 pm in the Expat Hotel in Patong. |
| Jetskis had been outlawed in Thai waters but noone seems to be enforcing the law. Apart from being a noisy nuisance, they are dangerous to swimmers snorklers, scuba divers and marin life as well as being hazardous to yachts and boats. We therefore do not recommend the use of jetskis. |
 Dino Park, between Karon and Kata, is a great venue for families within a unique environment. The mini golf course is complete with realistic looking dinosaurs and a 'live' volcano spewing steam.
The mini golf course is 18 holes and features authentic scale replicas of prehistoric creatures, each hole blending with the theme and offering a different and exciting view of the prehistoric world.
Players will play beside a primeval swamp, in a lava cave, beside a moving and roaring Tyrannosaurus Rex, under a 12 meter waterfall and beneath an erupting vulcano - all with special lighting and sound effects.
The mini golf has a capacity of 60 pax on one round of about 40 minutes. Clients who don’t wish to play golf can still enjoy the excitement of Dino Park while taking photos for a lasting memory of their holiday.
There is also a bar and a restaurant serving the best dino burgers around.
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Diving Game fishing Riding Golfing Sailing Canoeing Elephant Trekking Rock Climbing Bicycle Tours Paintball Gokart Motocross Hash House Harriers Jetskis Mini Golf |
