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Phi Phi Liveaboard Diving

Our guests rated liveaboard diving in Phi Phi as 9.0

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Liveaboard Diving in Phi Phi

What to expect on a Koh Phi Phi Liveaboard

Liveaboards to Koh Phi Phi give divers a chance to explore this small archipelago consisting of six islands: Koh Phi Phi Don (the largest and only inhabited island), Koh Phi Phi Leh, Koh Bida Nok, Koh Bida Nai, Koh Phai, and Koh Young. Lying in the Mu Koh Phi Phi National Marine Park, east of Phuket and west of Krabi, the remarkable Phi Phi islands' remarkable landscape ranks amongst Thailand's top 5 dive destinations. Along with its beautiful beaches, made famous by the movie 'The Beach' (on Koh Phi Phi Leh), paradisiacal coves and bays, and stunning, colossal monoliths rising from the sea, the underwater world is just as dramatic, making for some great diving opportunities.

Liveaboards to the Phi Phi Islands operate from October to May, with optimal conditions from February to May. While there are numerous dive centers and resorts on Phi Phi Island, a dive liveaboard safari will bring you to the best dive sites ahead of the crowds to ensure the best marine life encounters. Our liveaboard trips combine diving in Phi Phi with Hin Daeng, Phuket, Koh Lanta, and Koh Haa for a true South Andaman Sea experience.

What you can see

The Phi Phi Islands are famous for plunging limestone walls blanketed with colorful soft corals, large orange-colored fans, black corals, and long stringy sea whips. In many places, the islands are fringed with shallow coral gardens, where hard and soft corals thrive. Over a dozen exceptional dive sites among the Phi Phi Islands include walls, coral gardens, caves, caverns, and swim-throughs. Glassfish, green turtles, hawksbill turtles, banded sea snakes, squid, angelfish, black-tip reef sharks, and leopard sharks are common visitors to the Phi Phi Islands. Some sightings of delightful small creatures such as pipefish, seahorses, and razorfish are also common.

The Phi Phi Islands offer a notable variety of dive sites focused in a small area. Amongst the best sites visited by Phi Phi liveaboards are Koh Bida Nok & Koh Bida Nai (towards the southern end of the chain), Shark Point, Anemone Reef, and the King Cruiser Wreck, are but a few.

The King Cruiser wreck, which sank in May 1997, about halfway from Phuket to Phi Phi, is a more advanced dive due to its resting point at 30 meters; it has created a fantastic artificial reef with many fish circling the area, including a growing population of lionfish and scorpionfish, barracuda, schools of snappers. The Wreck is an extremely popular dive and considered one of the best in location, and it will most likely be included on your Koh Phi Phi liveaboard itinerary.

Although visibility in the area is less clear than in other parts of Thailand, often limited to 5-20 meters, the Phi Phi Islands are one of Southeast Asia's most popular diving locations partly because of its stunning landscape above and below water.

Getting There

Liveaboard.com offers good itineraries covering Thailand's best west coast. The best way to get to Phi Phi is on a Thailand liveaboard trip from Phuket. Dive safaris typically depart from Chalong Pier in Phuket or Pak Bara Pier from Hat Yai airport, both of which can be reached by domestic flight from Bangkok.

Phi Phi Diving Reviews

  • Rating 9.0 out of 10
  • 9.0 Superb
  • Rating 9.6 out of 10
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Ann P
  • Flag of United StatesUnited States

Great place to dive with varied marine life

Diving Phi Phi in July on the Krishna 3
  • Rating 10.0 out of 10
  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • Brian H
  • Flag of United StatesUnited States

Towering dive site from the boat: rock goes straight up, to the water: rock goes straight down. Decent current here, but crew accomodated by drift diving down the length of the wall...picking us up at the other end. A couple of caves here with no current inside. Lots of coral and fishes all along this massive wall.

Diving Phi Phi in September on the Seatopia
  • Rating 9.6 out of 10
  • 9.6 Exceptional
  • Jeffrey L
  • Flag of United StatesUnited States

OK, but poor visibility and no real spectacular coral.

Diving Phi Phi in December on the The Phinisi
  • Rating 10.0 out of 10
  • 10.0 Exceptional
  • John P
  • Flag of United StatesUnited States

Great Wall dives, bright corals and morays

Diving Phi Phi in July on the The Junk

What to know about diving in Phi Phi

Where is Phi Phi Island?

Phi Phi is actually two islands, Phi Phi Don and the smaller Phi Phi Leh (home to Maya Bay), sitting in the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Krabi, roughly 28 miles (45 km) from Phuket.

How do you get to Phi Phi Island?

Most visitors take a speedboat or ferry from Phuket, Krabi, or Koh Lanta, with speedboats covering the crossing in about 1–1.5 hours. There's no airport on Phi Phi, so every route starts and ends by boat.

How far is Phi Phi Island from Phuket?

Phi Phi sits about 28 miles (45 km) southeast of Phuket, a crossing that takes roughly 1 to 1.5 hours by speedboat depending on sea conditions.

Where should you stay on Phi Phi Island?

Most accommodation clusters around Tonsai Bay on Phi Phi Don, the island's main village and pier; travelers wanting more quiet tend to base themselves at Laem Tong or Loh Bagao on the same island's northern coast instead.

How far is Phi Phi Island from Bangkok?

Phi Phi is about 425 miles (685 km) south of Bangkok as the crow flies; most travelers fly roughly 1.5 hours to Phuket or Krabi first, then continue by boat rather than attempting an overland route.

What is there to do on Phi Phi Island?

Beyond boat trips to Maya Bay and the surrounding limestone karsts, Phi Phi offers snorkeling and diving at nearby sites like Bida Nok and Bida Nai, viewpoint hikes above Tonsai Bay, and a lively strip of restaurants and bars in the village.

Is Phi Phi Island part of Phuket?

No — Phi Phi is a separate island group belonging to Krabi province, reached from Phuket by boat rather than by road, even though many trips are sold as day tours from Phuket.

How do you get to Phi Phi Island from Bangkok?

The usual route is a roughly 1.5-hour flight from Bangkok to Phuket or Krabi, followed by a 1 to 1.5-hour speedboat transfer to Phi Phi — there's no direct flight or overland option to the island itself.

Is Maya Bay open in 2026?

Yes, but with limits — Maya Bay reopened in 2022 after a four-year rehabilitation closure and now caps entry at around 300 visitors at a time in timed one-hour slots. As of 2026 it also closes completely for roughly two months each year (typically August–September) for continued reef recovery, so it's worth checking the calendar before planning a visit.

Can you dive or snorkel in Maya Bay?

Swimming and snorkeling are permitted within the timed visitor slots, but scuba diving isn't the main draw of the bay itself — most liveaboard and day-trip divers head instead to nearby reef sites like Bida Nok, Bida Nai, and the King Cruiser Wreck for actual diving.

What dive sites are near Phi Phi Island?

Bida Nok and Bida Nai offer coral walls and leopard shark sightings, while the King Cruiser Wreck and Shark Point lie in the channel toward Phuket — all within an hour or two of Phi Phi's main pier.

Can you see leopard sharks near Phi Phi Island?

Yes — Bida Nok and Bida Nai, just south of Phi Phi Leh, are two of the more reliable spots in the area for resting leopard sharks on sandy patches at around 40–60 ft (12–18 m).

Is Phi Phi Island included on Similan liveaboard itineraries?

Not usually — Similan and Surin liveaboards depart from Khao Lak or Phuket and run north, while Phi Phi sits south of Phuket and is typically covered by day boats or its own separate liveaboard routes toward Hin Daeng and Hin Muang.

What's the best way to combine diving with a Phi Phi Island visit?

Many divers base themselves in Phuket, spend a day or two on Phi Phi for the scenery and Maya Bay, then dive nearby sites like Bida Nok or the King Cruiser Wreck as a separate day trip, or continue south to combine it with a Hin Daeng and Hin Muang excursion from Koh Lanta.

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