Krabi is also much prettier and calmer than her bigger neighbour and also has some great diving. A short ride in a Thai longtail boat delivers divers to local sites beneath stunning limestone islands. There are some interesting dives inside caves that bisect tiny islands beneath the water line. You can then surface inside - which is quite disconcerting as rays of light bounce up from beneath you.

A little further away, Phi Phi has shallow sheltered bays with a good array of fish life, soft corals and leopard sharks often lurk on the sand. Racha Yai has some tiny bays famous for deep clear water and colorful coral formations although outside on the coast, gentle drift dives bring in some bigger schools of fish.

Hin Daeng (Red Rock) is one of the more distant sites, but well worth the boat ride. The tip of an underwater pinnacle just breaks the surface, while the drop off goes down past 60 metres. The corals aren't great but large schools of barracudas, tuna or jacks aften appear

Hin Muang (Purple Rock) nearby is totally submerged and completely different. It's completely covered in purple soft corals and carpets of anemones. The cracks and crevices are havens for all sorts of unusual critters. This is the first place we ever saw an ornate ghost pipefish - even before we knew what one was!