A mate of mine is thinking of coming over for a week's diving Easter next year - what's the diving like in late March / early April? Is there anywhere that's particularly good then - or failing that is there anywhere that should definitely be avoided?

Thanks in advance

I think March and April are a brilliant time of year for diving over here. The crowds are thinning out and the big animals come to visit us up at Richelieu and Koh Bon on the Andaman side.

Are Richelieu and Koh Bon in the Similans? My mates wife is a non diver so I'm not sure she'll give him a pass for a liveaboard - my wife is already telling me to dust off my dive gear and go join him (not much diving to be had in the mountains around Chiang Mai :-))

Usually the diving is good at both sides, The Gulf and The Andaman side.

Richelieu and Koh Bon are just North of the Similans.

With a non diving partner you would be better off on Koh Tao. Lots of dive sites close to Tao so it is only a morning or afternoon away from the missus.

Thanks for the suggestions folks - looks like Koh Tao unless he has a lot of unspent brownie points with the missus :-)