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Phuket Dive Sites
More detailed information on the Phuket diving sites:
Crystal Clear Thailand Recommendations: Koh Doc Mai and Shark Point.
Other sites that are dived on local day trips from Phuket
Koh Ha
The highlight of diving here is a series of caves, or caverns on the largest of the islands, Koh Ha Yai. The emerald light filtering through the cave entrance at sunrise is quite magical. The caves are safe to enter, even without a light, as the entrances to the first caves are large. You can surface inside the caves and see stalactites hanging down from the ceiling above.
If you enjoy swim-throughs then try the one on the wall slightly to the right of the main (right-hand) entrance. Dive through the tiny entrance, then vertically downwards. Make a sharp left, and squeeze out the exit point. Hey presto, you're back in the main cave chamber!
Please beware that cave diving requires special training beyond the scope of recreational diving. Penetration into the passageway at the rear of the main chamber is dangerous and is not recommended.
Koh Ha is often visited by diving Thailand liveaboards on safaris to Hin Daeng.
Koh Ha Reef Basics: Great for: Advanced divers Not so Great for: Wrecks, drift dives, beginner divers, snorkelling, non-diving activities Depth: 10 - 35m Visibility: 15 - 30m Currents: Calm Surface Conditions: Can be choppy Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Intermediate Number of dive sites: 2 Diving Season: November to April Distance: ~80 km southeast of Phuket (4 hours), 35 km southeast of Phi Phi (1 hour) Access: Liveaboard diving Thailand, and day trips from Phi Phi Islands Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Shark Point
Hin Musang derives its name from the leopard sharks that are resident there, making it one of the more popular spots for in scuba diving in Phuket. These docile creatures grow to approximately 2½ metres, are nocturnal, and sleep on the sandy bottom at the edge of the reef during the day. Shark Point's your best chance to get up close and personal, and maybe take a photo or 2 of these sharks.
Bamboo sharks can also be found hiding under coral ledges but there's a lot more to see here than just sharks. Lionfish and scorpionfish are all over the reef, the latter being incredibly well camouflaged against the coral. There are many different types of pufferfish including the cute little yellow boxfish. Moorish idols and the very similar looking bannerfish can be seen on every dive. Blue-ringed angelfish and emperor angelfish are also common.
As Shark Point is made up of more than 1 pinnacle there is always somewhere on the reef to shelter from any currents, so you can dive here any time of the month.
Shark Point Reef Basics: Pinnacles with soft and hard corals Depth: 5 - 22m Visibility: 5 - 20m Currents: Moderate Surface Conditions: Can be rough Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Intermediate Number of dive sites: 3 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~25 km east of Phuket. 20 km west of Phi Phi (2 hours), 40 km southwest of Krabi (3 hours) Access: Phuket, Phi Phi Island or Krabi day tours
Racha Noi
However, on the east coast lies Banana Bay, one of the best spots for learning to dive in Phuket. A perfect small white sand beach, lends the shallow waters here a cool aquamarine light, and when the sun is shining, the scene is pure paradise. The visibility here normally exceeds 20 metres, and the protected waters host many small bommies and staghorn reefs to leisurely explore.
With numerous off-shore pinnacles and many other diving sites to discover, Racha Noi is an eciting Phuket diving destination for both day-trippers and liveaboard charters.
Racha Noi Reef Basics: Fringing coral island with drop-offs Depth: 5 - 40m Visibility: 15 - 40m Currents: Can be strong Surface Conditions: Calm, but can be rough at North and South Point Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: South Point - Advanced divers only, all other sites - intermediate Number of dive sites: 8 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~32 km south of Phuket Access: Phuket liveaboard cruises and day trips
King Cruiser Wreck
The King Cruiser wreck is 85 metres long by 25 metres wide, and has 4 decks with large passages and window holes. The wreck is resting in an upright position on 32 metres, with the captain's cabin the shallowest area at 12 metres. This depth, together with the frequent strong currents and low season rough seas, makes the diving here unsuitable for beginners.
The King Cruiser was a steel boat and the large cargo hold used to be considered safe for penetration. However, in August 2003 the floor of the stern top deck collapsed through onto the main deck and more recently both the midsection and the bow areas have deteriorated significantly, so penetration is no longer safe. As you dive around the wreck you will be aware of the constant sound of creaking joints, lending a sense of impending doom. Let's hope the wreck will survive and remain a source of enjoyment when scuba diving in Phuket for some years to come yet.
There are huge schools of fish all over the wreck. In fact it's as if the more broken up the wreck becomes, the more fish it attracts. It seems odd that with beautiful homes like Anemone Reef and Shark Point so close by, these fish choose to take sanctuary in a rusting lump of metal, but they do and you'll find the biggest schools of trevally, mackerel and yellowtail barracuda here along with rabbitfish, surgeonfish, fusiliers and other schooling fish.
Kingcruiser Wreck Reef Basics: Sunken car ferry wreck Depth: 12 - 32m Visibility: 5 - 20m Currents: Can be strong Surface Conditions: Can be rough Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Intermediate Number of dive sites: 2 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~27 km east of Phuket 18 km west of Phi Phi , 40 km southwest of Krabi Access: Phi Phi Islands, Krabi and Phuket scuba diving day tours
Anemone Reef Dive Site
A dive at Anemone Reef usually starts with a descent to the bottom of the pinnacle. You can then slowly circle your way up the reef until you reach your safety stop level at the end of your dive. Sometimes the currents make it difficult to circumnavigate the reef in which case your guide will lead you on a zigzag route up one side of the pinnacle to avoid heavy finning against the current. Which ever way Anemone Reef is dived, it's a spectacular diving spot.
Large schools of fish are everywhere on Anemone Reef, including various families of snapper, grouper and fusiliers. Splendid soldierfish congregate together in the many cracks and crevices which are also a haven for smaller critters such as the yellow tiger-tail seahorses. These guys are normally found around the lower reaches of the pinnacle and you need a good eye or a skilled dive guide to spot them.
You will see plenty of giant morays, undulated morays and white-eyed moray eels too, and with a little searching you should also be able to spot honeycomb, yellow-edged and spot-faced moray eels.
At the end of the dive pay close attention in and around the anemones. You can find tomato, skunk, pink and Clark's anemonefish, to name but a few. And yes, the now famous western clownfish is everywhere, so you will find Nemo! Anemonefish are not the anemone's only residents though. Porcelain crabs can be seen on the outer edges of carpet anemones, shrimps hide in the middle of the anemones and damselfish such as the 3 spot dascyllus are ever present. The top of the rock at 6 metres is an ideal spot to finish off that roll of film; in fact many photographers choose to spend their whole dive here as the shallow depth provides great lighting conditions.
As Anemone Reef lies very close to Phuket Shark Point Marine Sanctuary, you are just as likely to see leopard sharks here as you are there, and there's also a pair of hawksbill turtles that make frequent appearances. They seem to share their time between Anemone Reef and the King Cruiser Wreck. Conditions can be adverse, especially in rainy season during the months from May to October, which makes diving Phuket at this site suitable for intermediate level divers only.
Anemone Reef Basics: anemone-covered pinnacle Depth: 6 - 25m Visibility: 5 - 20m Currents: Moderate Surface Conditions: Can be rough Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Intermediate Number of dive sites: 1 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~26 km east of Phuket . 19 km west of Phi Phi , 40 km southwest of Krabi Access: Liveaboards and day tours from Phuket, Phi Phi Islands or Krabi
Siam Bay Statues
In 2006 the Thai government commissioned the design of some underwater statues in order to create an artificial reef to attract back the Phuket diving tourists, after the tsunami of December 2004.
The various structures that make up the artificial reef sit on a sandy bottom, a short swim from the coral reef edge. There is also a mooring line for easy descents directly onto the statues. The deepest point is 22 metres with an average depth on the bottom of around 18 metres, making this a popular option on PADI Open Water Diver Course dives 3 and 4. The water is generally clear so some rather unusual photo opportunities are possible.
20-25 minutes is normally enough diving time for these novelties, before heading over to the reef to check out the local Phuket fishy residents. Set your compass on a 120 degree bearing and in 4-5 minutes you'll hit the reef edge (or just follow your dive guide). As you swim over the sand look out for blue-spotted stingrays that bury themselves from view, their eyes and the tips of their tail are the giveaway to their presence. Also look for garden eels poking their bodies from their holes and swaying in the current. With patience and sharp eyesight you can find bent-stick pipefish as well as a very big, and very ugly, reef stonefish on the sand at the edge of the reef.
The reef itself is acropora hard coral of the staghorn and table variety. Reef inhabitants include trumpet fish, lion fish, scorpionfish, titan trigger fish, puffer fish and many other of the colourful reef fish species that you find elsewhere around Racha Yai Island and the other Phuket dive sites. There is a big school of fusiliers and another big school of yellow tail barracuda. Butterfly fish and angel fish are also common.
Siam Bay Statues Reef Basics: Artificial reef Depth: 16 - 22m Visibility: 10 - 20m Currents: Gentle Surface Conditions: Calm Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Beginner Number of dive sites: 1 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~22 km south of Phuket Access: Dive Phuket day tours and liveaboards
Racha Yai
Local residents in the coral gardens and staghorn reef include titan triggerfish, moray eels, cuttlefish, octopus and giant pufferfish. Titan triggerfish are quite mean looking fish, with their beady, swivelling eyes. In nesting season their moods change to match their looks. The male stands guard of its nest on the sand, and woe-be-tide you if you cross into its territory - the zone in a full circle directly above the nest. The titan triggerfish will charge at you continuously until you swim out of its territory once again. Thankfully, the fish seems more attracted to colourful fins rather than divers themselves, which reduces your risk of any personal injury when you're diving Phuket.
A few years ago one of the first liveaboard dive boats was sunk at Racha Yai on Homerun Reef. It's now home to some batfish and a huge sting ray. Often, large schools of yellowtail barracuda slowly glide by. One of the most popular destinations for Phuket scuba diving day trips.
Racha Yai Reef Basics: Fringing coral island with drop-offs Depth: 5 - 25m Visibility: 12 - 30m Currents: Easy Surface Conditions: Calm Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Beginner Number of dive sites: 8 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~22 km south of Phuket Access: Phuket dive day tours and liveaboards
Koh Dok Mai Dive Site
Koh Dok Mai is a small limestone islet rising vertically out of the sea. The site is mainly a wall dive down to 30 metres, with a hard coral staghorn reef sloping to the west. On the east side of the island are a series of caverns and caves which are great for practising penetration techniques, and maybe search and recovery!
Koh Dok Mai is a favourite dive site for Phuket's diving pros because of the diversity of small stuff on the wall and it's famed for the resident yellow tiger-tail seahorses. Try spotting them hidden amongst the lacy gorgonian sea fans. They are in there somewhere ... honest! Whilst your dive guide is looking for them for you, he'll also be looking for ornate ghost pipefish and harlequin ghostpipefish. There's also a huge variety of invertebrates here, such as lobster, crabs, zigzag clams, pencil urchins, oysters, squid, and white-eyed moray eels. This is one of the top macro sites for scuba diving Phuket so if you're a photographer a macro lens is the best option here.
Bigger fish such as leopard sharks and grey reef sharks are occasionally seen here and Indonesian bamboo sharks are becoming a more common sight beneath coral heads following a recent breeding program by the Phuket Marine Biological Research Centre. Octopuses are also common on the walls and if you look up you can normally see crocodile long-toms swimming close to the surface.
Depth: 5 - 30m Visibility: 5 - 20m Currents: Usually strong Surface Conditions: Calm Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C Experience Level: Intermediate Number of dive sites: 2 Diving Season: All year round Distance: ~15 km east of Phuket Access: Diving day tours from Phuket Thailand
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Koh Ha is a small group of Five Islands 25 km west of Koh Lanta, separated by channels over 50m deep. The water here is ordinarily quite clear and visibility frequently exceeds 20 metres.
Hin Musang was given official marine sanctuary status in 1992. It's made up of 3 large rock pinnacles, the largest of which breaks the surface. These rocks abound with life. The sheer density and diversity of coral and fish life makes diving here a wonderful, sensual experience. Phuket Shark Point's most colourful
feature is the profusion of the purple and pink soft corals that cling to the rocks, and its huge barrel sponges.
This beautiful uninhabited island is surrounded by hard coral reef, with huge granite boulders descending to depth at the north and south points. With Similan-like formations, the best visibility of all local sites, and the greatest chance of seeing manta rays and whales, this Phuket scuba diving site is probably the best outside the Similan Islands and Hin Daeng, and is Dive The World Thailand's local favourite.
The King Cruiser was originally a car and passenger ferry in Kobe, Japan before being purchased by a Thai company to be used as a passenger ferry between Phi Phi Islands and Phuket. In May 1997 the ferry struck Anemone Reef and sank nearby. There were over 500 people on board when she went down but no lives were lost and now the wreck remains as an underwater attraction in the Phuket dive industry.
Hin Jom, meaning submerged rock, derives its English name from the profusion of lime green and sky blue magnificent anemone's that cover this pinnacle. Anemonefish and clownfish use the anemone's for protection and provide this Phuket dive site with all the colours you could wish for.
One of Phuket's newest dive sites is at the north end of Siam Bay, Racha Yai Island, and it may be the only place in the world where you can dive with elephants. Racha Yai is not normally known as a destination for diving with 'the big stuff' but here you certainly can.
There are 2 large elephant statues and a big oyster shell. There is a big temple gate guarded by a mythical giant sentry, known in Thai as Yak, who is believed to protect the gate from evil spirits. There is also a Thai sala (pavilion). Each statue is separated by about 6-7 metres of sand so swimming from one to the other is easy.
This beautiful palm covered island is dotted with small sandy beaches, and surrounded by fringing hard coral reef. Racha Yai is a granite island which means the water is always clear and the many shallow protected bays all around the island make it an ideal trip at any time of the year. Racha Yai is the perfect place to learn scuba diving in Phuket, for snorkellers, and for divers who haven't been in the water for a while.
The name means Flower Island in Thai and this diving site must be named for its underwater beauty because above the water there are no flowers, only a few trees and bushes. As soon as you descend however, the colourful flower-like coral covering the wall makes the name understandable.
Koh Dok Mai Reef Basics: Small islet and wall diving