Whether you dive for fun or make a living exploring the ocean’s depths, Thailand is home to some of the most famous and breathtaking diving destinations in the world. These are some of the most well-known and stunning locations for scuba diving in Thailand.
Sail Rock, Koh Tao
Diving is a fantastic activity that can be enjoyed on Koh Tao Island. Although there are thousands of islands on the mainland, most tourists choose to visit this particular island because it offers the best opportunities for underwater exploration. The cheapest dive shops in the Samui archipelago may be found on the smallest of the three islands that make up the Samui archipelago. This attracts divers of all experience levels. Sail Rock, which is sometimes referred to as Hin Bai, is widely considered to be one of the most noteworthy of all of them. The actual location of the site may be reached by boat from the island in approximately an hour and a half, but the trip to get there is well worth the beautiful scenery along the way. When approaching the rock in the Gulf of Thailand, divers can literally see it rising from the water as it is almost eight meters above the surface. The deep dive site is located more than 40 meters below the water’s surface in many sections. The distance from the island ensures that the marine life found here is vast and diverse, and it does not appear to have been impacted by the large number of people that visit Koh Tao. The cave-like nature of the rock, which is also referred to as the chimney, is a significant challenge not just for novice divers but also for expert divers. Divers can enter the rock at a depth of approximately five meters and descend approximately eight meters from there.
Surin Islands
The Andaman Sea is home to a wide variety of marine species, including anything from whale sharks to manta rays. The visibility is crystal clear and almost see-through, much like a glass jar. It is possible that the fact that some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world can be found in this region, especially along the coastlines of the Surin Islands, may not come as a surprise to you. This group of islands is one of the most secluded and can be found approximately 60 kilometers west of the coast of Thailand. They are part of the Phang Nga province of Tha. Because it is so far away from the mainland, tourists are less likely to visit the location, which results in the location is remote and undisturbed by visitors. In addition to the various marine critters that can be found here, divers will also find the reef to be expansive and unspoiled looking, with a wide variety of corals dispersed throughout. This is largely attributable to the fact that the islands have been a part of a UNESCO development since 1981, during which time they have been designated as a National Marine Park. Richelieu Rock, known the world over as a premier diving destination, can be found right here. When diving, especially during the months of February and April, there is an extremely high probability that divers will see a whale shark.
Read More: These Are The Best Places To Scuba Dive In Thailand
HTMS Chang, Koh Chang
What is it about sunken ships and boats that fascinates scuba divers so much? Some divers look forward to exploring the man-made reef that lies ahead of them, which may often be more visually stunning than the natural reefs. Others take pleasure in the eerie atmosphere that is produced by a ship that has sunk to the ocean floor and is now inhabited solely by aquatic life where humans and their belongings once resided. Fortunately for scuba divers planning a trip to Thailand, the country’s waters off the coast contain a number of shipwrecks that are well worth investigating. One of these is the HTMS Chang, which lies just off the shore of Koh Chang. This vessel went down in Thailand on November 22, 2012, making it one of the more recent wrecks in the country. It is only about six kilometers (about four miles) from the shore of the island. It is estimated that the bottom of the ship is approximately 30 meters deep, while the length of the ship itself is approximately 100 meters.
The Island of Koh Ma Rookies
Those who are interested in scuba diving and have heard that Koh Ma, which is located in the waters off the coast of Koh Phangan, is an excellent place to get certified for the first time or to improve their diving abilities would be delighted to learn this. It is not far from the shore of Mae Haad Beach on Koh Phangan, but it is nevertheless home to a plentiful amount of marine life, including bright parrot fish and barracuda that have a frightening appearance. The island is only connected to Koh Phangan by a sandbar. Therefore traveling to it does not require any form of boat or ship of any kind. This makes it one of the most accessible islands in the area. Because there are just a few places to stay on the island, it is a serene escape from the bustling atmosphere of the island of Koh Phangan, in addition to being an excellent location for beginning divers.
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang
Koh Lanta Island is one of many islands in Phang Nga Bay that have not been developed to their full potential. It is without a doubt the island with the least amount of noise in comparison to some of its neighbours, who are known for their wild party scenes. The island is home to the Mu Koh Lanta National Park, which is responsible for safeguarding and maintaining the integrity of two of the most well-known dive sites in Thailand: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. If you go to Thailand and don’t dive at any of these spots, you’re missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience. These dive locations are often regarded as being among the very best in the world. Red is the predominant color of the soft corals that can be found in this area, which is appropriate given their names. In this region, you can frequently encounter whale sharks and manta rays in addition to the magnificent coral. The delicate purple coral that makes up Hin Muang, commonly known as Purple Rock, makes this neighboring rock formation just as remarkable as its neighbor. One side of the vertical wall reaches a depth of sixty meters, while the other side continues to go considerably deeper than that. It is the highest vertical wall in all of Thailand. The months of November through April are ideal for scuba diving in this location.
Similan Islands
The Similan Islands may be found approximately 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Phuket. The eleven uninhabited islands can be found inside the boundaries of Thailand’s Mu Koh Similan National Park, which is under the jurisdiction of the Thai government. The region was designated a protected area in 1982, and its purpose is to preserve a rich diversity of marine life, including both hard and soft coral, as well as the pristine water that surrounds the islands’ beaches. This is one of the reasons why these islands are home to some of the most impressive dive sites in Thailand, and some would argue that they are some of the most impressive dive sites anywhere in the world.
King Cruiser Wreck, Phuket
The island of Phuket may be known for luring hordes of budget travelers with the promise of a lively nightlife, but it is also home to a number of breathtaking diving spots for those interested in exploring the underwater world. The King Cruiser wreck is often ranked as one of the most popular dive sites. The automobile and passenger ferry has been taken over by an abundance of marine life, including coral that has grown in the bathrooms. The King Cruiser met its watery end on May 4, 1977, when it crashed into Anemone Reef while it was traveling between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. In contrast to many other wreck dives, which were intentionally sunk to create artificial reefs, the King Cruiser was doomed to a life in the water after the collision. More than 500 passengers were compelled to depart ship, however there were no fatalities as a result of this. Due to the fact that the shipwreck has been buried for close to forty years, it has become home to a diverse population of aquatic life, and the coral that has colonized it continues to provide eerie and spectacular air to both the inside and outside of the ship. The ship itself is around 85 meters long and 30 metres wide, and it is approximately 33 meters deep at the bottom of the ocean where it currently rests.
Shark Point, Phuket
Shark Point can be reached from Phuket by boat in around one hour and ninety minutes. This specific dive spot is home to multiple Leopard Sharks, in case the name didn’t give it away. There is no need to be concerned because these one-of-a-kind creatures are typically relatively submissive, and excursions typically operate daily with groups of divers who are prepared to investigate. In addition to Leopard Sharks, Shark Point is home to various other shark species, including Moray Eels, vivid soft corals, and beautiful tropical fish. The actual site is rather big, and it can take scuba divers a few days to tour the entire remarkable site from beginning to end. Since the depth spans from 10 to 30 meters, it is an excellent location for divers of all experience levels.
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