Phuket Dive Sites
From the King Cruiser Wreck to Phi Phi. Most of the Phuket Dive Sites are not around the corner. There are a few places to ca go dive from the Beach in Kata and Ao San Beach. The rest of the dive sites are all a boat ride away from one hour up to 2,5 hours. Thankfully the dive centers that own the boats have made an agreement that they alter their trips on a day to day basis so that you do not have all the Phuket Dive Boats at the same dive sites on the same day.
High Season
High Season in Phuket is from December – April. This can mean many many divers on one boat. If you are looking for a little bit more quiet why dont you come over in October or November. Yes its “low” season. But like any where in the world, the weather is changing and yes you can have some rain and winds, but that doesnt necessarily mean that you cannot dive. You get wet any way.
The Phuket Dive Sites are prefect for technical Diving Training. We have a wreck, we have some deeper dive sites ( special requests for the dive boat captains) caves and 365 days a year of diving. The deepest we can find here, which is close to the dive sites for the recreational divers is around 65 meters. Perfect for your Trimix Course. And if you would like to do your Advanced Trimix Course we can take you to a fresh water lake, which goes down to 155 meters.
The MAIN DIVE SITES OF PHUKET
KING CRUISER |
WRECK DIVE | ||||||
| Distance from Phuket | 32 Kilometres | On the 4th of May 1997 the 85-meter passenger ferry ‘King Cruiser’ on a routine run to the Phi-Phi Islands made history by straying several miles off course and hitting the Anemone Reef. If the Phuket dive scene had been previously lacking in anything it was a decent ship-wreck for divers to explore. This unplanned addition to Anemone Reef has become one of the most popular dive-sites around Phuket. Not only is the wreck located near an already popular dive-site but it is positioned almost perfectly at a depth between 12 and 30 meters. With it’s multiple decks and spacious open areas the King Cruiser wreck is providing sheltered living quarters for large numbers of fish and crabs. Over time it will become an even better dive-site as it takes on a patina of age, and becomes encrusted with a variety of colorful corals. |
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| Boat Trip | 90 minutes. Approx. | ||||||
| Depth | 5-32 metres. (36-100 feet) | ||||||
| Surface Conditions | Can be rough | ||||||
| Experience Level | Advanced Divers – min 25 dives | ||||||
| Reef type | Lots of metal! | ||||||
| Visibility | Variable from 2 – 25 metres | ||||||
| Temp | low season 26 C – high season 29 C | ||||||
| Current | Variable, often strong | ||||||
| Coral | Not much yet | ||||||
| Fish | Heaps of schooling fish, Groupers, Crabs and Eels taking possession | ||||||
| Highlights | Unbelievable amounts of marine life within the wreck. Easy and safe to explore. | ||||||
| Courses | Advanced Wreck – training dives for any tech course, Sidemount, CCR, Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures | ||||||
KOH DOC MAI |
This small, jungle topped island is located on the way to Shark Point from Phuket and is considered one of the best wall dives in the area. Doc Mai is a huge limestone rock that rises steeply out of the sea. On three sides the sheer walls occupied with a different creature in every nook and cranny drop straight down to the sea floor. The west side is a gently sloping hard coral reef with an abundance of colorful sea life decorating its underwater cliffs. This dive is noted for its variety of reef fish and an opportunity to view some of the resident Moray Eels. The east-side of the island is a virtual garden of yellow tube corals and you can explore some of the small caves along the base of the wall. This is a fairly short dive as you can easily swim around the entire island, and it is included on many on day-trips to Shark Point and Amemone Reef. |
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| Distance from Phuket | 26 Kilometres | ||||||
| Boat Trip | 90 minutes. Approx. | ||||||
| Depth | 35 meters | ||||||
| Surface Conditions | Can be rough | ||||||
| Experience Level | From Open Water – min 30 dives | ||||||
| Reef type | Colorful sea life decorating its underwater cliffs | ||||||
| Visibility | Variable from 5 – 25 metres | ||||||
| Temp | low season 26 C – high season 29 C | ||||||
| Current | Variable, often strong | ||||||
| Coral | Beautiful soft colored corals | ||||||
| Fish | Quantities and varieties excellent | ||||||
| Highlights | Leopard sharks, several species of moray eels, great soft corals, sea horse | ||||||
| Courses | Advanced Wreck – training dives for any tech course, Sidemount, CCR, Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures | ||||||
PHI PHI |
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| Distance from Phuket | 40 Kilometres | The Phi Phi Islands are one of the most dramatically beautiful locations in the world. The scenery from the surface is absolutely stunning; colossal emerald green monoliths rising straight from the sea and soaring to heights of more than 500 meters. Underwater, these towers shape a rugged, interesting environment for scuba divers, and over time the elements have created caves, overhangs, and swim-throughs in the soft limestone rock. One of the most popular dive sites is located at the Southern tip of the small island of Ko Bida Nok. In a shallow bay on the Eastern side of the island are found huge gardens of stag horn and star corals and incredible numbers of colorful reef fish. In spite of diving visibility often being limited to 5-20 meters the Phi Phi Islands are likely to remain among the most popular diving locations Southeast Asia. | |||||
| Boat Trip | 2 hours Approx. | ||||||
| Depth | 30 meters | ||||||
| Experience Level | Certified divers – min 10 dives | ||||||
| Reef type | Coral gardens, limestone rock, walls | ||||||
| Visibility | Variable from 5-30 metres | ||||||
| Temp | low season 26 C – high season 29 C | ||||||
| Current | Variable, often strong, good drift diving | ||||||
| Coral | Lush colorful soft corals, healthy hard corals | ||||||
| Fish | Quantities and varieties excellent | ||||||
| Highlights | Grey Reef sharks, dramatic landscape above and below the water, caves, vertical walls, and many colorful soft corals. | ||||||
| Courses | Training dives for any tech course, Sidemount, CCR, Advanced Nitrox, Deco Procedures | ||||||
RACHA NOI |
Racha Noi is the more isolated of the two islands and is a popular dive-site for more experienced divers, as the depths are generally greater and the currents frequently stronger than at its sister island to the North. You will encounter huge underwater boulders that offer a good chance to see manta rays and whale sharks. The northern tip of the island offers an opportunity for a good multilevel dive along a large pinnacle where spotting larger marine life like Reef Sharks and Stingrays is common. Off the southern point is a nice drift dive along some spectacular scenery as you find yourself on top of a large rock formation surrounded by deep water. On the southwest side there is a wooden ship-wreck that draws a lot of interesting reef fish. Racha Noi offers many opportunities for an enjoyable and rewarding deep-dive. |
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| Distance from Phuket | 20 KM | ||||||
| Boat Trip | 1 hour 40 min. Approx. | ||||||
| Depth | 10-40 metres – We are dropped off at a max of 60 m for training | ||||||
| Experience Level | All levels certified divers. Good for DSD | ||||||
| Reef type | pinnacles hard rock soft and hard corals | ||||||
| Visibility | Good to excellent 20 metres or more | ||||||
| Current | Can be strong | ||||||
| Temp | low season 26 C – high season 29 C | ||||||
| Coral | hard and soft corals | ||||||
| Fish | Manta rays, Leopard sharks, Barracuda, many schools of smaller and bigger fish | ||||||
| Highlights | Different landscape and rock formations | ||||||
| Courses | Extended Range – Trimix 65, CCR | ||||||
RACHA YAI |
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| Distance from Phuket | 10 KM | Not everyone spells the Thai names of the islands the same way Racha is often spelled Rajah and Raya. The Phi-Phi Islands are also spelled Pee-Pee. When reading about local dive-sites It helps to learn a few Thai words Ao means beach, Ko (or Koh) means Island, Hin means Rock, Yai means large, and Noi means small. Racha Yai offers some of the best local year around dive-sites but the visibility varies as to the season. On the north end of the island are two beautiful little bays famous for their a deep clear water and colorful coral formations. Both of them have almost swimming pool features as they gradually drop to a depth of 40 feet onto a sandy seabed, providing ample opportunities for both snorkeling and scuba diving. The best diving is off the east coast where the current allows a gentle drift dive along a sloping rocky face. |
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| Boat Trip | 1 hour. Approx. | ||||||
| Depth | 3 – 30 metres – we are dropped off at a max of 40 m for training | ||||||
| Experience Level | Suitable for all levels and good for beginners | ||||||
| Reef type | Coral gardens, rocky points, boulders | ||||||
| Visibility | Good to excellent around 20-30 metres | ||||||
| Temp | low season 26 C – high season 29 C | ||||||
| Current | Variable, sometimes strong | ||||||
| Coral | Good varieties of hard corals | ||||||
| Fish | Manta rays, Leopard sharks, Barracuda, many schools of smaller and bigger fish | ||||||
| Highlights | Unusual fish life, easy accessibility, some fast drift dives at Racha depending on current. | ||||||
| Courses | Advanced Nitrox and Deco procedures | ||||||
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