The Best Diving Spots in Thailand
There’s just something about Thailand—with its vivid colors, fascinating culture, and world-famous street food scene—that wanderlust travelers and salty-souled adventure seekers can’t seem to resist. Best explored by boat, this exotic Southeast Asian destination is an island-hopping oasis blessed with a plethora of top-notch scuba diving sites.
We’ve provided a list of some of our favorite diving hot-spots below to get you in the mood for some fins-up underwater action during a fun-filled sailing vacation in Phuket, Thailand…
Anemone Reef
A haven for natural wonder and below sea level beauty, Anemone Reef is a stunning site adored by newbie and veteran divers alike. Named for the blanket of anemones that covers the area, the submerged pinnacle harbours a wide array of thriving marine life. One of the most unique and special things about Anemone Reef is being able to spot smaller creatures like clownfish and seahorses in their natural habitat.
Hin Daeng and Hin Mouang—Red Rock and Purple Rock
The sister sites of Hin Daeng and Hin Mouang are two of the most popular and well-known diving spots, where underwater explorers will encounter a mesmerizing color palette, a maze of caverns, and Thailand’s biggest vertical wall. Creature sightings are diverse and frequent throughout this natural feeding ground, where even whale sharks have been known to hang out from time to time. Due to the varying current strength, Hin Daeng and Hin Mouang are not recommended for inexperienced divers.
King Cruiser Wreck
Unlike many man-made diving wrecks, the King Cruiser site exists because a catamaran passenger ferry sank to the bottom of the ocean after crashing into the Anemone Reef circa 1977. The remains are now home to a vast assortment of marine life and beautifully-colored corals extending across the 85-metre long sunken vessel.
Richelieu Rock
Located within the less-traveled Surin Islands, Richelieu Rock is part of the UNESCO-protected Marine National Park. The underwater paradise is riddled with magnificent views and unspoiled reefs but without question, the most notable reason for putting Richelieu Rock at the top of your diving bucket list is the strong whale shark presence. In fact, this region is often referred to as “whale shark territory” by diving enthusiasts.
Shark Point
As the name suggests, this diving hot-spot hosts a healthy population of Leopard Sharks, who are known for being submissive in nature and safe to swim with. Shark Point is an especially large site that is ideal for beginners, experts, and everyone in between.
Photo Credit:
Roman Weber flickr.com/lantadiving
Joonas flickr.com
Subaqua Divecenter flickr.com/subaqua-divecenter
Lost in Translation flickr.com/lostintranslation
Author Name:
Kaitlyn Nakagoshi
Contributor
Ian Pedersen
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