Phuket Dive Sites

Phuket Dive Sites

Phuket is a popular base for diving the Andaman Sea or the Similan Islands. Many trips leave from Chalong pier in the south of Phuket for diving day trips to the local sites. This pier is also used by some of the liveaboard operators. The other main departure point is Patong Beach further north.

Racha Yai & Bungalow Bay

• Granite Island
• Gardens of Hard & Soft Coral
• Tropicals, Turtles, Stingrays, Moray Eels
• Moderate Currents
• 15 to 25 Meters Visibility
• All Levels of Diver, Good for Beginners

With its 10 dive sites Racha Yai offers some of the best year around diving in the Phuket area. On the west side of the island is beautiful Bungalow Bay famous for its clear waters and soft coral gardens.

The best diving at Racha Yai, however, is along the East Coast where good visibility and prevailing currents allow for a gentle drift dive along sloping rocky reefs that are abundant in hard coral forests. For more advanced divers, off the Ter Bay there is an interesting wreck dive in depths of 25-35 meters.

You'll find large schools of false barracudas hovering over the reef while on the reef itself expect to find octopus, cuttlefish and the more common tropicals.

Divers of all levels and experience can visit Racha Yai as the diving is easy and gentle.

Racha Noi

• Granite Islands
• Gardens of Hard & Soft Coral
• Sharks, Manta Rays, Other Pelagic's
• Moderate Currents
• 10 to 25 Meters Visibility
• Recommended for Experienced Divers Only


Further south than Racha Yai is a popular dive site for the more experienced divers where the depths are generally greater and the currents stronger than at its sister island. The underwater topography is also remarkably different as you will encounter huge granite boulders that offer good opportunities to see Manta Rays and Whale Sharks.

The northern tip of the island offers multilevel diving along a large pinnacle where you're likely to encounter Reef Sharks and Stingrays. Off the southern point is a nice drift dive along with some spectacular scenery as you find yourself on top of large rock formations surrounded by deep water.

On the southwest side there is a wooden ship-wreck at 27m that draws a lot of interesting reef fish. The diving here is definitely more challenging than Racha Yai but the rewards are much greater.

Shark Point

• Limestone Pinnacle
• Gardens of Hard & Soft Coral
• Tropicals, Clown fish, Leopard Sharks
• Moderate to Strong Currents
• 10 to 20 Meters Visibility
• All levels of diver

Shark Point (Hin Musang in Thai) is a marine sanctuary that derives its name from the Leopard Sharks that are encountered resting on the sandy bottom. The reef comprises three pinnacles, the largest breaking the surface and appearing as a barren rock outcropping.

Beneath the surface its a different story as this amazingly multicolored reef offers the diver vast schools of tropicals, colorful soft corals and vibrant sea fans that decorate the limestone pinnacles. Currents can be brisk at this site but they tend to run parallel to the reef sections and allow for an excellent drift dive back to the dive boat.

To protect Shark Points fragile ecosystem the Thai government declared this site a marine sanctuary in 1992 and as such have preserved it for one and all. All forms of commercial fishing, marine life collection or other forms of harmful activity (spear-fishing) are prohibited.

Koh Doc Mai

• Limestone Island
• Gardens of Hard & Soft Coral
• Tropicals, Moray Eels, Octopus, Sharks
• Moderate to Strong Currents
• 10 to 15 Meters Visibility
• All levels of diver

Koh Doc Mai is a limestone island that rises vertically from the seabed. Some say it looks like a muffin with the jungle clad top flowing out over the sheer cliffs.

Although the visibility at this site is generally not as good as others, this dive is noted for the variety of reef fish and as such you might be lucky enough to encounter Leopard Sharks, Moray Eels, Octopus and Turtles. The east-side of the island consists of a vibrant garden of yellow tube corals as well as two small caverns.

Koh Doc Mai is located on the way to Shark Point and offers an interesting alternative to the pinnacle dives as it is one of the best wall dives in the area.

The dive is usually included as the second dive on many of the day-trips to Shark Point and/or Anemone Reef.

King Cruiser Car Ferry Wreck

• Car Ferry Wreck - Artificial Reef
• Hard & Soft Coral
• Barracuda, Jacks, Tuna, Fusiliers
• Mild to Strong Currents
• 10 to 20 Meters Visibility
• Supervised Beginners up


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 kilometres off course and hitting the Anemone Reef.

With a huge hole ripped through her belly the ship went down in less than an hour and provided the Phuket Diving community, at long last, with her own artificial reef.

At 25 meters you'll find the engine room and car deck. Moving up to 18 meters you'll find the passenger section which has the heads, bar and lots of tables and chairs. The superstructure and decks have collapsed considerably now and penetration is not recommended for all but experienced wreck divers.

At 15 meters you'll find the captain's cabin and wheel house. The reef is teeming with life and its proximity to Shark Point and Anemone Reef has undoubtedly had a lot to do with it's rapid population growth. The Wreck is an extremely popular dive and considered one of the best in location.

Anemone Reef

• Limestone Pinnacle
• Garden of Hard & Soft Coral
• Tropicals, Clownfish, Lionfish
• Moderate to Strong Currents
• 10 to 20 Meters Visibility
• All levels of diver

This unique dive-site is a huge lime-stone pinnacle that soars 30 meters up from the ocean floor to sit 4 meters beneath the surface where it abruptly ends and drops back to a sandy bottom.

The barely submerged reef is a well-known shipping hazard (see King Cruiser Wreck) and is located less than a mile north of Shark Point. The Thai name for this site is Hin Jom which means underwater rock and although not as colorful as Shark Point, the site is famous for its vast fields of sea anemones that cling to every conceivable surface and swing and sway with the current.

The profusion of sea anemones and the nutrient-rich water are a magnet to a constant parade of reef fish seeking food and shelter. Enormous schools of tropicals, snappers, groupers and colorful clown fish, along with larger game-fish like tuna and barracuda as well as the occasional leopard shark can be seen here.