Far Islands

As the far islands are uninhabited and a little further from Bangkok the visibility tends to be marginally better than at the Near Islands. All of the Far Islands have large amounts of Jacks, Trevellys, Barracuda, Rabbitfish, Angelfish, Butterflyfish, Wrasse, Gobi's and as with the near islands thousands of Damselfish, as well as some Giant Reef Rays, some up to 2 metres across. A variety of sharks can also be found in these sites.

Koh Rin:
Koh Rin has three main dive areas each of which can easily support more than one dive. Hin Ton Mai also known as South Rock is a very popular dive spot as the fish life is very varied with lots of Moray Eels and Barracuda. There are plenty of both hard and soft corals, coral whips as well as very good invertebrate life such as nudibranchs, brittle stars and feather stars. This site has very good coral life down to 16 metres. Hin Khao also known as North Rock has as much coral life as South Rock and has lots of rock outcroppings that are homes to many sharks and eels. This is an excellent site for searching around for the more unusual nudibranchs, pipefish, razorfish and others that like to hide away. The site has good diving down to around 14 metres. Koh Rin bay. This site is, unlike the two rocks previously mentioned, part of the main island of Koh Rin. Although this site only goes down to a maximum depth of 12 metres it is well protected from currents and is therefore a nice relaxing dive when compared to both South and North Rock.

Koh Man Wichai:
Koh Man Wichai has two excellent dive areas, the first of which 'The Wall' cannot be completed in one dive. The Wall is a 7 metre high coral wall that runs down from 9 to 23 metres and is a dive in itself. The area around the wall itself is an excellent dive site, you can start your dive from the bay and go out along the soft coral line at 18 metres, finish half of your allotted time and come back to the boat along the hard coral line at 12 metres, two environments in one dive !! As each environment is different with the larger fish among the soft corals this is for me the best dive to be had around Pattaya islands. The other dive site at Koh Man Wichai is called 'The Fingers', the fingers are a set a rocks stretching from land out to sea to a depth of 12 metres, the hard coral and fish life is very good and as there are five fingers ( but no thumb !!) its is like diving across a large hand.

Koh Hu Chang:
Koh Hu Chang is a very small island that although quite shallow at around 10 metres has some very good corals and abundant small fish life. Koh Hu Chang probably has more sea anemones than either Koh Rin or Koh Man Wichai and as it is well protected from the wind is a good relaxing dive spot.

Koh Klung Bedan:

Koh Klung Bedan is another small dive site that is also quite shallow, maximum coral depth being 12 metres. This dive site has many Staghorn and Table corals as well as Boulder corals that have many Christmas Tree worms.
 

Koh Phai:

Koh Phai or Bamboo Island is controlled by the Royal Thai Navy, who restricts the use of the beaches, but the small sheltered bay at the south of the island is ideal for beginners.
 

Near Islands

Koh Krok:

The Western face and the Southern point of the island are where the corals are. The corals start on the sand at 15m and extend right up to near the surface. An excellent site for a drift dive as the prevailing currents run parallel to the island. Large "bommies" are a feature of this site; Staghorn, brain,Mushroom and table corals are in abundance. Neptunes,  Barrel  and blue sponge are amongst the soft corals found here. Bushy Antipatharian corals can be found at the deeper sections.

The southern point is home to a few turtles and Pufferfish, Parrotfish, "Half and Half" Wrasse and Six banded Wrasses are plentiful . One section of the West face has an area covered with giant sea anemones along with the usual Anemone and Clownfish. Schools of small Barracuda, Jacks and Tangs can be seen at the North point. There are a few small caves at the southwest end allowing entry only at high tide.

The area is great for snorkeling, in particular the southern point. Another benefit for divers and snorkellers, is that there is little or no surface traffic of speedboats and jetski's.

This small island, although ignored by many of the locals, is well worth a visit .

Koh Larn:

The left of the bay there is a breakwater of large boulders. Along the seaward side of this breakwater the area is good for snorkeling and diving, although the diving is very shallow. As you continue South West towards the head, the corals get progressively deeper, extending down to about 15 meters. At this point you round the head and come upon an area of short gullies with rock walls about 3m high. A really good site to dive when the current is slack, although once you round the head you find yourself in the lee and out of the current. The sandy bottom offsets the walls and the corals very well. The marine life is plentiful and good and the area is home to a few Turtles and numerous Grey Nurse Sharks. The marine life in the area is varied and includes the Six Bar Wrasse, Half 'n half Wrasse, Parrotfish, schools of small Barracuda, Long Toms and Halfbeaks.

Still with the same area, set off to the North East from the bay towards the cliff face on the island. The diver will find an area with flat sandy bottom and many large coral heads and groupings, This is an interesting area to explore and great fun can be had swimming around the heads in search of the marine life. Here you will find numerous Giant Sea Anemones with their inhabitants as well as a variety of Elephant Ear Anemones and the Black and White Clown Fish. Many divers may have seen these clown fish and observed their habit of disappearing into the mouth of the anemone as the divers approach. These fish make very good photographic subjects.

This whole area can be dived throughout the year although the best time is from October to February when the winds blow from the North. The rest of the year the area can be dived although it can get a bit rough on the boat with the South winds. Dont let this put you off !

A point to note around these islands is the large number of fishing boats that operate with their nets very close to the reefs. It is a pity that the authorities cannot control the practice of netting so close to these islands as they are visited daily by thousands of visitors hoping to view the excellent corals and the myriad of fish.

Koh Sac:

Koh Sac is a small almost kidney shaped island lying just to the North of Koh Larn. It is very popular with the large numbers of Asian tourists that come to Pattaya, and the waters can be very busy particularly in the mornings. From midday onwards the tourists tend to depart, leaving the divers and snorkelers to enjoy the beautiful bay and plentiful corals. This bay is well protected from the prevailing winds for most of the year and the water is calm and clear.

There are numerous dive sites around the island, most being in the 3 - 15 meters range although on the eastern side some deeper corals are to be found at around 26 meters. The North East corner starts off with clean white sand progressing to the usual range of hard corals as you approach the island. Here the corals are at depths from 1-6m and as you round the corner they progress deeper, extending to 18 meters. This corner is home to a few Hawksbill and Leatherback Turtles as well as numerous Grey Nurse Sharks. The sharks are however hard to find as they tend to be very shy and divers need to search them out, usually under the coral heads.

As you round the corner and the depth increases the area abounds with whip corals, barrel sponges some soft corals and gorgonian fans. The area is subject to fairly strong currents if dived at the wrong time of the day, so check out the tide tables and plan your dive accordingly. Once round this corner, the corals continue right round the Southern shore of the island.

An interesting dive site as you approach Koh Sac from Pattaya is to be found directly off the small cliff face about 100m out at a depth of 26 m. This site consists of predominantly soft corals and hydroids on a flat sandy bottom and is home to numerous colonies of sea horses, pipe fish and dragon fish. Unfortunately the diver must catch this dive at the right time of day when all the soft corals are open, to really enjoy the myriad of beautiful pastel and fluorescent colours present.

The North East point of Koh Sac, has two unusual and rare species that have been found here after an absence of many years. They are Europegasus Draconis and E. Volitans. In the sandy bay of Koh Sac as you head out in a North West direction away from the island there are no corals to mention. The area is home to some very unusual species, including the above mentioned two, as well as Sea horses, Pipe fish, short spined Urchins, Sand dollar Urchins, Star fish Tube and Banded Tube Anemones. Flat fish, Spider crabs, juvenile Octopus and the Periclimes shrimp.

Despite this interesting array of marine life on the sand, they are not plentiful, and divers need to set out knowing that they will have to really look carefully for them. The pleasure derived at finding them is well worth the effort of searching over metres of sand.

At the West part of the bay there are large areas of shallow corals (2 - 4 meters) with abundant marine life that are suitable for the snorkeler and diver alike, although the snorkelers must beware of the large amount of surface traffic, jet skis, banana boats and speed boats. The best time to be here is from midday onwards, when the hordes of tourist leave the island to return to Pattaya. It is a great pity that we do not have any regulations that are enforced to protect these corals and the visitors viewing them.

Moving on to the North West corner of Koh Sac, leading off from the corals in the bay, the corals extend deeper down to about 15 meters as the divers round the corner. The corals here are in excellent condition, and the area is categorised by huge Boulder Bommies, as well as Tiered Staghorn , Plate, Encrusting, Brain and Mushroom corals. The marine life is plentiful and includes various Damsels, Banana fish, Copper Banded Butterflies, Bantayan Butterflies, Wrasses of all types, Puffers, Squirrels Jacks and Fusiliers. There are also a few Turtles. Grey Nurse Sharks, small Morays and Blue Spotted Stingrays to be found.

This is an excellent site for divers (novice and experienced) and snorkelers alike.