Chalong
diving is mainly done outside the bay. The Chalong area
is home to many tour operators and with it's large bay with pier
it is the main departure point for diving trips from Phuket.
The pier is a perfect place to charter diving or snorkelling
trips to nearby islands. liveaboard boats also
depart from here to the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Richelieu Rock,
Phi Phi Islands and other distant destinations.
Always
dive according to your level of training. Check with your dive
center for safety, additional information and level required
for each dive site before entering the water.
Some
dive sites from Chalong Bay are:
Shark
point also known as Hin Musang, is part of a marine
park and is made up of a limestone pinnacle. This pinnacle is
covered in beautiful orange and yellow sea fans as well as lots
of soft corals. Lots of tropical fish and crustaceans
are seen here as well as the leopard shark
on the sandy bottom. The dives are often drift as the current
can be strong sometimes.
Koh
Dok Mai offers superb drift dives on a wall that goes
down to about 30 metres (98 feet). The unusual rock formations
above and below the water are totally covered with a big variety
of coral and the marine life is abundant.
The western side is a steep reef. White tip
and black tip reef sharks have reportedly been sighted here.
The eastern side of the island is great for wall dives and you
will have the chance to explore some caves and caverns.
Encounters with large moray eels, black-and-white banded sea
snakes and stonefish are likely and not to forget the occasional
sightings of leopard sharks. This area is known
to be rich in invertebrates.
The surface conditions could be rough at times and the visibility
generally ranges between 10 and 25 metres (33-82 feet)
Racha
Yai and Racha Noi are two sister islands that guarantee
some good diving throughout the year. Racha
Yai is topped by two beautiful bays that slowly drop to the
seabed.
There are a lot of nutrients in the clear calm waters and this
attracts plenty of tropical fish. The currents are gentle and
drift dives done on the eastern side. The wreck
of the Andaman Explorer lies off the northeastern tip.
Racha Noi a little to the south of her sister
island is a little deeper and the currents stronger.
Here you will find underwater boulders and
a good opportunity to sight spotted stingrays, reef
sharks and manta rays.
Coral
Island also known as Koh Hae, is characterised
by a garden of hard corals and a rocky sea bed. There are gardens
of brain, boulder and table corals growing sporadically. The
marine life here includes butterfly fish, wrasses, groupers
and parrot fish just to name a few.
The underwater currents can be strong.
King
Cruiser Wreck was an 85 metre (279 feet) long car ferry
that hit Anemone reef in 1997.
It now forms an artificial reef and is home to big schools
of barracuda and huge lionfish.
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