Ao Nang diving
counts numerous and diversified beautiful
dive spots owing to it's location in the Andaman Sea which is
known for having some of the best diving in the world.
The diversity of dives makes it good for both beginners and the
more advanced divers.
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.
The diving in Ao Nang is good all year with the temperatures averaging
27-31°c (81-88°F) but the best time
to dive in Ao Nang is from November to April when the
weather is hot and pleasant. From June to September the diving
will depend on the weather conditions. The sea is generally
calm with easy currents but from May to October the monsoon
winds blow and the surface swells. Although the sea stays calm
generally at this time the visibility may be reduced by 15-20%
but trips are almost never cancelled owing to weather conditions.
October brings heavy rains.
The marine life is varied and underwater you will see incredible
coral life, a huge variety of fish,leopard sharks and
morays. You may also meet mantas, turtles and
even the whale shark just to name a few.
The Ao Nang Islands also boast a large variety of colourful
nudibranches, sea snakes, seahorses, nurse sharks,
and with some luck you will see blacktip reefsharks
on sites that are accesible after a short boat ride. Ask your
dive center.
Dive centers on Ao nang Beach regularly visit the following sites:
Hin Daeng (Red Rock) is situated west of Phi Phi Islands
and is considered to be among the best dive sites of
Thailand.
Hin Musang which was declared a marine sanctuary in 1992
is composed of three large rock pinnacles.
There is abundant and diverse coral and fish life around these
rocks and lots of pink and purple soft corals and enormous barrel
sponges.
On this very popular site divers are likely to see resident leopard
sharks, from which the name Hin Musang is derived.
This is a great opportunity for photographers to
get snaps of the leopard sharks.
Phi Phi Islands, a very popular site south of Ao Nang consists
of two beautiful islands of Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don. Divers
of every experience will finds suitable dives. Drift
dives are possible.
Hin Muang also known as the Purple Rock is completely submerged
and is situated slightly north of Hin Daeng and has a very large
population of marine life.
The abundant purple soft corals that seem to glow makes this
site unique.
For wreck lovers, The King Cruiser wreck an 87
meter (285 feet) long ferry boat which sank on the 4th of May
1997, next to Anemonereef is a must.
Today the the wreck stands upright on the bottom
at 33 meters (108 feet) and is a big attraction for divers.
It's good to know also that all passengers survived when the
ship went down.
Only a few are sites are mentioned but there
are many more interesting sites to visit from Ao Nang.
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