Nha Trang, Vietnam

Rating: 4 out of 10
Conditions: Currents run mild to strong and can rapidly change direction
Cert Level: Open Water
Vis: 2-5m
Max Depth: 17m - 56ft
Location Map


Nha Trang is Vietnams number one beach resort town and is also Vietnams top dive location.
In saying that compared with other dive locations in Asia this is really the worst I have seen so far.
The visibility is extremely low and in the early months of the year the sea temperature can drop as low as 19 degrees.
The fish life is almost non existent and for some reason the fish you do happen to see just hide under rocks when they see you ..
On the up side, diving here is really low cost, the people are great and there are also some great swimthroughs.
If you happen to be in Vietnam and just want to do dive it will satisfy you, however if you are planning a dive trip in Asia this should really not be on your list.

Nha Trang video

Richelieu Rock

Rating: 10 out of 10
Conditions: Due to it's location in open unprotected sea the currents here normally run very strong
Vis: 5-30m
Average Depth: 19m
Max Depth: 45m - 148ft
Location Map

From Dive Sites of Thailand

Situated around 1 hour to the east of the Surin national marine park Richelieu rock is listed as one of the top dive sites in the world and also one of the top places to see whale sharks.
The best time to see the whale sharks is in the early months of the year which is why none feature in the attached video which was taken in November.
Even without spotting a manta ray or whale shark this site still has everything to offer.
You will see both soft and hard corals as well as an untold amount of fish life ranging from cleaner fish to pelagics.
The topology is made up of one large outcrop which is surrounded by a number of smaller pinnacles.
The pinnacles are made up of ledges and shevles at various depths that are all teaming with all kinds of other kinds of marine life such as sea horses,ghost pipe fish, shrimps, eels, crabs and nudibranchs.
This is definitely one place everyone should dive before they die!
 

Richelieu Rock video

The Boonsung Wreck, Khao Lak, Thailand

Rating: 6 out of 10
Conditions: Moderate currents with rough surface conditions at times
Vis: 2-15m
Average Depth: 12m
Max Depth: 19m - 62ft
Location Map

From Dive Sites of Thailand

The Boonsung was a 60 meter marine tin ore processing vessel that came to rest in 20 meters of water near to Khoa Lak in 1984.
Khoa Lak is located approximately 90km to the north of Phuket and the Boonsung wreck is situated very close to the shore line here
Due to it's close proximity to the shore there is a lot of silt in the water which makes the visibility moderate to low. 
The highlight of this site has to be the honey comb / leopard eels which ever you prefer to call them.
They are hanging around all over the wreck and as far as eels go these are really stunning.
There are also loads of nudibranchs all over the wreck with some impressive fish life in and around the wreck.
Be careful on the wreck itself as there are scorpion and stone fish all over it and they are masters or disguise as you can see at the end of the video.
Penetration of the wreck is not possible due to the age of the wreck and also from how badly it was broken up when it was struck by the 2004 tsunami.
The Boonsung wreck can be dived either from livaboard or day trips from Phuket or Khoa Lak.
A good dive site overall just a pity about the visibility, I guess sometimes you just can't have it all ..

Boonsung wreck video

Elephant Head “Hin Pusa”, Similan Islands

Rating: 8 out of 10
Conditions: Strong currents are frequently running from south to north and strong surge is common.
Vis: 15-30m
Average Depth: 24m
Max Depth: 70m
Location Map

From Dive Sites of Thailand

Elephant head is located off the south tip of island 8 in the Similans.

It is a rocky outcrop that when approached from the west side resembles a partially submerged elephant, hence the name elephant head.

This is a stunning dive site and arguably the best in the Similan chain.

The site is largely made up of huge boulders stacked on top of each other that form caverns, swimthroughs, gullies and tunnels that are teaming with marine life as well as both soft and hard corals.

The eastern face is however the best place for seeing soft corals as this side is less exposed to currents.

If you are planning a trip to the Similans this should be on top of your list of dive sites!

Elephant head video

Koh Tachai, Thailand

Rating: 6 out of 10
Cert level: Advanced
Vis: 10-30m
Average Depth: 22m
Max Depth: 30m
Location Map

From Dive Sites of Thailand

Koh Tachai is located 40km south of the Koh Surin national marine park and is another dive site that is used to break up the travel when in transit to or from Similan Islands or Richelieu rock.
There are three dive sites around the island with depths ranging from 12-30 metres.
The southern part of the island is the deepest and has a couple of great swimthroughs.
Towards the centre of the island is another reef lying in around 20 metres of water and is made up of hard corals and rocks but has been subjected to damage from fishing nets “even though this is a marine reserve”
Further north is the shallowest reef lying in around 12 metres of water.
   
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Koh Bon, Thailand

Rating: 6 out of 10
Cert level: Advanced
Vis: 20-30m
Average Depth: 22m
Max Depth: 40m
Location Map

From Dive Sites of Thailand

Koh Bon is located almost directly in the middle of Koh Similan and Koh Surin national marine parks.
Due to it’s location this site can only be reached by livaboard and will normally be dived on your way to or from Richelieu Rock.
The pinnacle on the south end of the island is the most popular dive site on this island and currents here normally run strong.
The coral on the south west side of the pinnacle is teaming with fish life and in season whale sharks and manta's are known to frequent this site.
Overall a good site to break up the travel time on your livaboard.

Play video - Koh Bon West Ridge
Play video - Koh Bon East Ridge 

Similan Islands, Thailand

Rating: 10 out of 10
Cert level: Advanced
Vis: 20-40m
Max Depth: 40m
Location Map

From Dive Sites of Thailand

Situated 95km to the north west of Phuket these remote islands are rated as one of the top 10 dive spots in the world.
There are a total of 9 islands in the chain with 25+ documented dive sites.
This one will need a few days to allow you to see it all.
Although it is possible to do a day trip from Phuket it is not advised since you will be spending more time commuting than diving.
You will see so much here it would be hard to list it all so the question is what won't you see.
Do yourself a favour and get on a liveaboard and spend a few days here to take it all in.

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Koh Chang, Thailand

Hin Luk Bat

Rating: 5 out of 10
Cert level: Open Water
Vis: 3-20m
Average Depth: 10m
Max Depth: 24m
Location Map


Koh Chang is the largest of a chain of islands located in the north east of the gulf of Thailand.
The island itself is beautiful and relatively undeveloped compared with the other islands in Thailand, however due to it’s close location to the mainland there is a lot of silt in the water making the visibility really poor most of the time.
The dive site Hin Luk Bat is said to be one of the best in the area and is a pinnacle that offers refuge to the renaining fish life in the area.
As with so many of the sites in Thailand now days over fishing has taken it’s toll and most of the fish life in the area are just juveniles.
On the plus side with the water being shallow and next to no currents Koh Chang is a perfect location for beginner divers.
For advanced divers however, based on the poor viz and the tolls of over fishing if you are planning a dive trip in Thailand this is one I would really not recommend.

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Koh Tao, Thailand

                                                                                                                                   

Rating: 9 out of 10
Vis: 30m
Max Depth: 36m
Location Map


Koh Tao "Turtle Island" is the north most and smallest inhabited island in the Koh Samui chain.
The diving in this area is the best you will get anywhere in the gulf of Thailand.
Chumpon Pinnacles is arguably the best dive site in the gulf and Koh Tao being one of the most laid back and beautiful islands in the gulf makes this one a worthy trip.
The site is made up of four pinnacles that are located to the north west of Koh Tao and is around a 50 minute boat trip from Mae Haad.
The pinnacles are not visible anywhere from above water with the lowest formation sitting at 34m and the highest point sitting at around 16m below the surface.
Due to it’s location in the open sea there are often very strong currents but on the plus side the strong currents are what bring in the pelagics.
This is a great site for seeing larger fish in large schools and also a well known site for spotting whale sharks during season.

Some interesting trivia:
An interesting legend that goes with Koh Tao is the legend of the Jinxed Anchor.
In the 1600’s a chinese ship laden with ceramics met it’s peril to the south east of Koh Tao.
The ship had a large brass anchor that over the years has had many try to salvage it due to its high value.
All those who have tried have failed and so the legend goes died mysteriously some time after ..
The anchor can still be seen at dive site Hin Tung Gu so if you into a little mystery go and check it out.

Play Video
A special thanks to geodive for the awesome bull shark footage.

Hin Daeng “Red Rock”

Rating: 8 out of 10
Cert level: Advanced
Vis: 10-40m
Max Depth:40m although the South end of the reef does drop off to around 70m
Location Map 
Hin Daeng is situated around 100km to the South East of Phuket and is about a five hour trip.
This site is made up of a series of walls with random shelves at different depths as you descend.
The currents here can be very strong at times due to it being located out in the open sea.

The fish life has diminished in recent years with many theories on why, such as changes in water temperature and weather patterns.
The more likely theory would be over fishing and the possible use of dynamite for fishing.

The site is how ever still the best dive you can do to the South of Phuket and is also one of the last remaining dive sites in Thailand where grey reef sharks can be sighted at times.
The main attraction is at this site the lush soft coral, diverse fish life and of course the regular sighting of whale sharks and manta rays.

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Video by poggus

Koh Ha "Five Islands" Thailand

One of the caverns at Koh Ha

Rating: 7 out of 10 Cert level: Advanced Vis: 15-30m Max Depth: 35m Location Map

There are five tiny islands in the group that make up Koh Ha.

The group of islands is situated to the South East of Phuket and Krabi or to the West of Koh Lanta.
This is really a beautiful dive site, however it is more so from a topographical point of view than for the fish life.
A cavern located on the largest island “Koh Ha Yai” produces the most stunning colors as the sunlight filters in through the tropical blue waters.

In saying that it would still be hard to imagine even the most seasoned diver not finding the views breath taking.
This site is a bit of a boat trip if you are traveling from Krabi, and at the time of writing this there was only one operator with a fast enough boat to do a day trip from Krabi, "Aqua Vision"
From Koh Lanta any of the operators will take you due to it's close location to the islands and from Phuket you would need to get on a livaboard.
If you are planning a dive in the area this one is well worth the trip.

Play video

King Cruiser Wreck, Krabi, Thailand

The Captains Bridge

 Wreck Diagram

Rating: 5 out of 10
Cert level: Advanced
Vis: 5-25m
Max Depth: 32m
Location Map

From Dive Asia Pacific

The King Cruiser an 85m car ferry sank when it struck a reef on May 4th 1997 while on route to Phi Phi island from Phuket.
The wreck now lies in 32m of water on a sandy bottom almost half way between Phuket and Krabi which means the wreck can be easily reached from either location.
The conditions at this site can vary and also change very rapidly with the visibility going from 25m to as low as 3m in matter of minutes at times.
Due the wrecks location in relatively open and unprotected water the currents here can vary from light to extreme.
There are large schools of fish in and around the wreck and in season "January to April" whale sharks are often sighted.
If diving in the Phuket / Krabi area and you are looking to do a wreck dive this one is the shortest trip.


King Cruiser video "very low res"

Koh Dok Mai "Flower Island" Thailand

Koh Dok Mai

Rating: 6 out of 10
Cert Level: Open water
Vis: 5-25m
Max Depth: 30m
Location Map

Koh Dok Mai is a small limestone island which is located between Phuket and Shark Point.
This is small island is said to be one of the best wall dives in the area.
The currents here can be strong at times so this is not always a good site for beginners.
The East side of the island has a nice swimthrough and some small caves which can be seen at the end of the video clip.
Things you are most likely to see here are leopard sharks, white eyed morays, tiger tail sea horses and the rare harlequin ghostpipefish.

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Anemone Reef, Phuket, Thailand

Anemone Reef

Rating: 6 out of 10
Cert Level: Advanced
Vis: 5-25m
Max Depth: 27m
Location Map

From Dive Asia Pacific

Anemone reef is a huge limestone pinnacle that rises up from the sea floor to just below the water surface.
What makes this dive great is the fact that the top of the reef is in shallow water which means you get to see all the colors of the reef.
Masses of tiny reef fish, anemones and clown fish combined with the bright colors gives you the feeling of being in a giant aquarium.
The currents here can be really strong at times which makes it difficult to circumnavigate the entire reef and this also makes the dive not a good site for beginners.
There are loads of scorpian fish at this site hiding in the anemones and at times leopard sharks can be seen lying on the sand so be on the lookout.

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Phi Phi Don, Pkuket, Thailand

Phi Phi

Rating: 4 out of 10
Cert level: Open water
Vis: 5-20m
Max Depth: 30m
Location Map

From Dive Asia Pacific

Phi Phi Don is truly beautiful above water but unfortunately below the surface is a different story.
The 2004 Tsunami did major damage to the coral and it has not since recovered.
Most websites will tell you this is one of the top 5 sites in Thailand however it is most definitely not.
All the local dive operators are still taking divers there on a daily basis and it's really not worth the money.
Although there is still average fish life you should only dive Phi Phi if you are out of other options for dive sites.
If you in the area and wanting to dive try get yourself to any dive site other than Phi Phi.

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The Pinnacle, Forster, Australia

Nine Mile Beach Forster

Rating: 7 out of 10
Cert level: Advanced
Vis: 5-20m
Max Depth: 40m

Forster is located 3.5 hours North of Sydney and is overall a really great little town with very friendly locals.
It is said to be the shark capital of NSW and during the winter months large amounts of sharks congregate at various sites to breed.
The Pinnacle is arguably the best dive site in the area and possibly even in NSW.
It is a small reef located around 3 kilometers off of Cape Hawk and rests in around 50 metres of water with the shallowest point being at around 24 metres.
The site has amazing fish life with large schools of yellow tail and jewfish to be seen circling the reef as well as many Grey Nurse sharks.
On my last dive we even saw a whale cruise by so you could be in for more than you expect at this site.
Since this needs to be done by boat, if you don't have your own simply locate one of the local dive charters to arrange your dives.
From experience the guys at Dive Forster are a good bunch and I would recommend them.
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Halifax Park, Nelson Bay - NSW - Australia

Nelson Bay

Rating: 6 out of 10
Cert level: Open water or advanced depending on site
Vis: 5-10m
Max Depth: 26m

Port Stephens is around 2.5 hours drive north of Sydney.
The two most popular dive sites in Port Stephens are Halifax Park and Fly Point.
Halifax Park is possibly the best shore dive in NSW given the easy entrance and exit and the short 20m swim to steep dropoff that takes you down to around 24m.
This dive needs to be done on the peak of the incomming tide so be sure to check the tides when planning your dive.
The currents here can be extremely strong so be sure to time it right.
There are a number of great boat dives in the area so checkout one of the local dive charters to arrange one.

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Shelly Beach, Sydney, Australia

Shelly Beach

Rating: 3 out of 10
Cert level: Open water
Vis: 4-8m
Max Depth: 12m

Satellite View

From Dive Asia Pacific

Shelly Beach is not the most exciting dive in the world but it does have it's advantages.
It can be dived in almost any conditions because of it's sheltered position.
It's a good dive for beginners due to it's easy entry and exit from the beach.
You can enter on the left or right hand side of the beach however entering from the right and following the rocks out seems to have better fish life.
There are always big blue groupers and at times you can see giant cuttle fish.
It's also an easy night dive due to having the shoreline to navigate your way back in with.

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