Koh Sak

An interesting dive site as you approach Koh Sak 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 colors present.

The North East point of Koh Sak, 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 Sak 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 meters 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.

Moving on to the North West corner of Koh Sak, 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 categorized 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. Bamboo Sharks, small Morays and Blue Spotted Stingrays to be found.

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

Koh Lan

This island boast 4 dive sites. There is Hat Nuan, what we call South Point, just around the corner, (also where we propose that the Wreck be sunk), Laem Thong (Golden Bay) and Shark Point. The marine life is plentiful and good and the area is home to a few Turtles, wrasses, Titan Trigger Fish, Moray Eels and numerous Bamboo 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.

Laem Tong, set off to the North West of the island just of a cliff face on the island is in our opinion the best dive on this island and short of the HTMS Kut the best on the near islands. The diver will find an area with flat sandy bottom and many large coral heads and groupings, a fairly large coral reef leading to a underwater rock face dropping to 18 meters. This is an interesting area to explore and great fun can be had swimming 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. In the deeper areas there are almost always Bamboo sharks and Blue Spotted Sting Rays to be found.

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 however because during that time the speed boat and jet ski traffic we generally try to avoid the area. The rest of the year the area can be dived although on occasion it can get a bit rough on the boat with the South winds. Don’t 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 life.

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. Neptune, Barrel and Blue Sponge are amongst the Soft Corals found here. Bushy Corals can be found at the deeper sections.

The southern point is home to a few Hawksbill Turtles, including one old man who has been there for as long as any diver can remember, 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 Fish 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 top high tide.

The area is great for snorkeling, in particular the southern point. Another benefit for divers and snorkelers, is that there is little or no surface traffic of speedboats and jet skis.

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