Krabi Province

Krabi Province has the largest range of dive sites available in all of Thailand, offering beautiful diving and snorkeling with plenty of succulent soft coral, limestone outcrops and an enormous diversity of marine life. Although the region was struck badly by the 2004 Tsunami disaster which devastated the area, the area has recovered impressively and divers are coming back in flocks.

The main diving bases for the many sites in the Krabi area are Ao Nang and Railay beaches on the Krabi mainland, Phukets Chalong Bay and the Islands of Phi-Phi and Koh Lanta. Ao Nang beach has the highest concentration of Dive centers and accommodation, as it has access to all the sites at Phi-Phi, Shark Point marine sanctuary, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, the Koh Ha Islands and also a group of 10 small island dive sites in Ao Nang Bay.

Phi-Phi Island attracts a younger crowd of revelers but offers easier access to the dive sites around its shores. The island has two remarkable limestone crops divided by a narrow flat isthmus and it is there where most of the visitors stay. Koh Phi-Phi has an abundance of succulent coral and colorful schools of fish.

Shark Point Marine Sanctuary, which lies directly between Krabi, Phi-Phi and Phuket, is a popular group of 3 dive sites which are usually all dived together in a single trip. The King Cruiser Wreck is the remains of an 85 meter long twin hulled passenger ship which sunk in 1997 after running aground on Anemone reef. The Anemone reef itself is a unique dive site with a massive limestone pinnacle soaring 30 meters from the seabed to just 4 meters beneath the surface. The site is well-known for its abundance of sea anemones that cling to every surface while attracting enormous schools of fish. Different types of fish to be seen include schooling reef fish, trevally, snappers, groupers and colorful clown fish, along with larger game-fish like tuna and barracuda as well as the occasional leopard shark.

Koh Phi-Phi was featured prominently in the box office movie -The Beach- staring Leonardo DiCaprio about a group of young people living in a remote hidden island paradise.

The third site is the site which gives the group its name, Shark Point. This is a reef that comprises three pinnacles, the largest of which breaks the surface appearing as a barren rock outcropping. The reef is home to a delightful abundance of colorful soft corals and vibrant sea fans that decorate the limestone pinnacles, giving home to many Moray eels, sea horses, schooling reef fish and larger pelagics.

In the south of Krabi is Koh Lanta, with many dive shops in and around the main tourist areas of Saladan Town and Klong Dao beach. Although it has limited access to the northern sites of Krabi, it is close to some of the best dive sites in Thailand and is ranked in the top ten in the world; the underwater pinnacles of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, and the Koh Ha group of Islets. Although these sites are reserved for the more experienced diver, with strong currents, the deepest wall dive in Thailand, and large underwater caverns to explore, the rewards are tangible with frequent visits by migrating Whale Sharks and majestic Manta Rays, an enormous variety of fringing reefs, as well as pelagic and reef fishes.

This area consists of a group of 7 main islands dotted around Koh Poda - Koh Ha, Koh Si, Koh Yawabon, Koh Dor, Koh Talu, G.K. Island and Koh Yawasam. Local marine life that you'll see when you're diving in Krabi is both diverse and prolific with over 200 species of fish and 80 species of coral catalogued. The region lies within the Hat Nopparat Thara - Mu Koh Phi Phi Marine National Park.

Koh Ha contains at least 60 species of corals and many of the gorgonian seafans host a fascinating range of shrimps and crabs. This Ao Nang dive site often has large schools of barracuda, small groups of squid, and early in the morning leopard sharks are often found lazing in the sand.

With two large shallow coral covered plateaus on either side Koh Si competes with Yawasam for the best snorkelling site in Ao Nang. The southern end of the island is particularly picturesque and frequently has good visibility. Huge schools of snappers and the occasional large grouper make a breathtaking sight when the visibility is up, and otherwise you can always look for seahorses, nudibranchs and scorpionfishes which make their home on the rocks here. The northern end of the island is a relatively steep wall covered in Tubeastrea barrel corals, sponges, and sea whips. Koh Si is also a good place to briefly spot the shy black-tip reef shark. Dive sightings are common but brief as the shark commonly flees contact with humans.

Koh Yawabon is famed for the longest swim-through in the area, but has a large no light zone and can be subject to strong currents. Because of this, divers are reminded that penetrating overhead environments requires specialised training and equipment. With the majority of Krabi diving boats going to other islands, this site is often swarming with large schools of unconcerned fish. Lobsters and large groupers are commonly observed here as well the occasional stingrays.

During the afternoon the western side of Koh Dor often plays host to a group of the normally shy black-tip reef sharks. Whilst brief sightings of these sharks are possible on scuba they are best observed by snorkelling in the lunch break. Koh Dor has a good mix of large porites species and Diploastrea Heliopora hard corals and soft corals, sea fans, sea whips and leather corals. Several large barrel sponges are also found around this site.

The large island of Koh Talu boasts two shallow swim-throughs that are suitable for most levels of divers and large barracuda often frequent the entrances. Mantis shrimps are sometimes found scuttling across the bottom as you move to deeper waters. The coral extends a long way south and it is even possible to swim from the western side of this island right across to the next site, G.K. Island.

If you like soft corals and their attendant hosts of shrimps, crabs, and brittlestars Krabi scuba diving at G.K. Island will be paradise for you. Deceptively small on the surface, the underwater coral plateau to the south seems to go on forever. Sea whips and gorgonians abound and every rock is covered with a plethora of corals. Large school of fusiliers move along the edges of the larger rock formations, whilst the occasional sea snake probes the cracks and crevices for its next meal.

Koh Yawasam is blessed with large areas of shallow coral and flat areas of sand, but boasting deeper water with coral and sandy patches a short swim away, Yawasam could have been built with dive instruction in mind! The marine life here is as varied and numerous as any Krabi dive site. Koh Yawasam also is the easiest place to observe the red saddleback anemonefish, which is rare compared to the other anemonefishes found in our area.