Koh Lanta Dive Sites

The spectacular dive sites around Koh Lanta are still Thailand’s best kept secret scuba secret

Koh Lanta’s dive sites are less well known than those of the world famous Similan Islands, but they are just as spectacular for marine life and visibility. There are numerous different dive sites on each of the three major locations that Koh Lanta liveaboards and daytrips visit, providing plenty of variety for several days diving. A four day Koh Lanta liveaboard is the most convenient way to see all 3 main dive locations, or you can take day trip boats from Koh Lanta to visit each dive location over three days.

Hin Daeng / Hin Muang
These two ocean pinnacles provide brilliantly dramatic dive sites, sloping down to 60 metres. Currents can be strong and visibility occasionally poor – but it’s more than made up for by the manta rays who sometimes use the pinnacles as a cleaning station. Several mantas can be seen here at any one time, circling the fingers of rock and seemingly unperturbed by divers. On the days they’re not around, there are plenty of other creatures that call Hin Daeng and Hin Muang home, including inquisitive leopard sharks and groupers. The pinnacles are full of nooks and crannies which hold a smorgasbord of other smaller critters and soft corals too. It’s a great place to see some of the bigger fish hunting as well - barracuda, tuna, batfish and clown triggerfish are all regularly spotted. Every so often a whale shark also passes by Hin Daeng, so if you’re very lucky, you might get to see one.

What to expect: Manta rays, groupers, leopard sharks, cuttlefish, octopus, barracuda, tuna, batfish

Koh Bida
Koh Bida is actually two islands, Bida Nok and Bida Yai, with several dive sites located on their underwater slopes. Bida has quite variable conditions with poor visibility on some occasions, but it’s also a great site for seeing coral and spotting macro marine life. Beautifully coloured nudibranches and seahorses live along Bida’s wall which goes down to around 28m but also has plenty of shallow areas too. Incredibly, whale sharks have also been seen here on occasion too.

What to expect:Nudibranches, turtles, seahorses

Koh Haa
A circle of 5 small granite islands, Koh Haa has numerous dive sites which all enjoy spectacular visibility and some great marine life. Wall dives outside the rocks yield huge schools of barracuda hanging in the blue, octopus moving along the coral and seahorses at 35metres, waiting in the archway of a dramatic swimthrough. Koh Haa Yai has a beautiful chimney ascent, where you can slowly come up within the very rock itself and reach the airpocket at the top of the cave. Within the shallow lagoon formed by the five islands, there are numerous macro delights, including the harlequin shrimp and ghost pipefish.

What to expect: Barracuda, octopus, reef sharks, seahorses, nudibranches, harlequin shrimps, ghost pipefish, cuttlefish