DIVING + SNORKELLING

BE A KOH LANTA DIVER

Experience the best scuba diving Thailand has to offer in the Koh Lanta, Krabi region.

It could be argued that Lanta offers the most consistent and spectacular diving in Thailand. When compared to Koh Tao (close to Koh Samui) Lanta prices seem expensive. This is because the dive sites are farther away and prices reflect the higher fuel costs it takes to get to dive sites. The Similan islands also offer great diving but doesn’t offer nearby island resort living like Koh Lanta.

DIVING YEAR AROUND ON KOH LANTA

The absolute best time to dive around Koh Lanta is between November and April. However, some dive operators have great diving days in May to October – contrary to what you may read on other dive or travel websites.

SNORKELLERS WELCOME

Dive trips leave Ko Lanta around 8 am and return between 4 pm and 6 pm depending on sites visited. Many dive sites offer good snorkeling, with friends and family welcome to join trips and snorkel at reduced rates. Speedboat diving is a good option for those wanting to get first to sites and back to beach life quicker.

A four-day open water PADI dive course includes two or three days of real diving around Koh Lanta with instructors and you get an internationally accepted dive certificate. Courses are available in ten languages to learn diving on Koh Lanta.

KoLanta.net recommends using dive companies located in the southwest end of Koh Lanta (Klong Nin/Kan Tiang Bay area) as their boats have more direct access to the dive sites, which often means there are less divers in the area.

ONE OF THE BEST ON THE ISLAND

After ten years of watching Koh Lanta dive companies come and go, KoLanta.net suggests using ScubaFish Diving which is consistently rated as the best (and safest) dive operators on the island. Use our Diving Request Form to contact them direct. Also view Scubafish 2012 Rates

A four-day Open Water PADI dive course includes two or three days of real diving around Koh Lanta with instructors and you get an internationally accepted dive certificate. Courses are available in ten languages to learn diving on Koh Lanta.

KOH L ANTA DIVE SITES

ScubaFish’s Diving trips leave Ko Lanta around 8 am and return between 4 pm and 6 pm depending on sites visited. Many dive sites offer good snorkeling, with friends welcome to join trips and snorkel at reduced rates. Speedboat diving is a good option for those .

Seasoned scuba divers on Koh Lanta always talk about the twin peaks of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, rated in most of the world’s top-10 dive site rankings. Other top Ko Lanta dive sites include Koh Haa, Koh Phi Phi, Koh Rok and the King Cruiser Wreck.

THE JOYS OF HIN DANG.. BUT DON’T MISS KOH HA

There is wide range of great dive sites accessible from Ko Lanta, but many divers come especially for Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. Many local divers consider Koh Ha (five islands) as good a site if not better, and there are other world-class dives with special attractions to choose from.

Hin Daeng (Red Rock) is a familiar name for anyone interested in Asian diving. It is often rated Thailand’s best dive site, and features several different drop off’s connected by rock shelves at many levels.

The coral and marine life are outstanding here. Most dive guides list Hin Daeng as a sure place to see whale shark and manta ray. There are no sure things but with a bit of luck you’ll have a special diving story to take home.

Just 500 meters from Hin Daeng lays sister site Hin Muang (purple rock). This might not be the first dive after your Open Water Certification, but with a bit more experience this dive is a must. The reef has five “legs”, the shallowest at 8 meters and the deepest at 70 meters, one of the deepest sites in Thailand.

OTHER GREAT DIVE SITES IN THE AREA

Ko Ha: Ko means island and Ha means five in Thai. These five small islands are an hour by boat from Ko Lanta. The islands are a favorite spot as diving conditions are almost always good. Depths range from 18 to 34 meters, with an abundance of marine life and a beautiful cave with two entrances, one at 5 meters and one at 16 meters. Inside the cave there is a” cathedral” rising 30  above sea level inside the mountain.

Ko Bida Nok: There are three Ko Bida sites that are famous for their amazing leopard sharks, whale sharks and manta rays. Diving in this area ranges from 19 to 30 meters deep. Expect beautiful diving with gorgonians, soft coral and large schools of Moorish idols, well camouflaged scorpion fish and many types of lion fish.

Hin Bida – Shark Point: Hin Bida is almost next to Bida Nok and often included in two-dive trips. Average depths range from 12 to the maximum depth of 18 meters with Leopard sharks.

King Cruiser Wreck: This large car ferry sank in 1997 after ferrying passengers from Phuket to Phi Phi Island for many years. On its very last day of service, the captain made a ”false maneuver” and the ferry ran onto the Anemone Reef.  King Cruiser sank to the bottom and is now neatly parked 20 to 30 meters below the surface.

Ko Kradan Wreck: This site lays South of Ko Lanta away from most other sites and is most often combined with a second dive at Ko Muk. The wreck of a 70 meter long Japanese destroyer sank during an air raid in 1944 and lies about 25 meters below the surface.

KOH L ANTA SNORKELING SITES

With more than 50 islands in the Ko Lanta Islands, there is a fantastic variety of offshore snorkel sites and small islands with pristine beaches, amazing caves and much more to discover. We’ve listed a few of the highlights that are easiest to visit.

Ko Rok: The amazing coral reef of Ko Rok with its rainbow-colored coral and spectacular marine life is one of the best snorkel experiences anywhere. Ko Rok comprises two beautiful tropical isles that between them shelter a fabled “square kilometer” of coral.

Ko Muk: This is a good place for long shallow dives and a great place for snorkeling. The multi-colored coral is famous and a great variety of marine life keeps delivering surprises round every corner. Don’t’ miss the Emerald Cave! A 60 meter long tunnel runs through a sheer mountain which leads into a fantastic lagoon. Ko Muk is often visited as part of a ‘four-island’ snorkeling daytrip. Book Longtail Boat Tour or Scuba Diving