Southeast Asia · Thailand
Khao Lak
Tin-dredger wrecks full of fish on a half-day boat trip
Photo: TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋) · CC BY 2.0
Khao Lak is the starting point for liveaboards to the Similan and Surin Islands, and it has its own day-trip diving out of Thap Lamu harbour: two sunken tin dredgers, the Boonsung and the Premchai, the deeper MV Sea Chart cargo wreck, a shallow house reef at Khao Na Yak and an artificial reef built from army trucks. The dredger wrecks lie between 14 and 20 m, and divers come for easy wreck diving, from the outside only, on hulls full of fish.
About diving in Khao Lak
Local diving is by day boat from Thap Lamu harbour. Divers are collected from their hotels early in the morning, and the wreck boats leave at 08:30 for two dives with lunch on board, returning to the harbour in the middle of the afternoon. The Premchai is about 40 minutes from the pier and fits a half-day trip, while Khao Na Yak, the house reef, is a 35-minute run. The wrecks are dived from the outside, with no penetration, so no special wreck skills are needed.
The seabed off Khao Lak is flat and sandy, and most of the local sites are man-made. The old tin dredgers now work as artificial reefs, thickly encrusted with shells and coral growth and full of reef fish, with lionfish, morays and nudibranchs along the hulls. The Sea Chart, a bulk carrier, lies much deeper. Khao Na Yak is a small natural reef with lionfish, cuttlefish, octopus and morays, and the Artificial Reef already holds a good variety of tropical fish and nudibranchs. Ghost pipefish turn up around the wrecks.
The dredger wrecks suit Open Water divers and anyone wanting a gentle introduction to wreck diving, provided they mind the sharp, shell-encrusted edges and the scorpionfish tucked into corners. Current is normally mild but can pick up around the full moon. Khao Na Yak is used for refreshers and course skill dives. The reefs worth a long trip and the clearer water are at the Similan Islands, so divers after reef scenery should book those trips and keep the local sites for courses, a first wreck dive or a short day.
Best time to dive Khao Lak
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Prime | Prime |
The dry northeast monsoon sets the season. Wreck day trips start on 15 October, in what is still the wettest month of the year. From November to April the weather is driest and conditions are at their best, and the water is usually at its warmest in this dry stretch. The southwest monsoon arrives in April, bringing rain from the Indian Ocean, and diving continues into May until the wreck trips stop on 15 May. From mid-May to mid-October the wreck trips are not scheduled, and going out at all depends on the sea.
Best months: January, February, March, April, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Lionfish and scorpionfish hide around the wreck decks, and the wrecks hold a wide variety of reef fish. Khao Na Yak adds nudibranchs, cuttlefish, octopus and morays, and ghost pipefish have been spotted around the Premchai.
- Wreck
- Reef
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Khao Lak
- 1
Boonsung Wreck
Tin dredger sunk in a 1984 storm and broken into four sections by the 2004 tsunami, on sand at about 20 m
- 2
Premchai Wreck
Tin dredger still in one piece, its top at 15 m and its base at 20 m, with ghost pipefish
- 3
MV Sea Chart
Intact cargo ship on her starboard side at 40 m, much of her cargo still aboard
- 4
Artificial Reef (Underwater Museum)
About twenty army trucks, a navy patrol boat and a turtle statue laid out as a reef
- 5
Khao Na Yak
Shallow house reef to 9 m with generally no current, home to many nudibranchs
Site guides
Artificial reef
About twenty sunken army trucks, a patrol boat and a turtle statue
Wreck
A tin dredger broken into four sections by the 2004 tsunami
Reef
A quiet shallow reef where nudibranchs and octopus hide
Wreck
An intact tin dredger with lionfish and scorpionfish on its decks
Wreck
An intact cargo ship with its load still aboard, on its side
How to get to Khao Lak
The easiest way in is to fly into Phuket, the closest airport, or Krabi and transfer by road to Khao Lak; a taxi runs from Phuket airport. The dive centres are in town and pick divers up from their hotels for the boats, which leave from Thap Lamu harbour.
Photos from Khao Lak
Oliver_K. · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Similan islands liveaboard diving with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures | EP69 · GlobalSwans on YouTube
Whale Shark Season Similan islands by Khao Lak Explorer™ · Khao Lak Explorer Diving Center: Similan Islands Liveaboard & Day Trips Richeli… on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do I need an advanced certification to dive the Khao Lak wrecks?+
No for the Boonsung and Premchai, which lie between 14 and 20 m and suit Open Water divers. The MV Sea Chart at 40 m is for Advanced Open Water divers with 50 or more logged dives.
When can I dive the Khao Lak wrecks?+
Wreck day trips run from 15 October to 15 May. November to April, the dry northeast monsoon, gives the best conditions; October is the wettest month and the southwest monsoon brings rain from April.
Can the wrecks be penetrated?+
No. The wrecks are dived from the outside only, and on the Premchai the mass of nets and cables rules penetration out.
How do I get to the dive boats in Khao Lak?+
Fly into Phuket or Krabi and transfer by road to Khao Lak. Dive centres collect divers from their hotels in the morning and the boats depart from Thap Lamu harbour.
Sources
- Wreck Diving Khao Lak - Sea Dragon Dive Center — Sea Dragon Dive Center
- Visit the Reefs in Khao Lak - Sea Dragon Dive Center — Sea Dragon Dive Center
- Sea Dragon Dive Center — Sea Dragon Dive Center
- Khao Lak Wrecks | Boonsung and other Wrecks — Khao Lak Explorer
- Khao Lak Diving, Andaman Sea - Thailand — Dive The World
- Diving in Khao Lak — DiveZone
- Khao Lak — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A pale spotted leopard shark swims over a coral reef among a large school of small silver fish by TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A whale shark with white spots swims through hazy blue water, with a group of grey fish above it by Oliver_K., CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
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