The Chimney is a tall vertical shaft on the south side of Ko Haa Nua, one of the Koh Haa islands off Koh Lanta. Glassfish and sweepers often fill it, and with no current or only a light one and a modest depth it is an easy, relaxed cavern dive that suits divers of all levels.
Also known as The Chimney, Ko Haa Chimney, Koh Haa Neua 1, Ko Haa Nua 1.
Where it is and how deep
7.4284° N, 98.8962° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The entrance lies at about 5 m and the chimney drops vertically to around 16 m, its shaft often crowded with small glassfish and sweeperfish. An arm branches out to the east into a shallow chamber with several large exits. Green turtles, groupers, scorpionfish, banded sea snakes, frogfish and nudibranchs are about, with schools of snapper and barracuda to look out for.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Sea turtles
- Sea snakes
- Groupers
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- Barracuda
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Koh Lanta & Koh Haa: November to April is the dry season and the best diving; most dive shops close from the end of April to the end of October.
Dive videos
Koh Haa #1 Chimney · Mat Records on YouTube
Sources
- Ko Haa Nua 1 - the Chimney dive site — DiveZone
- Diving in Thailand — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- A slender pale grouper covered in small orange spots swims over white sand between brown boulder corals by fishhead, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Koh Lanta & Koh Haa
An easy Koh Haa reef of healthy coral and critters
Lagoon
A current-free lagoon between three of the Koh Haa islands
Wall
A coral wall to 30 m beside the Lagoon, a drift when the current runs
Cave & cavern
Surfacing inside a limestone cavern under hanging stalactites
Similar dives elsewhere
A tunnel through the island with three-metre nurse sharks inside
One of the largest ocean caverns in the Southern Hemisphere
Into a cave through its roof, out through its mouth at 18 m
A tunnel in at 8 metres, out at 18