Koh Lipe & Tarutao · Thailand · Wall · Coral garden
Lipe Corner
Wall and coral garden on Ko Lipe's own coast, 12 to 30 m
Area photo: fototaube · CC BY-SA 2.0
The second of Ko Lipe's corner reefs, with coral gardens on the shallow ground, walls below them and rock formations between the two. It runs from 12 m to 30 m, deeper than the coral gardens at the island's other corner, and the coral along the wall is diverse enough that it is dived mainly as a macro-photography site.
Where it is and how deep
6.4802° N, 99.2856° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The structure is much the same as at the island's other corner, but deeper. Coral gardens sit on the shallow ground from about 12 m, walls drop away below them, and rock formations break up the space between, with 30 m as the floor. Plan the deep part first, along the base of the wall, then work back up onto the coral for the rest of the dive and let the profile do the work.
It is dived for the terrain and the coral rather than for anything large, and it is listed as a year-round dive and a macro-photography site. In practice that means close-range subject matter on rich coral with dramatic vertical rock behind it, which is a useful combination if you are carrying a camera. Take a torch, because the colour goes flat quickly down the wall.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Koh Lipe & Tarutao: November-April is the dry-season diving window and February-April the best of it; from mid-June to mid-October only the Pak Bara speedboat runs and visibility falls toward 10 m.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Lipe Corner?+
From about 12 m over the coral gardens to 30 m at the foot of the wall, which is deeper than Pattaya Corner, the island's other corner reef.
Sources
- Lipe Corner - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Koh Lipe & Tarutao
Reef
Walk-in beach reef, 5 m deep, where courses start
Reef
Soft-coral outcrops and boulders, mantas in the current
Coral garden
Coral garden and short walls, 12 to 25 m, strong on macro
Pinnacle
Mild-current ridge at 5 to 18 m with feeding hawksbills
Pinnacle
Soft-coral dome from 6 m to a sandy base at 12-18 m
Reef
Cascading granite boulders from 5 m down to 25 m
Wall
Crevices and overhangs down a 10 to 30 m wall
Reef
Broken coral ground and sand patches, 5 to 25 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Fan corals on the deep face, staghorn thickets in the shallows
Steep wall to 30 metres, the strait's moderate-current option
Coral gardens on the shelf, steep drops below to 27 m
Bumphead parrotfish schools and a wall of gorgonian sea fans