Koh Lipe & Tarutao · Thailand · Reef
White Rock
Broken coral ground and sand patches, 5 to 25 m
Area photo: fototaube · CC BY-SA 2.0
A coral reef near Ko Lipe, dived between 5 and 25 m over broken ground with sandy patches between the coral heads. Small reef fish work the nooks and crannies in the rock, butterflyfish and wrasses among them, and stingrays glide across the open sand. It is an easy-going reef dive rather than a set piece, and it takes whatever depth you want to give it.
Also known as White Rock, Ko Tarutao.
Where it is and how deep
6.4985° N, 99.3180° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef runs from 5 m down to about 25 m, which means you can dive it as deep or as shallow as you like and still surface with gas to spare. The ground is broken rather than continuous, coral heads and rock with nooks and crannies through them and open sand in between, so the natural way to dive it is a slow zigzag between the two kinds of ground rather than a straight line along one.
The small stuff is in the rock. Butterflyfish and wrasses dart among the corals and back into cover as you come past, and picking apart one head at a time is more rewarding here than covering ground. The sand is where the larger animals show themselves: stingrays glide across the open patches, and they are easier to spot from a little way above than from down on the bottom.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
| 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 White Rock?+
The reef runs between 5 and 25 m. You can set your own depth on it, and the shallow end leaves room for a long, relaxed second half of the dive.
Sources
- White Rock, Ko Tarutao - 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
Wall
Wall and coral garden on Ko Lipe's own coast, 12 to 30 m
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A coral-covered rock standing alone on the sand
Longest reef in the Similans, over 300 coral species
Coral top at 4 m with an outer sand slope running to 30 m
Granite arches and swim-throughs at the top of the chain