Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks · Thailand · Reef
Ao Khai, Koh Chan
Easy 3-15 m reef with hawksbill turtles seen year-round
Area photo: Maturos thiangtong · CC BY-SA 4.0
The bay on Koh Chan, forty minutes out from Samaesan fishing village, is one of the easy dives of the cluster: reef from 3 m to a maximum of about 15 m, with life on it all year round. Hawksbill turtles are seen regularly, along with blue-spotted rays on the sand and several kinds of pufferfish over the coral.
Where it is and how deep
12.5162° N, 100.9702° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef starts at just 3 m, so the shallows do most of the work here: drop in over the coral, hold a depth in the first few metres and follow the reef out as it falls away. The maximum is around 15 m, which keeps the whole dive well inside no-stop territory and leaves the tank, rather than the computer, to decide when it ends.
There is normally life here all year round rather than in a season. Hawksbill turtles are the regular sighting, sitting under coral heads or working the reef top, with blue-spotted rays half-buried on the sand between the coral and numerous different pufferfish over the structure. The shallow profile suits photographers, and snorkellers can follow much of the same ground from the surface.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Prime | Fair | Good | Fair |
Season follows Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks: Gulf diving is best May-September and runs year-round; the wrecks are clearest November-March, though site charts drop to 1-2 m visibility in February, August, November and December.
Questions divers ask
What can you see at Ao Khai?+
Hawksbill turtles are regularly seen, along with blue-spotted rays and numerous different pufferfish; the site holds life all year round.
Sources
- Ao Khai, Koh Chan dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks
Reef
Brain, maze and table coral from 3 m, easy enough to snorkel
Muck & macro
Sand-flat macro 3 km off the pier: nudibranchs and seahorses
Samaesan's most famous wreck, on her starboard side at 27 m
Wreck
Navy wreck off Koh Phai with lines to 28 m, clearest November-March
Wreck
US-built landing ship, scuttled as an artificial reef in 2006
Coral top at 4 m with an outer sand slope running to 30 m
Reef
Two sides chosen by the tide, with whale sharks occasional
Blue hole
85-100 m inside an old explosives dumping ground
Similar dives elsewhere
Boulders and coral off Karon Beach, dived from the shore in mild current
Training bay: sand from 1 to 16 m and concrete reef cubes
Shore-to-boat bay reef with a small wreck at 18 m
Calm reef in the lee of Koh Nang Yuan, 2 to 16 m