Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks · Thailand · Reef · Coral garden · Sand slope
Ao Wong Duen
Brain, maze and table coral from 3 m, easy enough to snorkel
Area photo: Maturos thiangtong · CC BY-SA 4.0
A shallow hard-coral reef in the Samaesan cluster, about 9 km and forty minutes out from the pier, listed as an easily accessible site suitable for snorkellers and entry-level divers. The reef starts at 3 m and runs to 10 m in brain, maze and table coral, with a sand slope beyond it dropping to 16 m.
Where it is and how deep
12.5154° N, 100.9750° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef starts at just 3 m and runs down to about 10 m, which makes for a long shallow dive and a genuinely good snorkel over the top of it. The coral is hard coral - brain, maze and table coral built up across the slope, with the gaps between the heads holding the small stuff. Take it slowly: this is a site to work at a metre a minute rather than swim through.
Past the coral the bottom turns to sand and slopes on down to 16 m, and that is where the dive changes character. Boxfish, wrasse, anemonefish and rabbitfish hold on and around the reef, and xeno crabs are the macro find here. With the deepest point at 16 m and the reef top at 3 m, air rather than no-stop time ends the dive, so plan to finish shallow.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| 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
Is Ao Wong Duen good for beginners?+
Yes - it is listed as an easily accessible site suitable for snorkellers and entry-level divers, with the reef between 3 and 10 m and a sand slope to 16 m.
Sources
- Ao Wong Duen dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks
Easy 3-15 m reef with hawksbill turtles seen year-round
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
A coral-covered rock standing alone on the sand
Scattered boulders on sand, with overhangs holding the fish life
Two shallow coral sites: nudibranchs at 12 m, macro to 18 m
Seahorses and bamboo sharks on a slope that ends in sand at 16 m