Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks · Thailand · Muck & macro · Reef · Drift
Ao Yui
Sand-flat macro 3 km off the pier: nudibranchs and seahorses
Area photo: Maturos thiangtong · CC BY-SA 4.0
About 3 km off the pier at Samaesan, Ao Yui is two dives in one: hard coral between 5 and 12 m depending on the tide, and beyond it a sandy area that is the macro ground. Nudibranchs are the draw - Costasiella, Janolus, Doto, Bornella and Melibe among them - with seahorses on pencil urchins and out on the sand.
Where it is and how deep
12.5649° N, 100.9489° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Hard coral is found between 5 and 12 m here, depending on the tide, and it is worth a pass, but the sand beyond it is why divers come. Deeper is all sandy area, and it is macro ground: settle on a heading, get close to the bottom and slow right down. Costasiella, Janolus, Doto, Bornella cf. adamii and Melibe nudibranchs are all on the list for this site.
Seahorses are the other find, yellow or black, either on a pencil urchin or out on the open sand. Because the site sits by Samaesan island, the tide decides the character of the dive: when the water is rising or falling it moves and the dive becomes a drift, which is when advanced level is recommended and when you want the boat following bubbles. On slack water it is a shallow, patient hunt.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- 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.
Know before you go
- On a rising or falling tide the site runs as a drift; dive it that way only with the experience and the surface cover for it.
Questions divers ask
Is Ao Yui a drift dive?+
It can be. When the water is rising or falling the site is dived as a drift and advanced level is recommended; on slack water it is a shallow macro dive between 5 and 12 m.
Sources
- Ao Yui dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks
Easy 3-15 m reef with hawksbill turtles seen year-round
Reef
Brain, maze and table coral from 3 m, easy enough to snorkel
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
Calm ten-metre sand and coral bay used for training and night dives
Muck slope and coral bommies ten metres apart
Two-metre cobia that come over to inspect divers
Stingrays in numbers at Sting Ray Alley, the deepest site here