Pattaya & the Sattahip Wrecks · Thailand · Wreck
Hardeep Wreck (SS Suddhadib)
Samaesan's most famous wreck, on her starboard side at 27 m
Area photo: Maturos thiangtong · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Suddhadib - everyone calls her the Hardeep - is a steam cargo ship bombed in the last weeks of the Second World War, now lying on her starboard side at 27 m off Samaesan. She is the best-known dive on this coast: one deep, single-level pass along the hull, with marbled rays, turtles and nudibranchs on and around the steel.
Also known as SS Suddhadib.
Where it is and how deep
12.5332° N, 100.9558° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Suddhadib lies over on her starboard side with her deepest point at 27 m, which makes this a straightforward but depth-limited dive: get down, orient on the hull, and work the length of the ship on one heading before turning back. Published figures for the bottom vary by a metre - 26 m in one account, 27 m in another - so plan to the deeper of the two and watch what you have left for the swim back.
The steel is the attraction and so is what has settled on it. Marbled rays, nudibranchs, angelfish, pufferfish, porcupinefish and scorpionfish are all commonly found on and around the wreck - the last of those a reason to look before you steady yourself on anything. Turtles come over her as well. Keep the ascent slow and take the safety stop as read: the profile from 27 m leaves no room for improvising.
The wreck
- Vessel
- SS Suddhadib
- Type
- Steam cargo ship
- Sunk
- 1945
- Cause
- Bombed and sunk during the Second World War
- Lies
- On her starboard side at 27 m
A steam cargo ship, the Suddhadib was bombed and sunk on 1 June 1945, in the closing weeks of the Second World War. Divers know her as the Hardeep, and she is the reference wreck of this stretch of the Gulf - described as the most famous dive site in Samaesan, and as the most popular destination in Pattaya for diving buffs.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
| 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
- Scorpionfish sit camouflaged on the plating and in the debris; look before you put a hand on the wreck.
- At 27 m on a single-level profile the bottom time is short - plan the turn on gas and no-stop time, not on what is left to see.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Hardeep wreck?+
She lies on her starboard side with the deepest part at 27 m; one published account gives 26 m. Either way it is an advanced-depth dive with a short bottom time.
What do you see on the Hardeep?+
Marbled rays, nudibranchs, turtles, angelfish, pufferfish, porcupinefish and scorpionfish are all commonly found on and around the hull.
Sources
- Hardeep Wreck (SS Suddhadib) dive site — Scubago
- Diving in Thailand — Wikivoyage
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