Phi Phi & the King Cruiser · Thailand · Pinnacle · Reef
Anemone Reef
The pinnacle the King Cruiser struck, carpeted in anemones
Area photo: Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0
Anemone Reef, or Hin Jom, is a limestone pinnacle that soars 30 m from the seabed to within a few metres of the surface, with sea anemones clinging to every surface of the rock. It is a single-block dive: circle the tower, work up through the shoals, finish on the shallow top. It is also the reef the King Cruiser hit.
Also known as Hin Jom.
Where it is and how deep
7.8074° N, 98.6274° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The pinnacle tops out about 4 to 5 m below the surface and drops 30 m to the seabed, so the standard plan is a descent to the base and a slow spiral back up around the rock. Current is usually mild to moderate, and going around the pinnacle poses no problems except in strong flow, which is when a full circuit turns into work.
The rock itself is the reason to come. Sea anemones cling to every surface, and with them the clownfish; snappers and groupers hold station in the cuts, and schools of yellowtail barracuda circle the tower. Larger game fish come in off the blue — tuna and barracuda pushing into the shoals, and there is the occasional leopard shark.
Finish on the top of the pinnacle, where the shallow rock makes for an easy safety stop over the anemones rather than a hang in the blue. It is worth looking closely rather than watching the water: tiger-tail seahorses turn up here occasionally, and the large shoals the site is known for are as easy to watch from the top as they are from depth.
Background
On 4 May 1997 the car ferry MS King Cruiser hit the submerged collection of rocky pinnacles at Anemone Reef, ten miles off Phi Phi Island, and sank within two and a half hours. All 561 passengers were rescued and there were no casualties. The ferry now lies upright on the sand nearby and is dived as a wreck, which makes the pinnacle and the King Cruiser a natural pair on one day trip.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Tuna
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Phi Phi & the King Cruiser: Nov–Apr is the dry season with the calmest, clearest water; the south-west monsoon from May to October brings swell and rain.
Know before you go
- Strong current makes a full circuit of the pinnacle hard work; on those days turn the dive rather than fight around the corner.
Dive videos
Anemone Reef Scuba Diving Phuket - Phuket Dive Tours · Scuba Diving Phuket with Phuket Dive Tours on YouTube
Leopard sharks at Anemone Reef - Phi Phi Islands, Thailand · theaquaplanet on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Anemone Reef?+
The pinnacle soars 30 m from the seabed to about 4 to 5 m below the surface, so it can be dived deep along the base or kept shallow on the top.
Is Anemone Reef suitable for beginners?+
It is rated beginner to intermediate, with mild to moderate current. Open-water divers dive the upper pinnacle comfortably; the base at 30 m is an advanced depth.
Sources
- Diving in Thailand — Wikivoyage
- Anemone Reef — PADI
- MS King Cruiser — Wikipedia
- Hin Jom (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
- Do you need a safety stop? What it buys youBody & health · 11 min read
More dive sites in Phi Phi & the King Cruiser
Reef
An easy reef slope and mini wall, also dived from Krabi
Pinnacle
A coral-covered pinnacle east of the Bidas, rarely on the schedule
An 85 m ferry upright on the sand, captain's cabin at 12 m
Swim-throughs behind walls of glassfish, and no current
A wall to 30 m and the soft-coral spur called Finger Reef
Wall
A limestone wall running from the surface to 33 m
Pinnacle
A multi-headed pinnacle off an uninhabited islet, around 15 m
Wall
Underwater cliffs to 21 m, cut by small caverns and swim-throughs
Similar dives elsewhere
A current-swept pinnacle from 30 m to within 5 m of the surface
Rock islet dived top to bottom, surface down to 25 m
Violet and blue corals on the site's main bommie
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Caves and overhangs north, a wall past 60 m east