Phú Quốc · Vietnam · Reef · Coral garden
Hòn Dăm Ngoài
Two shallow coral sites: nudibranchs at 12 m, macro to 18 m
Area photo: trungydang · CC BY 3.0
The reefs off Hòn Dăm Ngoài, in the An Thoi group, are dived as two shallow sites. The western one is a coral reef down to 12 m where nudibranchs and small reef fish are abundant, and it doubles as a bolt-hole when the weather turns. The southern one carries down to 18 m over many types of soft and hard coral, with small macro creatures as the draw.
Also known as Dam Ngoai West, Dam Ngoai South.
Where it is and how deep
9.9941° N, 104.0388° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The western side is the shallower of the two dives and the one operators fall back on: a coral reef down to 12 m where nudibranchs and small reef fish are abundant, and a good spot to hide from inclement weather when the exposed southern sites are unworkable. Nothing here is steep, so the dive is long and slow, and it holds up as a first or second open-water dive.
The southern side is a separate dive on the same island. The reef structure there continues down to 18 m and carries many types of soft and hard coral, and the interest is in the small macro creatures scattered through it — a guide who knows where to look makes the difference. Depth is the only real change between the two, and both stay well inside recreational limits.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Phú Quốc: October to May is the dive season, best from November to April; June to September is the rainy season, when seas turn rough and several centres close.
Dive videos
#spearfishing #scubadiving 🇻🇳 Lặng Ngắm San Hô ở Hòn Dăm Ngoài🤿🔫🐠🏖 | Phú Quốc island 🏞 · TRAI XỨ ĐẢO ( Phú Quốc island ) on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Hòn Dăm Ngoài?+
It is dived as two shallow sites: the western reef runs down to 12 m, and the southern reef structure continues to 18 m, which is as deep as it gets. Both sit within Open Water limits.
Is Hòn Dăm Ngoài good for beginners?+
Yes. Both dives are shallow — 12 m on the western reef, 18 m at the deepest point of the southern one — and the western site is sheltered enough that operators use it when inclement weather closes the exposed sites.
Sources
- Phu Quoc Dive Sites — Flipper Diving Club
- Quần đảo An Thới — Wikipedia (vi)
- Hòn Dăm Ngoài (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
- Nudibranchs: species, habits and where to diveMacro & muck · 13 min read
More dive sites in Phú Quốc
Up to 20 sites around 13 coral-ringed islands
Reef
Rock canyons and hard coral from the surface to 12 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Stingrays in numbers at Sting Ray Alley, the deepest site here
Blacktip reef sharks over a granite slope on the western side
Brain, maze and table coral from 3 m, easy enough to snorkel
Swim-throughs behind walls of glassfish, and no current