Southeast Asia · Vietnam
Quy Nhơn & Hòn Khô
Short boat hops to rocky islands and reef walls off Nhơn Hải
Quy Nhơn is one of Vietnam's newest dive destinations, worked by boats from the fishing village of Nhơn Hải. The diving is on islands and reef walls a short ride out: the Champa wall and a dive platform beside it, Barracuda Island, Dry Island and the island of Hòn Khô. The shallow sites lie between 6 and 16 m, with deeper drop-offs at Dry Island and the South Wall for experienced divers. The draw is rocky reef with soft and hard coral, close to the beach.
About diving in Quy Nhơn & Hòn Khô
Diving at Quy Nhơn centres on Nhơn Hải, an old fishing village where the smaller dive boat, carrying up to 10 people, leaves from the beach. Most sites are close: Dry Island and the dive platform beside the Champa wall are a 10-minute ride, Hòn Khô about 15 minutes, and Barracuda Island about 20 minutes from the harbour. A more powerful twin-engine boat seating up to 20 runs the longer trip to the outer islands, about an hour away.
The underwater terrain is rocky reef around the islands, grown over with soft and hard coral and full of fish. The Champa wall is man-made rather than natural, and south of the dive platform beside it the bottom drops along a 12 m wall. Dry Island is only about 2 m deep on its beach side, while its far side is open water: heading east leads deeper, and staying close to the island is the safer option.
The shallow walls, the dive platform and Hòn Khô suit newer divers, and courses run in Quy Nhơn, while experienced divers have Dry Island's deep drop-offs and the South Wall. Quy Nhơn is a young dive destination, and the first marine park at Nhơn Hải is still being worked out with the local government. The seasonal base closes from November to January; Nha Trang, where diving runs all year round, covers those months.
Best time to dive Quy Nhơn & Hòn Khô
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
The Quy Nhơn season opens in February, when the boats start running again from Nhơn Hải, though the tail of the rainy season can still leave the sea rough. March to September is the best stretch at Hòn Khô, with good visibility underwater. October brings the central coast's rainy season back, with rougher water and lower visibility, and the seasonal base closes after October. The sea is coolest between December and March, down to about 22 °C (72 °F), and warmest from June to September, near 31 °C (88 °F).
Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August, September
Dive types & marine life
Schools of large barracuda give Barracuda Island its name and are dived through the February to October season. Hòn Khô's reefs carry butterflyfish, parrotfish and damselfish, starfish, anemones and small shrimp and crabs a few metres down, and many kinds of shrimp and eels live in the rocks of the Nhon Hai South Wall.
- Wall
- Reef
- Barracuda
- Macro critters
Best dive sites in Quy Nhơn & Hòn Khô
- 1
Dry Island
Large island whose far side drops in cliff walls and rock formations to about 50 m.
- 2
Barracuda Island
Island named for its schools of large barracuda, with a maximum depth of about 16 m.
- 3
Champa wall
Reef wall built by the Champa people some 800 years ago, dived at 6 to 8 m.
- 4
Hòn Khô
Small island about 15 minutes off Nhơn Hải by boat, dived at 6 to 12 m and suited to newer divers.
- 5
Nhon Hai South Wall
Deeper reef from 25 m, its rock formations covered in shrimp, with eels hiding in the rocks.
Site guides
Reef
Schools of large barracuda around the island
Wall
An old Cham-built reef wall now covered in soft and hard coral
Wall
Cliff walls and rock formations on the island's open-water side
How to get to Quy Nhơn & Hòn Khô
Quy Nhơn sits on Vietnam's central coast. The smaller dive boat leaves from the beach at Nhơn Hải, about 22 km from the city by road and served by the T21 bus via the port and Nhơn Hội. Quy Nhơn's new harbour, about 30 minutes from the town centre, handles daily boat trips. Hòn Khô lies about 16 km from the city centre, a short boat ride off the village.
Questions divers ask
When is the dive season in Quy Nhơn?+
The seasonal base runs from February to October. March to September is the best stretch; October to February is the rainy season on the central coast, when the sea can be rough and visibility poorer.
Is Quy Nhơn good for beginner divers?+
Yes. The dive platform beside the Champa wall is only 6 m deep, and Hòn Khô is dived at 6 to 12 m. The deep drop-offs at Dry Island are for experienced divers.
Where do the dive boats leave from?+
The smaller boat leaves from the beach at Nhơn Hải, a fishing village about 22 km from Quy Nhơn city by road. Quy Nhơn also has a new harbour about 30 minutes from the town centre for daily boat trips.
Where can barracuda be seen near Quy Nhơn?+
Barracuda Island, about 20 minutes by boat from the harbour, is named for its schools of large barracuda and has a maximum depth of about 16 m.
Sources
- Dive Sites Quy Nhon — Alpha Dive Vietnam
- Alpha Diving Nha Trang Vietnam — Alpha Dive Vietnam
- Điểm lặn Quy Nhơn Hòn Khô - Sea Coral — Sea Coral
- Quy Nhơn Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Quy Nhon — Wikivoyage
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