Sail Rock · Thailand · Cave & cavern · Pinnacle
The Chimney
Enter a slot at 18 m and come back out of the rock at 6 m
Area photo: portioid · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Chimney is a vertical swim-through inside the Sail Rock pinnacle, on the north-west side of the rock. Divers enter a slot at 18 m and ascend a shaft that opens back out onto the outside of the rock at 12 m and again at 6 m. It is a feature of the pinnacle rather than a dive of its own, and the swim-through the rock is best known for.
Where it is and how deep
9.9269° N, 99.9770° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The chimney is dived as part of the pinnacle, so it starts the way every Sail Rock dive starts: down the side of the rock, working around to the north-west face to find the entrance. The slot opens at 18 m and that is the deepest point of the whole feature, which makes it easy to fit into an ordinary recreational profile rather than something planned around.
Inside, the shaft runs vertically up through the rock. You go up it on buoyancy rather than by pulling on the stone, and the exits arrive in order: the first opening back onto the outside of the rock at 12 m, the second at 6 m. Either will do. Groups that take the shallow exit leave the rock in the shallows and finish the dive on the upper part of the pinnacle.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Sail Rock: The Gulf runs opposite to the Andaman coast: Mar–Sep is best, and the north-east monsoon closes it from November into January.
Know before you go
- The swim-through is entered at 18 m and left at 6 m at the shallowest, so it is a 12 m ascent inside rock — vent early and keep the rate under control rather than letting the shaft carry you up.
Dive videos
Diving The Chimney at Sail Rock · Halie Suzy on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Chimney at Sail Rock?+
The swim-through is entered at 18 m and exits the rock again at 12 m and 6 m, so 18 m is the deepest point of the feature.
Do you need to be an advanced diver for the Chimney?+
It is described as a feature for more advanced divers, while the rest of Sail Rock is written up as suitable from Discover Scuba up. The shaft is vertical and ascended rather than swum along, so it asks for settled buoyancy.
Sources
- Diving in Thailand — Wikivoyage
- Ko Tao — Wikipedia
- Ko Samui — Wikivoyage
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