Southeast Asia · Thailand
Trang Islands — Kradan, Mook & Ngai
A sunken train and sheltered reefs a short longtail ride from Koh Ngai
The southern Trang islands, Ko Mook, Ko Kradan, Ko Ngai, Ko Cheuak, Ko Waen and Ko Maa, lie 1-2 hours south of Ko Lanta. From Koh Ngai, longtail boats reach every local site within 20 minutes. The diving is sheltered and runs from 5 to 20 m: a sunken train at Koh Waen, the anemone bay at Koh Cheuk, blacktip reef sharks at Crocodile Rock. It is reef, wreck and macro diving for divers of all levels.
About diving in Trang Islands — Kradan, Mook & Ngai
The diving is done in short hops. From Koh Ngai, longtail boats reach every local site within 20 minutes, and a trip is one or two dives, with night dives and fluorescent night dives on request. Boats from Ko Lanta, 1-2 hours to the north, also come down on a Trang Route that takes in Koh Waen, Koh Mook, Koh Kradan and the train wreck, and the islands serve as a sheltered alternative when the sea is too choppy to reach Ko Haa.
Koh Waen has limestone walls, one of them covered in purple and white soft corals, with nudibranchs and tiny shrimps on it, overhangs where nurse and reef sharks hide, and stingrays resting on the sand. Its train wreck was sunk as an artificial reef and draws thousands of yellow fusiliers. Ko Mook and Ko Kradan add colourful coral gardens, and Crocodile Rock is a formation of big boulders where schools of jackfish and barracuda hunt.
This suits divers who want relaxed, sheltered dives without long boat rides: beginners on an easy reef, and photographers after nudibranchs, seahorses and other macro life. Visibility at Ko Kradan is variable and tends not to be as good as at Ko Haa or Ko Rok, so divers after clear water do better making the longer runs to those islands.
Best time to dive Trang Islands — Kradan, Mook & Ngai
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Prime | Prime |
Diving runs November to April, the dry season; Ko Hai Divers on Koh Ngai is shut from May to October.
Best months: January, February, March, April, November, December
Dive types & marine life
Blacktip reef sharks live around Crocodile Rock. Nurse sharks and stingrays at Koh Waen and the hawksbill turtle at Koh Cheuk take some luck. Clownfish fill the Anemone Garden, and Ko Kradan adds leopard sharks among plenty of macro life.
- Reef
- Wreck
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Muck & macro
- Night
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Reef fish swarms
Best dive sites in Trang Islands — Kradan, Mook & Ngai
- 1
Koh Waen Train Wreck
20 railway wagons resting on rails, with a maximum depth of 18 m
- 2
Crocodile Rock
Rock formation off Koh Ngai's southwest tip, also called Shark Point
- 3
Anemone Garden, Koh Cheuk
Bay covered in anemones, with nudibranchs and colourful reef fish
- 4
San Chompuo (Pink Ridge)
Ridge with many kinds of coral, starfish and seahorses not found at the other sites
- 5
Black Pearl cave, Koh Waen
Koh Waen's own 'cathedral', a cave dive for experienced divers
- 6
Paradise Reef
Healthy hard coral reef sheltering colourful reef fish and small critters
- 7
Hin Nok
Pinnacle whose top only just breaks the surface
Site guides
Pinnacle
A pinnacle whose top only just pokes out of the sea
A wall covered in purple and white soft corals, home to nudibranchs and tiny shrimps
Twenty railway wagons still sitting on their train rails
Artificial reef
Man-made reef structures 2 km off Koh Libong
How to get to Trang Islands — Kradan, Mook & Ngai
Trang Airport (TST) is the gateway on the mainland. Standard ferries from Pak Meng Pier reach Ko Ngai in about one hour. There is no scheduled ferry from Ko Lanta to Ko Ngai, but private longtails can be hired from Saladan in high season (Nov-Apr).
Photos from Trang Islands — Kradan, Mook & Ngai
Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0
Krzysztof Golik · CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions divers ask
When is the dive season in the Trang islands?+
November to April, the dry season, when the weather and diving conditions off Thailand's west coast are at their best. Ko Hai Divers on Koh Ngai opens only in those months.
What certification is needed to dive the Trang islands?+
Any certified diver can join the daily trips from Koh Ngai, and the train wreck at Koh Waen goes no deeper than 18 m. The Black Pearl cave is for experienced divers.
How do divers get to the Trang islands?+
Fly to Trang Airport (TST), then cross from Pak Meng Pier: a standard ferry takes about one hour to Ko Ngai and a speedboat 20 minutes. From Ko Lanta there is no scheduled ferry, only private longtails from Saladan in high season.
Is there a marine park fee for diving the Trang islands?+
Yes. Most of Ko Kradan falls under Hat Chao Mai National Park, and dive trips from Ko Lanta charge an adult diver 600 THB per day in national marine park fees.
Can the Trang islands be dived from Ko Lanta?+
Yes. The islands lie 1-2 hours south of Ko Lanta, and the Trang Route from there combines the limestone walls at Koh Waen, coral gardens at Koh Mook and Koh Kradan and the Train 666 Wreck in one itinerary.
Sources
- Ko Hai Divers — Ko Hai Divers
- Ko Hai Divers | Dive Sites — Ko Hai Divers
- Scuba Fun Diving — Nice Dive Club
- Koh Kradan — Phuket Dive Guide
- Koh Waen — Scubago
- Ko Ngai — Wikivoyage
- Trang — Wikivoyage
- Diving Koh Lanta — DiveZone
Photo credits
- A steep limestone islet with green-topped cliffs rising from a calm grey-blue sea under a hazy sky by Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A wooden longtail boat moored in turquoise shallows off a sandy beach, with a long rocky island on the horizon by Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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