When Scuba Diving in Phuket What Will I See?
When scuba diving in Phuket, you’ll be immersed in a vibrant underwater world teeming with fascinating marine life. From the moment you descend beneath the surface, you’ll encounter a diverse array of creatures, each contributing to the rich tapestry of the region’s marine ecosystem. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the incredible wildlife you can expect to see while diving in Phuket, from colorful coral reefs and schools of tropical fish to majestic sea turtles and elusive reef sharks. Whether you’re a seasoned diver or new to the underwater world, Phuket offers unforgettable experiences and sights that captivate and inspire divers of all levels.
What To See
Whether you’re learning to scuba dive with the PADI Discover Scuba Diving program or the PADI Open Water Course, or you’re already a certified diver planning a day trip or liveaboard adventure, the waters around Phuket offer an abundance of amazing marine creatures to discover.
Exploring the Waters Around Phi Phi
The Phi Phi Islands are renowned for their incredible biodiversity, making them a top destination for divers in the Phuket region. Among the various dive sites, Bida Nok stands out for its world-class diving experiences. On any given day, you might encounter a variety of fascinating marine life.
Marine Life to Discover
Some of the remarkable creatures you might see include Hawksbill turtles gracefully gliding through the water, and Leopard sharks resting on the sandy ocean floor. Blacktip reef sharks often patrol the area, providing thrilling encounters for divers. You might also spot cuttlefish displaying their mesmerizing colour changes or the vibrant red reef octopus blending into the coral.
Eels are plentiful here, with species such as the giant moray, the fimbriated moray, the white-eyed moray, and the zebra moray making their homes among the rocks and crevices. The area is also frequented by Kuhli stingrays, banded sea snakes, nudibranchs, seahorses, and squid, adding to the richness of the underwater environment.
The vibrant fish life around Phi Phi includes snappers, parrotfish, barracudas, wrasses, rabbitfish, scorpionfish, boxfish, and puffers. You may also see schools of trevally and tuna swimming by. For those with keen eyes, pipefish can often be found camouflaged within the coral and rocks.
A Dive Destination for All Levels
Phi Phi is suitable for divers of all experience levels, making it an excellent location for PADI courses such as the PADI Open Water Course, and the PADI Advanced Open Water Course. The combination of diverse marine life and stunning underwater landscapes offers an unparalleled experience for both beginners and experienced divers, ensuring unforgettable dives and opportunities to expand your scuba skills.
Advanced Dives
The cluster of dive sites including Anemone Reef, Shark Point, and the King Cruiser Wreck offers incredible marine life encounters. It’s common to spot Leopard sharks in these areas, alongside a stunning variety of fish such as multiple species of anemonefish, trumpetfish, and cornetfish. Occasionally, you may even encounter rare visitors like the spotted eagle ray and shovel nose ray.
Seahorses can be found at both Shark Point and Anemone Reef, although hiring a guide is the best way to locate these elusive creatures. Visibility at King Cruiser is often humorously said to be “spoiled” by the sheer number of fish in the area. The site boasts massive schools of Forster’s barracuda and snappers, and swimming through these dense schools provides a thrilling dive experience.
While these dive sites are not recommended for beginners, they are excellent for those pursuing courses such as the PADI Advanced Open Water Course and PADI specialties like Digital Underwater Photography, Nitrox, or Deep Diver.
Wall Dive
Koh Doc Mai is a macro dive site teeming with diverse marine life. Here, divers can find various types of shrimp, including Durban dancer shrimp and banded boxer shrimp, along with lobsters, eels, and nudibranchs. Seahorses are commonly seen, and Bamboo sharks can be found lurking in crevices. The site is also home to abundant fish life, including pufferfish, groupers, wrasses, trevallies, and butterflyfish. With luck, you might even spot an elusive anglerfish (frogfish) camouflaged on the wall.
Koh Doc Mai is an excellent dive site for the PADI Advanced Open Water Course and PADI specialties like Digital Underwater Photography, Nitrox, or Deep Diver.
Racha Yai and Racha Noi
Racha Yai and Racha Noi are fantastic locations for learning to scuba dive, making them perfect for the PADI Discover Scuba Diving and Open Water Diver courses. These sites feature a variety of reef fish, including parrotfish, wrasses, Moorish idols, bannerfish, and butterflyfish, along with impressive schools of barracuda. Sergeant major fish and damselfish are abundant, and the beloved anemonefish is easily spotted.
Exploring Sandy Bottoms
In the sandy areas, divers can often find flounders and Kuhli stingrays. However, be wary of triggerfish, which can sometimes be a bit aggressive. Giant moray eels are a frequent sight at Racha Yai, and turtles are common visitors, always delighting divers with their presence. Racha Noi is also the most likely place in the region to spot a giant manta ray, so keep your eyes peeled.
Overall, scuba diving in Phuket offers the chance to encounter a diverse array of marine creatures, making it an exceptional destination for both experienced divers and those new to the sport.
