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Koh Lipe, Thailand,
Scuba Locations, Andaman Sea / Ocean Pro Divers
Chalalai Mooring
Our most easily accessed dive and a great one. Either walk
straight off Pattaya beach giant stride from the
back of Chalalai. A dive perfect for the first time or
experienced diver. Numerous coral formations to around 14-16m
with a coral rubble fringe home to lots of nudibranch. A massive
amount of fish life and the usual reef characters. We dive this
one a lot and are never disappointed. Usually a school of batfish
near the mooring line, lobster, lionfish, scorpion fish and
a bit further out blacktips. As our house reef we know where
everybody lives and when they are going to be at home.
Chabang 1
Photographers just love this one. A pinnacle from about 16m
to 3m at a low tide. Our clients want to go back to this one
time and time again. Everything is here, soft corals abound
and the place is home to numerous moray eel species. We generally
spiral up this one sometimes sidetracking to a nearby trench
where pelagics flash past. Spend some time at a cleaning station;
you never know who’ll show up. We can never get people out of
the water here, we don't like to leave either, so our safety
stops can be very long here.
Honey Island
Sweet as. Great diving here, descend over sand and hard
reef then following the contour of the island alongside which
there is a deep channel. Lots of cowries here and time spent
watching these fascinating mollusks are well worth it. Some
interesting crevices to explore and bizarre looking coral and
rock formations. A nice gentle dive near to some of the finest
beaches you will ever see. A beautiful place above and below
the water.
8 Mile Rock
One of Thailand's lesser known sites but world class diving.
Everybody wants to go here but sea conditions mean that it is
not always possible. However with our faster boat we are able
to access this site more frequently than others and in considerably
more comfort. Only the hard core would want to spend their surface
interval on a longtail here. As the name suggests some
8 miles from land a pinnacle rising from in excess of 40m to
16m below surface. Knowing how and when to dive this site is
crucial . Our experience with this site means we normally sight
Mantas and virtually always leopard sharks. This is a dive for
the more experienced diver and we like our divers to be PADI
Advanced or higher or taking the same. Unless you are very experienced
we insist on seeing you in the water prior to this dive. This
site ranks with Hin Daeng and Hin Muang but with virtually zero
chance of seeing other divers.
Adang North Point
Huge boulders at the NW tip of the island give an indication
of what lies below. Dive to around 20m and start exploring.
Don’t forget to look out into the blue from time as we often
see a school of Eagle Rays here. Your DM will be looking out
for them (and you) You’ll see a lot of trevally, snapper
in the blue as well as huge pufferfish, porcupine fish and moray
on the reef. Here you’ll find both hard and soft corals and
enormous gorgonians so something for the critter lovers too.
Koh Lancha
There are several ways to dive this island but conditions permitting
entry at the SW corner and a look around for fish traps makes
for a nice start. Stay around the edge of the boulders looking
for barracuda hunting above. There are usually large shoals
of bait fish here. At the same time checking for rays. Turn
the corner and plateau of rocks abuts a low wall. Great
for poking around for nurse shark and the occasional blacktip.
Then some sand for rays and finally a shallow hard coral garden
for a long swimming safety stop.
Koh Sawang
Just great diving. A short distance from here depths reach 60-70m
so there is always the chance of something big showing up looking
for a snack. A steeply sided island with a few nearby pinnacles
to explore. Lots of soft coral on a background of black rock
make a dramatic underwater seascape. Tour around them for a
while just taking in the scenery then ascend a little and start
checking out the shallower rocky reef. We always find something
interesting at this site and the visibility is usually superb.
Fish Factory Wreck
A case of poetic justice. This fish processing ship, MV Yong
Hua sank around 10 years ago. Now it lies just off the coast
of Lipe at around 40m and is beginning to take shape as a reef.
Fish have been resident for a long time and corals are beginning
to establish themselves. The starboard side is uppermost and
at around 35m. This is dive for the experienced, those taking
our wreck diving specialty or advanced course. It requires a
bit of thought and planning but is well worth the extra effort.
DMs will place stage bottles then you descend the buoy line
and ...see for yourself. An intact wreck giving you a great
insight to the formation of reef. A short dive due to decompression
limits but the ascent and descent through the resident barracuda
school are great in themselves. Techies can dive this one for
a longer period and we can make the necessary arrangements.
Adang Super Highway
When the currents rock along this stretch they really can move.
Normally we do this dive at slack tide but for those that want
to be underwater super(wo)man it can be arranged. This
really is drift diving. 3km can be covered in just over an hour.
We will give you a comprehensive brief on how to handle yourself
and we are always watching you. Drop in and let the current
glide you past reef and boulders. We do this kind of diving
at a sensible shallower depths and the experience is like being
on an underwater rollercoaster as you sail over chasms and canyons
in the rocks. Duck into bays for a look around and off again
The only problem we ever have with this one is that as soon
as people get on the chase boat they want to do it all over
again. Sorry, but we have to insist on a sensible surface interval.
BOAT CHARTER
MV Chalalai is for charter and the ideal vessel for dive clubs
cruising the South Andaman.
Ready to get down now?
If you're heading to Koh Lipe - from a one-day
detour-to-dive
to a week of languid lounging - we can handle the travel arrangements.
Speedboat transit, accommodations, mind-blowing
dive sites,
dive courses,
dining recommendations... On the island, just a short
stroll from the beachside
immigration checkpoint, you'll meet a team of very helpful
travel consultants and a first-class scuba operator - nine years
on the island. Check
dive sites
and prices.
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