Ao Nang Local Islands – The key factor here is diversity! There are several rock islets which offer everything from swim throughs, drop off, caverns, slopes and walls. Marine life is equally varied and in any one dive you can see elusive ghost pipefish, lazy hawksbill turtles, schooling reef fish, leopard sharks, barracudas, groupers and even a passing manta. When you’re not being mesmerized by the hordes of fish, the kaleidoscopic colours of the reef make for a memorable dive.
Bida Nok – This is a firm favourite with liveaboards as well as Krabi based divers – and for good reason! An abundance of sea snakes and hawksbill turtles have made this a “must see” dive site. Vertical walls are adorned with curtains of colourful corals which descend into the depths. The many shelf overhangs, recesses and crevices are home to moray eels, shrimps and more shy critters whereas parrotfish, wrasse, Moorish idols, butterfly fish, angelfish and a plethora of other colourful reef fish will not disappoint.
Bida Nai – Smaller than Bida Nok, Bida Nai is no less impressive and offers swim throughs which are shrouded in clouds of schooling glass fish and home to scorpionfish, ghost pipefish, nudibranch and numerous shrimp species. The reef features sea whips, gorgonian fans and large barrel sponges which attract large numbers of lionfish. You’ll also find hunting trevally, triggerfish and jacks and on good days black tip reef sharks and leopard sharks are found resting under rocks or patrolling the sandy areas.
King Cruiser Wreck – This 85 metre / 280 foot passenger ferry sank in 1997 after colliding with Anemone Reef and amazingly out of the 500 passengers on board no lives were lost. The wreck sits close to the reef in an upright position at 30 meters / 100 feet. The captain’s cabin is the shallowest point at just 12 metres / 40 feet beneath the surface. Schooling fish and hordes of lionfish have made the wreck their home and the steel structure is now almost completely encrusted in corals. Whilst penetration is not possible this is an exciting dive and a perfect example of a thriving artificial reef.
Anemone Reef – This lime stone pinnacle, which rises up from 30 metres / 100 feet, is completely shrouded in a stunning mass of multi-coloured anemones. As one would expect anemone fish are not in short supply here but the pinnacle also attracts a plethora of reef life including fusiliers, snappers, butterflyfish, bannerfish, trumpet fish, sweetlips, triggerfish,moray eels and a range of critters to boot! It’s a colourful dive that bursting with life.
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