The peaceful Samae San Islands and surrounding dive sites remain under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. Samae San itself is a quiet fishing village about one hour’s drive from Pattaya and about two hours from Bangkok.
The famous Hardeep shipwreck, several coral reef dives sites, drift dives, and even night dives or technical dives are possible, First-time divers and student divers in training can also dive in this area if accompanied by a certified Instructor.
Hawksbill Turtles are native to this area and whale sharks have also been spotted but there are only a handful of sightings each year. A number of Nudibranch species can be found on and around the Hardeep Wreck. Other common marine life in the area include blue-spotted stingrays, pufferfish, scorpionfish, longfin bannerfish, angelfish, Barrel sponge, staghorn corals, whip coral, and soft golden leather corals.
Continue reading for more information about diving in Samae San, or Book your trip now. Please note that a small ‘Park Fee’, currently 100 Baht per person is now being charged for visitors departing to the Samae San Islands. The separate fee is payable at Warasin pier before departure.
The Hardeep Wreck has been lying on its side since World War II and it is covered in Marine life. If you can hit the wreck at slack tide then it should make a magnificent dive.
The Bomb as it is known is about 30m away from the Hardeep wreck and it is actually one of the unexploded 1000lb bombs left over from World War II. In fact, there are others a little bit further away from the wreck
Japanese Gardens on the southern point of Koh Chuang is always an excellent choice for divers and snorkelers with plenty of colourful soft corals. It is possible to get to 20 meters depth and make a leisurely multi-level dive where you can traverse the coral reef for your 5 meters safety stop period.
Shark Fin Rock is a prominent shark fin-shaped Rock that is littered with anemones and other nice corals. Decent visibility and extremely quiet as there virtually no other boats going there. Shark Fin Rock has been known to have some larger marine species swimming through such as Whale Sharks. Max depth 20m
Hin Chalaam is probably the best dive site in the area with its magnificent wall and even a small cavern to peer into. It is perfect for a one-way drift dive along the west side of the Rocky island, Hin Chalaam is a little bit further away from the main Samae San islands but it’s well worth the extra fuel. It’s also worth considering a double dive on this site as there is plenty to see.
Technical diving. There are a few special areas nearby that are suitable for Technical divers, one of which is simply called ‘The Hole’ but it is actually more like a basin that goes down to 90m. Formerly used as an ammunition dump by the Thai Navy and nowadays used by technical divers and their students who like to push the limits to the max.
Contact us to join one of our Samae San Diving trips.
Read More about the History of the Hardeep and directions to Warasin Pier at Samae San.
