Koh
Lanta Diving - Hin Daeng
Phuket
Diving Guide, Thailand
Hin Daeng and the Trang Area
| Reef type: |
Coral gardens, pinnacles, walls |
| Access: |
Day
trips from Koh Lanta, but only liveaboard to the best
sites |
| Visibility: |
Inshore
5-10 metres (16-33 feet); offshore 20-40 metres (65-131
feet) |
| Current: |
Variable,
often strong |
| Coral: |
Healthy
and colorful |
| Fish: |
Prolific
big and small fish, sharks, rays |
| Highlights: |
Biggest
vertical drop in Thailand. Lush soft-corals, whale sharks,
reef sharks, cuttle fish, schools of game fish |
|
Located just south of Krabi Province, Trang is the newest diving
area to open up in Southern Thailand. Although not as commercially
developed as some of the other sites around the country - which
makes it more difficult to get to - some of Trang's diving spots
are decidedly world-class.
Certainly, when conditions are right,
the pinnacles of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang triumph over anything in
the Similan Islands.
There are four principle places for diving in this area south of
Koh Phi Phi. These are Koh Ha Yai, Koh Rok, Hin Daeng, and several
islands inshore from Koh Rok and just south of Koh Lanta.
Koh Ha
Koh Ha is a small group of islands almost directly west of Koh
Lanta. These tiny islands, separated by deep channels, jut straight
out of the Andaman Sea. However, unlike Koh Phi Phi, the water here
is ordinarily quite clear and visibility frequently exceeds 25 metres
(82 feet). The highlight of diving here is a series of caves and
caverns on the largest of the islands, Koh Ha Yai. The caves are
safe to enter, even without a light, as the entrances are large
and there is only one way in and one way out. The best part of entering
these caves is that you can surface inside the island to view stalactites
hanging down from the ceiling over far above the surface. The quality
of light filtering through the water from the entrance is magical.
Koh Lanta
Moving inshore to the south of Koh Lanta, the water clarity deteriorates,
and the diving is quite shallow. There is one interesting place
to explore called the Emerald Cave, where, at high tide, the diver
can swim through a large cave underwater to surface in a perfect
little lagoon complete with its own white sand beach and splendid
tropical jungle. Once inside, you are surrounded by tall cliffs,
and the only way out is through the cave. Therefore, an experienced
guide who knows the area is essential for safe exploration.
Koh Rok
  Koh
Rok, about 25 km (15 miles) south of Koh Ha, are two sister islands
separated by a narrow, shallow channel. These islands, Nok and Nai
(outside and inside) have some of the prettiest beaches in Thailand
and are completely devoid of inhabitants. The islands are named
for a small, furry mammal called a Rok in Thai, and this
animal, along with monitor lizards, can be observed on shore - with
a little patience and a bit of luck.
The diving here is relatively shallow, with the best corals and
fish life living above 18 meters (59 feet). The bottom is composed
of mostly hard corals, with small areas of soft corals at deeper
depths. Black tip sharks patrol the reef shallows and Hawks bill
turtles are sighted regularly. But the main reason for stopping
in Koh Rok is that it is the perfect jumping off point for trips
out to Hin Daeng and the islands make an ideal anchorage in all
weather.
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang
The sole reason that diving has become popular in Trang are two
pinnacles that lie approximately 25 km (15 miles) southwest of Koh
Rok. Hin Daeng (red rock) and Hin Muang (purple rock) offer everything
a diver could want, from dramatic walls and big fish action, to
lush tropical underwater gardens.
Hin Daeng is easily found since it protrudes right out of the surface.
Although not very impressive topside, underwater the rock is huge.
The southern side descends straight down to over 60 metres (197
feet), forming the most radical vertical drop in Thailand's seas.
The wall is dotted with a light growth of soft corals and a few
sea fans, but is otherwise devoid of life. On the eastern side,
where the slope is more gentle, two long ridges descend into the
blueness and if the currents are favorable it is possible to swim
along these ridges down to 40 metres (131 feet) or more. Here the
soft coral becomes more lush and tall, and huge schools of jacks
sweep past the ridge, surrounding the diver with a shimmering wall
of silver. Ascending to the shallows we see needle fish, or long
toms, skip along the surface. Barracudas stalk their prey through
the clear water. Swimming between the three large rocks that form
the surface view of Hin Daeng, large schools of fusiliers dart to
and fro as if they are afraid of the water surging through the channels.
Hin Muang, located a stone's throw away from Hin Daeng, lies completely
submerged. What surprised us the first time we explored the rock was
the incredible amount of marine life that clung to the rock. It is
as if the rock were located in another ocean and not just a short
distance away from the relatively barren Hin Daeng. The name derives
itself from the thick purple growth of soft corals that are everywhere.
The rock itself is approximately 200 metres (656 feet) long and less
than 20 metres (65 feet) wide, and is shaped like an immense loaf
of bread with steep, vertical sides and a rounded top. The walls are
decorated with large sea fans of red, white and orange. Clouds of
glass fish, or silver sides, school around the fans and rocky outcroppings.
Carpets of anemones cover the shallower sections of the pinnacle.
 |
One July, the water was so transparent and the sea so smooth that
I could see clearly the splash of someone throwing the dregs of
their coffee overboard - puffy white tropical clouds as a backdrop
from the depths of the sea.
Whale sharks are one animal that we see repeatedly around these
pinnacles and in some years we've seen them on almost 70 percent
of our trips there. We've even given a name to one small animal
since he is sighted so often. Oscar doesn't seem to mind divers
at all and will swim right up to you - an impressive sight to behold.
Oscar especially seems to like to make dramatic entrances with beginning
divers around and seems to know that this is an unnerving experience
for most of them. There's nothing like a whale shark with a sense
of humor.
On many occasions we swim with gray reef sharks in the deep blue
water off Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. This is the only place in Thailand
where I have seen more than ten gray reef sharks together at one
time. In fact, even at the Burma Banks this type of shark is rare.
Gray reef sharks are full-bodied sharks, powerful and sleek, and
are often confused with black tips because of their similar markings.
However, unlike their cousins, these sharks are true pelagic animals,
and swimming with them is a stirring, emotional experience. On one
occasion, I managed to hover just off of a group of these sharks
who ignored me in favour of a large school of jacks - apparently
they were more mouth watering than I was.
Source: John Williams, Photographs
by Ashley J. Boyd Siam Dive
n' Sail
121/9 Patak Road, Mu 4, Karon, 83100 Phuket, Thailand
Tel: +66 (0)7 633 0967; Fax: +66 (0)7 633 0990
E-mail: info@siamdivers.com
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