Best Diving sites in Koh Lanta

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If you have dived in Koh Lanta before, please share your experiences: Dive spots you would recommend, which Dive Center you used, Fishes & Diving, Visibility, Currents, etc. Please post your comments in the section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next trip ;)

Ko Lanta offers terrific scuba diving! Some of the dive sites are world class and compete with the nearby Similan islands. There are no dive sites directly on Ko Lanta. You will have to take the boat to reach other nearby islands.

 

Ko Lanta Beach

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinet/5435700954/

 

The best and most world famous dive sites are Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. They are both listed among the best dive spots in Thailand and in the world. Hin Daeng is famous for its fantastic marine life on a steep wall and Hin Muang for the superb violet coral.

Both sites are among the best places in the world for Whale Shark sightings ;-) You can expect to spot grey reef sharks, leopard sharks and large schools of pelagic! These two dive sites are also accessible by Liveaboard from Khao Lak or Phuket.

Koh Ha dive sites are also amazing and accessible by all divers. This group of 5 islands is a magnificent spot with caverns and swim through to explore. The water is usually very clear. The Emerald Cave site is just superb and is one of the highlights of scuba diving in Ko Lanta.

 

There are dive sites for every level of diver. Beginner divers will enjoy easy diving on fringing reef while experienced divers will be challenged on offshore dive sites.

This destination is appreciated by photographers for the opportunities to film large animals like Manta Rays and Whale Sharks. There is also an interesting range of macro life hiding in the cracks.

It is also possible to dive on a day trip the famous King Cruiser Wreck!

In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Koh Lanta.

Best Dive Review

Fishes:

You can spot just about everything you’ve dreamed of around Ko Lanta. The big stars are the Manta rays, whale sharks and various species of reef sharks. Leopard sharks are also common. You will spot large school of pelagic fishes and giant trevallies patrolling the area.

Macro life is also interesting but Ko Lanta diving is more about action and big stuff!

Ko Lanta Diving

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39891373@N07/4395003852/

Coral:

Coral is very colourful and shallow coral gardens will make your safety stops more than enjoyable!

Where to stay?

I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Koh Lanta as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.

Best time to dive in Koh Lanta

The best diving Time is from November to April during the dry season. Most of the dive centres are closed during the rainy season from May to December. However some dive operators dive all year round but the visibility is not as good and sea can be choppy.

Top liveaboards in Koh Lanta according to divers reviews

Scuba Diving conditions

During the dry season, diving conditions are good.

Water temperature is around 29 °C.

Current changes from none to very strong depending on the dive location and the tide.

Visibility also varies with the season but you can expect between 15m and 40m. Sometimes visibility can be reduced by the large amount of plankton in the water but that’s what attracts the big fish!

Snorkelling in Koh Lanta

Snorkelling around Ko Lanta is excellent and day trips can be easily arranged to take you to the best spots around the islands. It is a very good way to explore hidden places.

Snorkellers can also join a diving boat to enjoy the superb sites of Koh Haa and Koh Rok which may provide some of the best snorkelling spots of Thailand! You will be delighted by the clear water and the amazing reef life ;-)

Diving Safety

If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Koh Lanta, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

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Travel Guide

Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Koh Lanta Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.

Diving Reviews for this region

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Dive spots reviews in Koh Lanta

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Ko Haa 4 dive site is situated not far from Ko Haa 3-the Lagoon. There is a superb wall going down to 30 m deep. The cor...
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Ko Haa Nua 1 - the Chimney dive site is located on the South side of Ko Haa Nua Island. There is a cave with the entranc...
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Hin Daeng is one of the best dive sites in all of Thailand! It is very famous for the great chance of spotting giant Man...
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Hin Muang is one of the best dive sites of Thailand. It is located just 500m away from another exceptional dive site cal...
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Ko Haa 2 dive spot in Koh Lanta is a very nice reef worth exploring. The spot is very easy and is a perfect place for al...
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Ko Haa 3, also known as The Lagoon, is a very easy dive site with no current. It is very shallow with a maximum depth of...
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Ko Haa Yai 5 dive site is also called the Cathedral. The site is located 30 min by boat from Koh Lanta. Around 20 m deep...
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Ko Rok Nai dive site is located about 30 km south of Ko Lanta. The maximum depth is 20 m and average depth 12 m. Nice ma...
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Ko Rok Nok is also called outer Rock. It is the sister Island of Ko Rok Nai. This island features superb beaches. There ...
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The Emerald Cave is a very popular snorkelling spot in Koh Lanta. It is located on Ko Muck Island, 20 km South of Ko Lan...

Liveaboard Reviews in Koh Lanta

MV Flying Seahorse

The 24 meters Flying Seahorse is a livea

MV Flying Seahorse Liveaboard Review

Diving centers in Koh Lanta

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15 dive logs in “Koh Lanta”

  1. Hello,
    I am looking at going to koh lanta in November with my girlfriend. She would have only just finished her open water ticket in Adelaide, Australia before we get there. She wants to do her advanced PADI ticket while we are there. I would also like to dive hin daeng, him muang, and the king cruiser wreck. Could you recommend a dive shop in the area that could accommodate these requests? We are staying at Pra Ae Beach for 5 nights so far. would you recommend any where else? Thanks
    Danny

    • Hi Danny

      We took Padi open water at company “Lanta Diver” at Xmas time 2011. They are very proffesional. They have a shop in Saladan and a few smaller shops along the westcoast. We dived a few times at Koh Hah which is a couple of smaller island and the closest divespot when living on Koh Lanta. They offer all kind of tours and certificates. Our impresion was the the pricelevel on the different companys are more or less the same, but we choosed Lanta Diver because the seemed to be proff -and the are! we go back again this year and I well choose the same company. Pra Ae Beach is rather close to Saladan, if you want tho stay up north I doen’t think you have to book in advance, but if you go south the number of places are limited, but since you go in nowember it migth be possible to walk in and get a room. Try Kan Tiang Bay, it is futher south wery nice and completely different to the areas up north eventhough the distance is only like 15 k’s. You can rent a scooter and go on your own and see were you want to live. I am sure you will like it. Have fun! /Henrik

  2. I dived in Koh Lanta in February 2013 and had some amazing dives there. We did a three 3 day scuba diving package, visiting Koh Haa, Koh Bida and Hin Daeng/Muang. The first two sites are good for all levels of divers, but you really need to be an Advanced Diver for Hin Daeng because of the depth of the site.

    We visited quite a few dive centres and found the prices are all quite similar. The main difference is between the boats – there are speedboats and slower boats. We chose Hidden Depths Diving as they had a speedboat and were very well organized and professional. They brought us in to the centre and showed us around the place, spending a lot of time with us explaining how they ran their trips and what we would see. Safety was very important for them, which was very reassuring. The groups were very small – I was in a group with just myself and my boyfriend. The important thing for us was that we felt we were in safe hands with them and had a lot of fun. It was a great few days spent with them.

    • I live in Kunming, Yunnan, China and will be going to Thailand to dive Feb 14th, 2014. I’m looking at Koh Lanta as a great spot away from the crowds. I can’t see the towns on Google maps or Google Earth and was wondering where to stay that’s comfy but not expensive. I’m an experienced diver from California and looking for some great dives. Maybe a few deep dives but lots of them! Any hotels to recommend at Koh Lanta?
      Thanks!

  3. Hello,
    Nice website! I need some advice. I have a two week vacation from December 1 to Dec 12 and would like to get PADI/SSI certified during that time. I live in India, so would like to visit a location in Asia. Please recommend places which have good dive schools and are relatively pristine with beautiful and vibrant corals.
    I have been to Gili T in Indonesia and have been to Phi Phi (it’s pretty there but heard dive sites can be crowded). I am considering Similan Islands – however have heard that corals are not in good condition due to bleaching. Am open to places in Philippines and Indonesia also. We are open to live boards also. Thanks!!!

  4. Hello,
    I am looking to do my open water course between Dec 1st to Dec 12 this year. Are there any PADI/SSI schools in the area or live boards which will tour Komodo islands and offer the open water course? Thanks!

  5. Hai fellow divers,

    I just made a trip to Koh Lanta early November. been to Koh Haa as Hin Daeng is too wavy for a beginner like me. Nevertheless, 9 dives with Anti Gravity Divers, staying at Amantra Resort & Spa, live board diving was spectacular. really affordable fees offered by them. Totally recommend this package.

    Lot of small and big fishes around here, and totally agree, all fishes are magnified here, massive (& cute) puffer fish is laying around cave. lot of nudibranches & mooray eel.

  6. Just came back yesterday. Great dive specialy at Hin Duang where a nice Manta was waiting for us, the second ONE just wanted to play with us and came swimming curiosly around us. Our dives were organise with Dive & relax and we stayed at Sayang beach resort. Cute little restaurants near us, not expensive and good.!! Not a lot of divers around the dive sites helped us as well to enjoy :)

  7. Hi, my boyfriend and I just completed our open water PADI in Koh Tao, we would like to do a couple of fun dives while we are in Thailand, just wondering the best place to do it! We will be visiting Krabi, Phi Phi and Ko Lanta, have read that they have some of the best dive sites near here however we are only qualified to 18m. Would Ko Lanta be the best option out of these places, for somewhere that we can see plenty of fish and maybe sharks..??

    • Hi Sarah.
      Some of the spots from Phi Phi and Lanta are the same, If you choose Phi Phi or Lanta is depending if you prefer this or that. Lanta is nice and bigger and you can find everything you want. Leopard sharks can be seen at Bida. They have even seen whale sharks at Koh Ha, allthough not so offen. I have seen manta’s at Hin Daeng/Hin Muang, but I am affraid it might be deeper than 18 m. If you go to Lanta I can recommend Lanta Diver, the have office in Saladan and Klong Nin – good boats, good service and safe dives with good instructors. Have fun, regards Henrik

  8. Hey. I’ve been to Phi Phi island before. And I’ve been dived for twice. Really interested in diving. Would like to go to Koh Lanta to have a diving trip. I’m in Bangkok now. How can I get there? Contact me pls.

  9. Hi,
    We traveling around phuket and krabi for 10 days mid April. We’ll be in phi phi for two days and a night. And plan to snoekel around those parts. We then continue to koh lanta . We are in lanta for for 2nights and one and a half days. We’d like to visit koh haa and koh rok for not kjust the snorkelling but also the white sand beaches…

    We get back to krabi to attend a wedding in sikao. Hoping to slip out one miring to visit the emerald cave at koh muk .

    1)does our itinerary do justice to the beauty of the area?
    2) we can barely swim in a pool:) will we manage snorkelling around phi phi , & koh Rock? Heard the currents can be unpredictable.
    3) do you know of any operators from lanta that offer snorkelling to koh tol and koh haa in one day.

    Thanks in advance for any input you may have.

  10. Hi Naomi
    You have a very tight schedule for the area, depending on what you prefer. You must keep in mind that travelling from Phuket to Phiphi, from Krabi to Lanta and so on also takes time. When you look in the different timetables from the ferrycompanies, it seems as it only takes a few hours, but remember the “thaitime” it always takes longer time than scheduled ;-) Phuket to Krabi or Phuket to Lanta is 1 day, Krabi to Lanta is 3 hours by minibus, there are 2 ferries on the way, and if you are unlucky it can take more.
    If you want to do snorkelling Koh Rok is very nice, it also has nice beaches, take a 1 day speedboat tour from Lanta, there are different companies. You can go to Koh haa with the diving companies, they take snorkellers on the diving boat and you can spend you day in Koh Haa lagoon. I can recommed Lanta Diver, you get breakfast and lunch on a comfortable diveboat in a good and safe atmosphere. But now you already spend 2 days :-), and you only have 1 1/2!! Honestly if you like to snorkel and enjoy the nature with respect, skip Phiphi, its too buzy and crowded. At least i think you have to decide what you want to see, or stay longer time. Everything is so beautiful, you can easily stay a week or two in Lanta.
    Regards
    Henrik

  11. Hi. I would like to enquire for fun dives at Koh Lanta on 8 July (Friday) for 2 advance divers.

    Do let me know the dive sites to go and price (with and without equipment).

    Thanks.

    Regards
    Selina

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