In the previous post about the Phuket diving system,
I briefly explained Phuket diving spots.
Today is Racha Day! I want to tell you about a diving trip to Racha Island.
Racha Island is located south of Phuket and consists of two islands, Racha Yai Island and Racha Noi Island.
The island further south is Racha Noi, and the island closer to Chalong is Racha Yai.
Racha means emperor, noi means small, and yai means big!
So, it’s called Small Emperor Island and Big Emperor Island.
1. Diving route
(1) Racha Noi Island + Racha Yai Island
Depending on the boat schedule, you can go to Racha Noi or Racha Yai first.
Traveling from Chalong Pier to Racha Noi takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.
It takes approximately 1 hour to travel from Chalong Pier to Racha Yai.
(2) Racha Yai Island
This schedule only goes to Racha Yai.
2. Features of Racha Island diving
Racha is a sloping terrain that gradually deepens as it moves outward, centered around the island.
The lower waterside has more coral and rocks, and the bottom is sand.
Racha Noi Island and Racha Yai Island have good visibility in the east but could be better in the west.
Both have beautiful coral and a wide variety of aquatic life.
The diving point is determined depending on the wind direction and wave size of the day, and usually, the diving point is selected in a place that blocks the wind and has no waves.
Racha Noi and Racha Yai have good visibility and moderate currents, so you can enjoy diving comfortably.
So, for students taking scuba diving courses or experience diving,
First, you feel at ease because your visibility is vast, and you can start diving from a shallow depth.
In many ways, it is an excellent place for Scuba Diving Courses or experience diving.
It is also a perfect place for fun divers to do the check-up dives they need on the first day of their diving trip.
It’s been a while since I’ve dived, so you’re a little nervous and have to adjust my weight. Racha is where you can practice buoyancy control again and check my equipment.
If I were to sum up the characteristics of diving on Racha Island in one word, it would be “peaceful!”
Enjoy a comfortable dive in the calm sea, including hidden octopuses, cute nudibranchs, cute little damsel fish, sparkling glass fish, barracudas that always come in schools, and even the rare leopard sharks and mantas!
As I write this, it’s such a perfect place.
Come visit with the thought, “Phuket is a place where I can see everything if I’m lucky!
3. Racha Noi
Rachanoi is such a long island.
So, when viewed from Phuket, it looks small because only the northern part is visible, but Racha Noi is not a tiny island.
It’s a long island
(1) Banana Bay
Banana Bay is a representative point of Racha Noi! Racha Noi generally has better visibility than Racha Yai.
In particular, Banana Bay is a place with great views almost all year round.
The basic terrain is similar to all of Racha’s landscape, and this place is terrific, with damselfish and glassfish living with coral in low water.
(2) Rachanoi Bay
Racha Noi Bay has a small island in the middle of the bay and a sandy road from the beach to the island.
It’s fantastic, right? Haha, it’s such a beautiful place.
As you can see in the picture, the remaining water depth is made up of white sand, which is very pretty, and rocks surround the underwater path between this beach and the other beach so that you can see various shapes of water.
(3) South Tip
South Tip is a place that only diving experts can go to!
This place has a very high chance of seeing mantas. To the south of the island, in the water, and further south, is a small pinnacle.
You can think of a pinnacle as a small peak in the water.
The pinnacle is also more beautiful as it is covered with soft and fan corals.
The probability of seeing mantas is also the highest among Phuket diving sites.
However, this is a place where beginner divers are not allowed to dive because the depth of the water is deep. The currents are powerful, and there are even downward currents at times. Even those who have dived a lot, please pay more attention to safety when diving here!!!
(4) Marina Bay
Marina Bay is located on the west side of the island. Usually, if you can’t go east due to high waves or weather, you go west to Marina Bay.
Marina Bay has large rocks piled up in the water extending from the island at low depths and a flat bottom from 15 meters onwards. Here, you can see beautiful fan corals, and depending on where you dive, there is a swim-thru terrain that passes between rocks, making diving fun.
Racha Yai
Racha Yai refers to Racha Yai regarding tours to Racha Island in Phuket. Many boat tours, such as diving boats, snorkeling boats, and yachts, are a lot in Racha Yai!
Although Racha Yai is an island because there are three resorts, the internet is excellent, haha.
(1) Bay 1 (2,3,4,5)
Bay 1 is where all dive boats go the most.
If there is a small beach along the east side of the island, there are Bay 1, Bay 2, and so on, up to 5. Usually, you can proceed from Bay 1 or Bay 3.
Bays 1 to 5 have almost the same topography, with low-depth corals, rocks, and increasingly deeper sandy terrain.
And there is a square cube in the water that is an artificial reef.
When I first came to Phuket, Bay 1 was a very dull point because there was no artificial reef and an utterly sandy bottom. Still, now that the artificial reef is effective, there are so many underwater creatures that it is a good point where you can see various animals.
In Bay 1, you can dive in an artificial reef and meet dragon-sized moray eels and schools of barracuda!
The biggest reason many divers go to Bay 1 is a shipwreck under the water.
You can enjoy wreck diving by dropping a fishing boat into the water for divers to enjoy!
However, the depth of the water is around 20 meters, which is too deep for a Discover Scuba diver.
It’s a pity for those who plan to Discover Scuba Diving, but please get your diving certification and visit again later!
And another famous place in Bay 1 is the motorcycle photo zone!
This motorcycle, too, was placed in the water at the resort for divers to enjoy.
Around 2015, It appeared suddenly, and I still remember laughing when I first saw it!!
motocycle is at a depth of about 8 to 9 meters, so Discover Scuba divers can also take pictures together
It is a fun place that will make memories even for those who enjoy fun diving!
(2) Home Run Reef
It is located on the north side of Bay 1.
Many people dive here when doing pick-up diving, where boats pick them up.
This place feels more like Racha Noi, perhaps because it is lower in water and has more rocks than Racha Yai.
Home Run reef is a fun place to dive, where octopuses are in the crevices of the rocks and turtles playing on the rocks. Also, this place is fantastic with a group of Two-spot snappers, a type of snapper.
(3) Bungalow Bay
As you can see on the map, this place is so deep inside that no matter how big the waves are, it’s a mysterious place where you can immediately turn into a flat ocean.
So when the weather is terrible, boats gather here.
Although the visibility here is not that good, you can enjoy diving comfortably anytime as there are no waves.
Many artificial reefs are of various shapes here, and you can sometimes spot turtles.
(4) Siam Bay
This place is made up of white sand at shallow, and the depth where we usually dive is around 11 to 15 meters. At that depth, there is a field of beautiful staghorn corals. In the deeper water, there are many stone statues, including a stone elephant statue, and it is a place where you can see many stone statues!
5. Day trip schedule
(Points may change depending on the weather.)
(1) 2 fun dives in Racha Yai
07:30 Hotel pick-up (pick-up time may vary depending on region)
08:30 After meeting with the instructor at the pier, board the boat and have breakfast after boarding.
10:30 First dive (Racha Yai)
11:30~12:30 Lunch and fruit provided on board
12:30 Second dive (Racha Yai)
15:00~15:30 Disembark from the boat, board pick-up vehicle
(2) 3 dives Rachanoi & Yai, fun diving
07:30 Hotel pick-up (pick-up time may vary depending on region)
08:30 After meeting with the instructor at the pier, board the boat and receive breakfast after boarding.
11:00 First dive (Rachanoi)
12:00~13:00 Lunch provided on board
13:00 Second dive (Rachanoi)
14:00~15:00 fruit provided
15:00~16:00 Third dive (Racha Yai)
16:00~17:00 Snacks provided
17:00~17:30 Disembark the boat, board the pick-up vehicle
6. The Diving Boat (subject to change depending on schedule)
If you want to know about Fun Diving in phuket
please click this link!