Wicked Diving Wicked Diving

Richelieu Rock is without doubt one of the best dive sites in Thailand. While joining our liveaboard will give you more time at the site, we are also able to visit this remote site via speedboat three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). This gives you the rare opportunity to dive Richelieu Rock and still sleep at your resort each night. We pick you up in the morning and go to Richelieu Rock by fast and comfortable speedboat. We do two dives, one in the morning and one in the afternoon with a nice long lunchbreak in between. If the weather cooperates, we will have you back in your resort by 5:00 – time for a shower, nap and sunset drinks. What a life!

Richelieu Rock is Thailand’s premier dive site and one of the best places in Thailand to see big pelagics like whale sharks and manta rays. This huge pinnacle climbing from the depths of the Andaman Sea attracts scuba divers from around the world. Huge fish, soft corals and an incredible array of small marine life make Richelieu famous around the world. This site is great to dive on Nitrox which allow you longer bottom times at depth.

Only 6000 Baht (what’s included?)

Richelieu Rock topography

Richelieu Rock is part of the Surin National Marine Park, yet located about 18 kilometers east of the islands themselves. Richelieu Rock is just barely exposed at the lowest of tides – thus a navigational hazard for those boats not equipped with a GPS navigation system. Situated 200 kilometers Northwest of Phuket and 70 km from Khao Lak – the rock is closer to the Burmese (Myanmar) border than Phuket. Located in the middle of the sea, Richelieu provides no shelters for the boats. So this is not a site if you get easily sea-sick (if that’s the case – join our liveaboard instead). It also means more coordinated entry and exits. Currents depend on the tides and can be strong, so a quick descend might be necessary on these dives. Experienced guides in the area prepare for this and will have you drop off the site so you can drift into by the time you have descended. Once you are down however, you can always find a calm area due to the horseshoe shape of the pinnacle.
Aiming for a maximum depth of 30 meters is optimal for both maximum time and pleasure! Many of the outlying boulders have incredible treats for the intrepid visitors. A slow circle of a site should bring you right up to the 5m safety stop by the end. As there is a current and very little protection – this is definitely a site for using a surface marker buoy. If you have an experienced dive guide and they give a good detailed briefing, you can learn how to hide from the currents and have a very enjoyable dive. In addition we recommend that divers be certified and experienced as Advanced Divers or higher.

Richelieu Rock marine life

Definitely a favourite site among the staff, you can dive here over and over and see something new on each dive. Richelieu Rock has long been famous as the easiest place to see Whale Sharks in Thailand, but a worldwide decline in numbers has really reduced the number of encounters. The frequency of encounters over the last few years has been about once every 2 weeks.

We frequently see such quotes as…
”Up until 2000 it was a case not of “will I see a whale shark?” but more like “how many whale sharks will I see?” These days whale sharks are less common however some years are better than others.”
“Sightings occur 50-70% of the time, depending on the time of year. Generally, from February to April are the best times for a visit to enjoy some of the most exhilarating liveaboard diving in Thailand.”

This is complete hogwash and is just a way to sell trips. It’s just not true. Go here if you would like to learn more about Whale Sharks. Not only can you learn a lot, but you can also join in research and conservation projects. And if you are very lucky, well you might find yourself swimming with the biggest fish in the world. Disappointed? Don’t be, Richelieu Rock has an amazing amount of diversity. The list of marine life is endless: Expect to see schools of chevron barracudas while groupers and rays can be seen in the deeper water. Vast Schools of fusiliers, snappers, tuna, mackerel, jacks and trevallies circle the site hunting and hiding from one another.

Then there is the small stuff: The crevices, cracks and fields of soft corals are home to such an amazing diversity of fish such as zebra and fimbriated moray eels, nudibranchs, tigertail seahorses, harlequin shrimps, ghost pipefish, lionfish, glassfish, frogfish, boxfish, tiny Schultz pipefish, tomato anemonefish, tiger cowries, juvenile angelfish and even some very exotic species like Pineapplefish. Just keep your eyes open, take your time and enjoy. There is so much to see.

The trip includes:
Pick up from your hotel (in the Khao Lak Area), transport to the pier and back
Lunch and fruits
Diving Equipment
Drinking water and soft drinks
Good Times
National Marine Park entrance fee
Tanks and weights for the divers
Dive or snorkel guide
Lots of fun!
The trip does not include:
Pick up from other areas – expect a surcharge if you stay in Phuket or Krabi
Breakfast or Dinner
Bad attitude
Accommodation – though it can be arranged if needed!
Use of Computer or Cameras – they can be rented