This site – famous for the frequent sightings of Manta Rays – Koh Bon is easily accessible for one day trips from Khao Lak.
Two dives at Koh Bon is a great way experience one of the best sites Khao lak has to offer. Due to the convenient location we are able to visit the site via speedboat several times a week This gives you the opportunity to do some great diving and still sleep at your resort each night. We do two dives, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. If the weather cooperates, we will have you back in your resort by 4:30 – time for a shower, nap and sunset drinks. What a life!
Only 5500 Baht (what’s included?)
Below you’ll find more information about the geology, marine life, diving and the itinerary for the trips)
Koh Bon is one of the better places to see manta rays, almost all year around. With wing-spans sometimes in excess of five meters they are a spectacular thing to behold! This last year featured Mantas almost everyday from mid-December until April. This season – so far – we have had very good luck. Frequent, but not daily sightings for the rest of the season! Itinierary
Koh Bon is located about 20 kilometers north of Similan Island #9 and features one of the only vertical walls in Thailand. The island has no beaches and is in the shape of a horseshoe. Only 40 km from Khao Lak, these day trips are shorter – giving a more relaxed pace!
The main dive site is on the southwestern point of this limestone Island. The dive site consists of a 33 meter wall facing the small cove, and a step-down ridge that carries on to depths of over 45 meters. Although the soft corals are not as high-profile as they are in the Similans, the colors of the corals are radically different and include shades of turquoise, yellow and blue, besides the more common pinks and purples. With the angles on the wall, they also offer an ever changing spectrum of colors and make for some great photos around noon.
There is also a pinnacle just to the north of the ridge. It is a deep rock, but if you’re an experienced diver it’s worth the short bottom times you’ll get (especially if you’re on a longer trip). Not all boats visit it and if conditions are not good (like the current is wrong), it’s not worth it. But, if the water is clear, you’re good with your air, and the current is slack, it’s a stunning rock. It looks like a temple built by some ancient culture. It’s larger than Richelieu Rock at the base, and a hard swim. The bottom is over 50 meters deep, and the top only come up to about 18-20 meters. Itinierary
While there are no beaches to climb onto (sorry) there island forms a protective horseshoe shape, so the bay usually has very calm water on the surface. Koh Bon still can have strong currents, though so we require everyone to have and use a safety sausage.
Diving Depths of 1- 35 meters (1-100 feet), with most time spent on the ridge at 20-25 meters (70-85 feet).
Visibility runs about 20 meters (75 feet) but gust of cold water, with associated plankton blooms are not uncommon. Sad news for Visibility, great news for Manta Rays –they eat plankton!
Currents can be mild to strong, depending on tides. It is also common to have virtually no current inside the bay but a ripping current on the outside.
Experience level: while beginners can do this site, it is recommended that the diver be intermediate and above due to lack of beaches, potentially strong currents and popularity of the site.
Many amazing creatures are seen here including Nudibranchs, Pipefishes, Pleurobranchs and Mantis shrimps, Sea Snakes, Leopard Sharks, Schools of snappers, Sweetlips, Moray Eels, Shrimps and Crabs. Oh yeah – and Manta Rays.
This is the kind of site where you should always look for the small things, and you will find some amazing stuff. If the Mantas do arrive, you have seen both the little and the large, always a good combination.
We will pick you up at your resort and drive you to the pier. We try to depart by 9:00 Am, with a little more hour travel time on the speedboat. We do have snacks, but recommend having a breakfast before we pick you up. Our first dive is a bit deeper than our second one, so it might be bit shorter – depths on Koh Bon should be watched. We’ll have our lunch together during the surface interval onboard. After the second dive, we offer some refreshing fruits on the return journey home. If all goes well, we will have you back in your resort by 4:30 – time for a shower, nap and sunset drinks. What a life!
Swedish
