While joining our liveaboard will give you more time at the site, we are also able to visit the site via speedboat three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdayday). This gives you the rare opportunity to dive Richelieu Rock 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 5:00 – time for a shower, nap and sunset drinks. What a life!
Only 6000 Baht (what’s included?)
Below you’ll find more information about the geology, marine life, diving and the itinerary for the trips)
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 fish make Richelieu famous around the world. If you are in Khao Lak, Richelieu Rock is not to be missed. Itinierary
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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.
A massive underwater limestone pinnacle rising up from 50 meters to the just below the surface. Horseshoe shaped with several smaller boulders surrounding it at the depths, protection from currents is assured for the experienced guides. Steep walls and deep crevices offer both stunning scenery and great hiding places for all manner of amazing creatures.
The unique shape and location are part of what Richelieu so special. There are no other pinnacles or submerged rocks anywhere nearby so all the marine life in the area have one place to go. As this is the single pinnacle, it also generates a strong disturbance to the tidal currents. This creates strong upwellings of cold water – which causes plankton. And this plankton feeds the diverse fish and corals. Itinierary
Located in the middle of the sea, Richelieu provides no shelters for the boats. So this is not a site if you get too sea-sick (if that’s the case -join our liveaboard instead). It also means more coordinated entry and exits. As these Currents can cause drift, we require everyone to have and use a safety sausage.
As currents can be strong, dropping down fairly quickly can be part of 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.
Aiming for a depth down of 30-35 meters are optimum 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.
You can dive here over and over and see something new. The currents change constantly, and it’s not always an easy dive. But, 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.
Currents
As currents can be strong this is definitely a site that should be done with an experienced guide. In addition we recommend that divers be certified and experienced as Advanced Divers or higher.
Could you send me more information?
While Richelieu Rock has long been famous as the easiest place to see Whale Sharks, but a worldwide decline in numbers has really reduced the number of encounters. The frequency of encounters over the last 4 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. As a matter of fact, seeing a Whale Shark is less common than seeing one.
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.
Disappointed? Don’t be, the Richelieu Rock has an amazing amount of diversity. Expect to see schools of chevron barracudas while larger sharks and rays can be seen in the deeper water.
Vast Schools of Snappers, Tuna, Mackeral, Jacks and Trevallies circle the site hunting and hiding from one another.
Could you send me more information?
The crevices, cracks and fields of soft corals are home to such an amazing diversity of fish such as White-eyed Morays, Nudibranchs, Tigertail Seahorses, Harlequin shrimps, Ghost pipefish, Lionfish, Glassfish, Frogfish, Leaffish and even some very exotic species like Pineapplefish. Just keep your eyes open, take your time and enjoy. There is so much to see.
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 Richelieu 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 5:00 – time for a shower, nap and sunset drinks. What a life!
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