Racha Noi Island Scuba Diving
3 Dives at 4200 THB All Inclusive
Racha Noi is located approximately 50 minutes away from Racha Yai and is famous for many exclusive dive sites. All in all, the island is mostly popular with experienced divers for great depths that exceed 60 meters at some locations and strong currents. But there are also many areas with calmer currents for beginners. Off the southern point is a nice drift dive along with some spectacular scenery as you find yourself on top of large rock formations surrounded by deep water.
Marine life at the Racha Noi Island:
Racha Noi has recently become the hot spot for sighting the famous manta rays at several dive sites. Manta sightings are commonly best from December to April when the ocean currents and winds create the ideal feeding and cleaning grounds for these animals.
From the northern tip of the island, you get to do a good multilevel dive along a large pinnacle where spotting larger marine life like reef sharks and stingrays is common. On the southwest side, a wooden shipwreck draws a lot of interesting reef fish.
- Visibility 20-30M
- Difficulty : Easy to Moderate
- Current : Moderate to Strong
- Dive Level Recommendation : Advanced ++
RACHA NOI BANANA BAY :
Located around the eastern coast of Racha Noi, the banana bay is truly a marvel to see with a majestic green landscape that shimmers with turquoise waters and white sand. With many mooring lines, the usual area where the dives start is at the clear shallow flat areas with usual depths of 3 to 10 meters.
The topography is lined with hard coral reef slopes that slide gently to around 25 meters. Divers often like to see the staghorn coral dots along the way. Along with scuba diving, the bay is also renowned for snorkeling with mild currents.
Marine life in Racha Noi Banana Bay:
You will get to sight reef fish like fusilier, triggerfish, butterflyfish, and colorful basslets on the sides of staghorn coral. And it is common to spot find giant morays, reef octopus, black and white snapper, sea snakes (not dangerous), lionfish, and scorpionfish in the shallow ends. If you’re lucky you will even get to spot some Manta Rays.
The Racha Noi Bay Dive Site:
The Bay is a location on the southeastern side of Racha Noi and stretches along 8 to 15 meters. It’s a great site for shallow diving and snorkeling to see coral gardens of both soft and hard corals. The currents are usually mild to strong with a variety of reef fish to see. As you dive deeper you can also admire different rock formations and exceptional topography.
MARINE LIFE :
Marine life in Racha Noi Bay:
The bay is full of a variety of marine life to see. From Jenkins rays to the amazing eagle rays with striking blue eyes, there is no shortage of diversity. Along with the usual reef fishes, divers will like to discover scorpionfishes, garden eels, eagle rays, and milky fish.
You can explore the sandy bottom to spot camouflaged cuttlefish, flounder, and pipefish. On calm days, you can even swim off the rocky reef and explore the deep blue for leopard sharks, manta rays, and whale sharks.
The Racha Noi Marine Rock Dive Site:
The Marina Bay is located along the middle of the west coast of Racha Noi. Currents usually change from moderate to strong with good visibility of around 15-30 meters. The dive site is home to large submerged granite rocks that are shielded with a mixture of sea whips, fire coral, and rocky boulders at depths of around 21-23metres.
About twenty meters away is a large single pinnacle that runs from high on the hillside into the water below and beyond. It is worth exploring with some fine little swim-throughs. There are several coral bommies to explore there as well.
Further south from Marita’s Rock is a unique little wooden fishing to see. With time, it has been inhabited with tons of small fish and seaweed. An instructor will guide you along so that you can be careful if the currents are strong.
Marine Life in Racha Noi Marine Rock Dive Site:
It is common to spot reef fish such as parrotfish, snapper, angelfish, butterflyfish, and neon fusiliers. In the sandy bottom of the bay, you may also sight some blue-spotted stingrays and scissortail gobies soaring in pairs. If you observe the rocks closely you may discover nudibranchs and pipefish. In the deeper part, you might also have a surprise encounter with a Manta Ray.
RACHA NOI SOUTH TIP :
Located on the south of Racha Noi, this site is a usual favorite of more experienced divers because strong currents are common here. Once submerged they can easily navigate their way to find relaxed locations near large granite boulders. These formations extend from 14 meters to around 40 meters.
Marine Life in Racha Noi South Tip:
The corals here are perfect because of the low temperature of the waters and have no signs of bleaching. There is a good mix of hard and soft corals along the walls and you can see the dive sites carpeted with purple and red soft corals and sea whips. Gorgonian and other varieties of sea fan festoon, gently sway in the current, filtering microscopic particles from the water.
Surgeonfish and unicornfish can be found if you are lucky. There are large schools of Chevron Barracuda there too. You will find Crinoid’s and colorful Long Arm Feather Stars, Lion Fish, Bearded Scorpion Fish, Wrasse, Triggerfish, and Damsels. In deeper waters look for Leopard sharks, Whitetip reef sharks, as well as Whale Sharks because they are often seen around this Island.
All you need to know about diving with us to Racha Noi Island
- Our team will pick you up from your hotel at 7:15 am and drop you at our Boat at Chalong Pier.
- Once on the boat, you will enjoy a hearty breakfast buffet on board and we will continue to serve you snacks and drinks throughout the trip.
- A lunch buffet is also served with all dietary requests taken into account. If you wish to order a vegetarian meal, please contact Scubadeep’s staff once you board.
- Next, you will be briefed by your instructor regarding the use of all diving equipment, dive sites, and what to expect from each dive location including all safety-related matters.
- After the trip, we will drop you off at your hotel.
What’s included in your Trip:
- Complimentary hotel pickup and drop-off on all days to most locations.
- Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and refreshments on the boat.
Here’s what’s not included:
- The package does not include any underwater videos and pictures. But they can be requested from the diving staff on board with charges of 1000 THB per day.
- For certain locations, additional charges for pick and drop may apply. These include areas that are Surin onwards to Maikhao beach or the North of Phuket.