Wednesday's

Shark Point.

Shark Point was named for the frequent sightings of leopard sharks in the area. Known as Hin Mu Sang by locals, this divesite lies nearby the Anemone Reef. It is made up of 3 main pinnacles that lie in an almost north to south formation.

These pinnacles are usually referred to by their numbers - the north most pinnacle is "Number 1" and so forth. They are located around 25 km to the east of Chalong Bay where the day trip departs from.

This site has the most diversity of fish and corals among the 3 dive sites in the area. Each pinnacle is about 10 meters away from the others and has areas covered with striking purple and pink soft corals, sea fans ranging from 50cm to as big as a person, as well as beds of table coral, staghorn coral and coral head.

Pinnacle No.1 is the only one visible from the surface and has a small lighthouse, with a surprisingly large submerged portion. No.2's peak is 5 - 7 meters below the surface and No.3's peak is at 15 meters underwater. The sand bottom is about 12 meters down on the north side, and the pinnacle stretches out a little to the northwest to a depth of around 24 meters and shallower, to depths of around 15 - 22 meters on the south and east side, with scattered rock all around.

The dive usually starts from one pinnacle and finishes at the next pinnacle, with the direction dependent on the current. As there is a great diversity of marine life here, it is almost impossible to cover all three pinnacles in one dive and do justice to the site.

Some species of marine life that inhabit the area are scorpionfish, lionfish, pufferfish, blue ringed angelfish, sea snakes, sea stars, goby's, wrasse, groupers and a few types of eels. On the rock and between corals, look for colourful nudibranchs, durban dancing shrimp and also cute little juvenile fish like the cube boxfish and harlequin sweetlips. Above the reef, there are also schools of fish like yellowtail barracuda, yellow fusilier and longfin bannerfish.

And of course, as the site name suggests, Shark Point is the place to go for divers eager to spot big fish. Leopard sharks lying on the bottom next to the pinnacle, white tip reef sharks and black tip reef sharks can also be seen out in the blue. However most of us are there to see the sharks they are not the only highlight of the dive, keep an eye out for tiger tail seahorses, turtles, ribbon eels, anglerfish and moray eels and maybe a nurse shark or two..

Koh Bida Nok.

Boasting a remarkably dramatic underwater topography, Koh Bida Nok is characterised by steep precipices, caves, swim-throughs and underwater crags. It is no wonder that Koh Bida Nok and its sister island Koh Bida Nai are two of the most popular divesites in the Phi Phi Islands.

There is a small underwater bay at the southern side of the island made up of a reef slope and rocky floor that starts at 6 meters and ends in a sandy bottom at 20 meters. A vertical swim-through at the southwest side of the island, beautifully illuminated by surface light, is not to be missed.

Divers who have obtained Cavern Diving Specialty may also want to check out a narrow cave on the northern side of the island. The cave's entrance is at 20 meters and the wall is covered with colourful soft corals and gorgonian sea fans.

Outcrops of various sizes are scattered along the west coast, sloping down to depths of 26 meters, while the east coast is a reef slope with a mixture of hard corals and soft corals and small outcrops.

Leopard sharks are usually found lying on the sandy bottom, and blacktip reef sharks and white tip reef sharks may be found along the reef line. Stingrays are common in the area as well as triggerfish, flounders and moray eels.

Look to the blue beyond the reef and you may see schools of barracuda and bigeye snapper. Along the reef, you will also find a variety of colourful reef fish, such as pufferfish, batfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, unicornfish, groupers and lionfish.

Macro lovers should also keep a sharp lookout for ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, nudibranches, cleaner shrimps, mantis shrimps and leaf fish.

Koh Bida Nai.

Like it's sister island, Koh Bida Nai has an amazing topography of underwater crevices, huge bolders and fields of staghorn reef.

Stretched across the south and west coasts of the island is a gradual reef slope that starts at a depth of 5 - 10 meters and is made up of hard corals like brain corals, mushroom corals, staghorn corals, and keep an eye out for sea stars, giant clams, whiprays and cuttlefish have been seen around this area. There are also some big boulders and a swim through on the southern side.

The eastern side of the island is a big sand slope with fields of staghorn corals. Divers can find leopard sharks snoozing on the sandy bottom, swim out to the large pinnacle beyond the reef for the big schools of tuna, trevally and other fish. The top part of the pinnacle is around 12 meters from the surface and gos down to depths of at least 30 meters.

The topography on the northern side of the island, on the other hand, consists mostly of stunning crags and cliffs, with walls dropping vertically to depths of 20 - 25 meters before hitting the sandy bottom. In this section there are soft corals, black coral, sea fans, whips and lots of huge barrel sponge.

Leopard sharks are common in this area, especially on the eastern side of the island. Blacktip reef sharks and white tip reef sharks are a common sight on this dive plus if you are lucky you will come across a turtle or two.

Schools of barracuda and trevally are often sighted near the east pinnacle, as are snappers, mackerel and tuna. Divers may see seasnakes, cuttlefish, stingrays, octopus, frogfish, needlefish, squid and lobsters.

Macro species such as pipefish, nudibranchs, porcelain crabs and shrimps are also frequently sighted.

The cost of the day trip:

4,000 Thailand Baht

(For snorkelling/non-diver the price is 2,250 Baht).

Fully Inclusive:

• Full set of rental scuba diving equipment.
• Divemaster ( maximum 6 divers to one divemaster).
• Free Transfers from Patong, Karon and Kata hotels.
  (A charge may apply for other areas- click here to check).
• Insurance.
• Breakfast.
• Lunch.
• Soft drinks (coke, sprite, fanta, drinking water etc).
• Snacks and Fresh tropical fruit all day.
• 3 Amazing open water dives.

A private dive guide option is also available at 1,500 Baht per day.

This is suitable for newly-qualified divers who may need extra help or if you just want to get away and have your own space!

"EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE SCUBA DIVING EXPERIENCE.