Robert Camp asked:
Koh Krok:
The Western face and the Southern point of the island are where the corals are. The corals start on the sand at 15m and extend right up to near the surface. An excellent site for a drift dive as the prevailing currents run parallel to the island. Large “bommies” are a feature of this site; Staghorn, brain,Mushroom and table corals are in abundance. Neptunes, Barrel and blue sponge are amongst the soft corals found here. Bushy Antipatharian corals can be found at the deeper sections.
The southern point is home to a few turtles and Pufferfish, Parrotfish, “Half and Half” Wrasse and Six banded Wrasses are plentiful . One section of the West face has an area covered with giant sea anemones along with the usual Anemone and Clownfish. Schools of small Barracuda, Jacks and Tangs can be seen at the North point. There are a few small caves at the southwest end allowing entry only at high tide.
The area is great for snorkeling, in particular the southern point. Another benefit for divers and snorkellers, is that there is little or no surface traffic of speedboats and jetski’s.
Koh Larn:
The left of the bay there is a breakwater of large boulders. Along the seaward side of this breakwater the area is good for snorkeling and diving, although the diving is very shallow. As you continue South West towards the head, the corals get progressively deeper, extending down to about 15 meters. At this point you round the head and come upon an area of short gullies with rock walls about 3m high. The sandy bottom offsets the walls and the corals very well. The marine life is plentiful and good and the area is home to a few Turtles and numerous Grey Nurse Sharks.
Still with the same area, set off to the North East from the bay towards the cliff face on the island. The diver will find an area with flat sandy bottom and many large coral heads and groupings, Here you will find numerous Giant Sea Anemones with their inhabitants as well as a variety of Elephant Ear Anemones and the Black and White Clown Fish. Many divers may have seen these clown fish and observed their habit of disappearing into the mouth of the anemone as the divers approach. These fish make very good photographic subjects.
A point to note around these islands is the large number of fishing boats that operate with their nets very close to the reefs. It is a pity that the authorities cannot control the practice of netting so close to these islands as they are visited daily by thousands of visitors hoping to view the excellent corals and the myriad of fish.
Koh Sac:
Koh Sac is a small almost kidney shaped island lying just to the North of Koh Larn. It is very popular with the large numbers of Asian tourists that come to Pattaya, and the waters can be very busy particularly in the mornings. From midday onwards the tourists tend to depart, leaving the divers and snorkelers to enjoy the beautiful bay and plentiful corals. This bay is well protected from the prevailing winds for most of the year and the water is calm and clear.
Please see my article “Scuba Diving Pattaya’s Koh Sac Island” for greater detail.
For further information please visit Adventure Divers Pattaya at www.pattayadivers.com
Tags: Breakwater, Clownfish, Drift Dive, Soft Corals, Western Face
