Racha Yai Island Dive Sites
Racha Yai Island is located approximately 28 kilometers south of Phuket. Its close proximity to Phuket, combined with a wide range of depths and numerous dive sites, makes Racha Yai one of the most popular diving destinations in the area.
And, although most of the dive sites on Racha Yai Island do not have great depths, the island is quite popular for most diving courses and dives for beginners.
Ao Patok Bay
On the west coast of the island is Ao Patok Bay or Bungalow Bay. From the surface, visitors are greeted by a wide, snow-white beach bordered by rocks and palm trees.
Ao Patok Bay allows you to make three different dives - along the southern wall, along the northern wall and in the middle of the bay.
The depth gradually increases from the shallow waters of the beach and reaches 20-25 meters at the exit from the bay. If you continue to move further west underwater, you can reach a depth of 40 meters or more.
The southern and northern walls of the bay are covered with hard corals. As a rule, along the walls you can find schools of small fish, lionfish, moray eels, various scorpionfish, groupers, and plenty of other marine life.
If you move along the southern wall, then at a depth of 9 meters you will find an artificial reef in the form of concrete spheres, and a little further you will see a large mushroom-shaped coral, under which there is a small cave through which you will probably want to swim. At the exit from the cave you can often see lionfish.
If you continue moving deeper, then at the bottom you will almost certainly notice stingrays, which perfectly camouflage themselves by burying themselves in the sand, so that often you can only see their eyes and a tail with a spike.
The central part of the bay will delight you with several reefs, near which you can often find schools of barracudas and fusiliers.
Siam Bay
On the northern side of the island is Siam Bay. The most interesting part of the bay is its center, where at a depth of 20 meters there are artificial reefs in the form of life-size elephants, as well as warriors in national armor. You’ll definitely want to add a photo of yourself ‘riding’ the underwater elephant to your collection.
In April 2026, the collection of underwater statues was expanded with a sculpture of Hanuman’s head. However, a strong storm in May partially damaged the structure, and divers are currently advised not to swim through it.
The eastern side of Racha Yai Island is the most popular due to its excellent visibility and varied terrain. There are two bays here where diving most often takes place. These bays are not as beautiful on the surface as Ao Patok Bay, but from a diving point of view they are much more interesting.
Ao Lah Bay - Bay #1
Ao Lah Bay or Bay #1 is located on the northern part of the eastern coast of the island. In the shallow part (3 to 8 meters) you will find a coral reef of hard corals. Moray eels and various scorpionfish hide among the corals. Very often you can find large stone fish here.
A little deeper, on the sandy bottom, you’ll find a large number of concrete cubes - an artificial reef installed in 2012 that is now quite well covered with coral growth.
Large triggerfish are often seen on the sand between the reef structures. Be careful around them, as these fish can be aggressive, especially during the breeding season.
A little further into the sea, at a depth of 20 meters, rests a specially sunken ship - the former dive boat Harrubi Star, which became a shelter for a large number of fish.
The ship is well preserved and you can take quite interesting photographs on it. Very often on the ship you can meet schools of barracudas and batfish, and inside the ship you will meet lionfish and small moray eels.
Further down, at a depth of 25 meters, lie the remains of another ship, which almost completely collapsed. However, what was left of the ship served as a home to various species of shrimp, nudibranchs and even frogfish. This place will delight those who like to photograph macro animals.
In October 2023, the “collection” of wrecks in Ao La Bay was expanded with a new addition - MV Meditation. This 44-meter pleasure yacht was handed over by the government to the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, which decided to turn it into another artificial reef.
Divers, of course, truly appreciated this decision. The wreck fits beautifully into the underwater “landscape” of the bay and has become another point of attraction not only for marine life, but also for divers of all levels.
Because the upper part of the vessel lies at a depth of just 10–12 meters, it is accessible even for Discover Scuba Diving beginners, as well as certified divers of different levels. The bottom of the wreck is at a depth of 20–22 meters. You can swim around the wreck during the Open Water course, but to enter the wreck safely, you need to complete the Advanced Open Water Diver level.
Ao Konkare Bay - Bay #3
A little further south is Ao Konkare Bay or Bay #3.
On the northern side of the bay you will find a beautiful stepped wall going down to a depth of 30 meters. Large barracudas and tuna often swim along the wall. And among the corals covering the wall you will find large moray eels.
In the southern part of the bay, at a depth of 20-25 meters, there is an artificial reef made of concrete cubes. Lionfish, bat fish and scorpionfish almost always live in the cubes. Around the cubes - on the sand, you will meet stingrays. Octopuses and cuttlefish are quite common in this bay.
The southern side of the island is rarely visited by divers, but is excellent for technical diving. It is quite easy to reach a depth of 50 meters here.
Racha Yai Island is perfect for most diving courses and try dives for beginners - Discover Scuba Diving programs. For better experience we recommend to book a combined trip to Racha Yai and Racha Noi Islands.