Hin Klai – Dive Site Info
Rating by MV Giamani: ★★★★☆
Location: Phi Phi Islands
Type: submerged pinnacle/reef
Depth: 5-18 m
Visibility: 5-20+ m
Difficulty: beginner / intermediate
Current: none / moderate
Cruise: 2D/2N & 2D/3N – summer schedule
Swipe or click the arrows to see more photos
Hin Klai – Description
Hin Klai, also known as Garang Heng, is small submerged coral pinnacle situated in the blue about 2 Km straight east of Phi Phi Leh Island. This excellent Phi Phi Islands Dive Site is suitable for all experience levels as it’s fairly shallow and easy to navigate, having a maximum of 13 meters depth on the south side and 17 meters on the north side. The top of this round-shaped mass of coral and rocks is at about 5 meters of depth, so the whole dive site is completely submerged at all times. From the top, the reef gently slopes down on all sides until it meets the sandy bottom that surrounds the pinnacle. It’s exactly on this sandy bottom, usually on the north side, that very frequently it’s possible to spot the Leopard Shark (Zebra Shark). Hin Klai is currently the dive site that offers the highest chance to find leopard sharks in the area, and that’s why it’s been nicknamed “The Phi Phi Shark Point”. The reef is very healthy, as the whole rock is basically covered by all sorts of marine life including countless anemones, many species of soft and hard corals, and all around is possible to spot huge barrel sponged and sea fans. The amount of resident fish is also very impressive, especially on the northern (deeper) end of the pinnacle where huge schools of snappers and bigeye barracudas usually gather. The only big variable is always the visibility, that can range from very good to poor and is very unpredictable.