Koh Dok Mai – Dive Site Info
Rating by MV Giamani: ★★★★☆
Location: Shark Point – K. Cruiser & Anemone Reef cluster
Type: wall dive
Depth: 0-25 m
Visibility: 5-20 m
Difficulty: intermediate / advanced
Current: moderate / strong
Cruise: 2D/2N (high season), 2D/2N (summer season)
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Koh Dok Mai – Description
Koh Dok Mai is a little limestone island located roughly 20 Km (13 Mi) east of Phuket. The dive site is different from most of the other Phuket dive sites as it’s almost entirely a wall dive. It’s possible to dive on both sides of the island, however, when the sea conditions allow it, we prefer to focus our dive on the east side as it’s the most peculiar one. The wall, that for the most part is over 20 meters deep, is mostly covered in soft and hard coral. While there is a fair amount of fish life with some resident schools of snappers and bigeye barracudas plus all the usual reef fish, Koh Dok Mai is famous for its incredible amount of macro life. Looking closely into the many cracks and crevices it’s always possible to find interesting critters such as moray eels, shrimps, pipefish and more. The amount and variety of nudibranchs usually found in Koh Dok Mai is also impressive, with the most common species being the beautiful “Blue Dragon” (pteraeolidia ianthina), Flabellina, Phyllidia, and Glossodoris. In addition, when looking under some of the rocks near the sandy bottom, it’s possible to find some small Bamboo Sharks (family of nurse sharks) that during the day like to rest while hiding into tiny cracks. Another highlight of Koh Dok Mai besides the abundant marine life is the two large caverns, also located on the east side. The one situated around the middle part of the wall is deeper and longer, so not suitable for divers without appropriate training. The other cavern situated towards the southern end of the island instead is fairly shallow (14 meters) and wide, so can easily be explored by any diver who feels comfortable in an overhead environment. Apart from when the conditions are exceptionally good, Koh Dok Mai is a dive site more suitable for experienced divers as it’s often subject to fairly strong currents and the visibility can be very variable and unpredictable.