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There is a choice of two different local day dive trips from Khao Lak, the Bangsak Wreck Dive and the Khao Nayak Reef Dive.
For both day trips we use the local Thai style boats of this area - the longtail boat -which have been specially adapted for diving, with a covered roof to protect you from the midday sun and a ladder to assist you on entering the boat from the water.
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Bangsak Wreck Dive
2 tank dive B1,800 - includes use of a dive computer - and a free lunchThe Bangsak Wreck, named after the village of Bangsak 5km away, is an old tin mining boat that sank in 1984 in unknown circumstances at a depth of 18m. This boat was owned by the Boonsung Tin Mining Company and operated up and down the Andaman coast throughout the tin mining boom, which ended early last decade.At first, due to it's large size, the wreck lay close to the surface making it a safety hazard to local fishing vessels. So the Thai Navy were called in to bomb the boat, reducing its height by collapsing the decks, and creating the wreck that we dive on today.
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Over the years many shells and hard and soft corals have attached themselves to the hull, which has become an artificial reef and naturally attracts large schools of fish from the flat, sandy seabed.
One feature of this outstanding dive are the leopard sharks, which can often be found sleeping in the sand and occasionally come for a swim around us. And also the resident seahorses, curious batfish, a large family of porcupine fish and several kinds of crustaceans, along with large schools of barracuda and a huge diversity of fish life.
And once or twice … we even saw a whale shark …. |
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Closer to home, Khao Na Yak is the house reef for Khao Lak. Only 45 minutes away by local boat, and with a maximum depth of only 9m, this is a most relaxing dive and an excellent site for new divers or for those of you who haven't dived for a while.
Khao Na Yak Reef also appeals to experienced divers who like to spend some time focusing closely on the varied fish life of a tropical reef, with the advantage of a longer bottom time due to the shallow depth.
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Khao Na Yak Reef Dive
2 tank dive B1,300
Snorkeller B 700
Many beautiful nudibranchs can be found here - and see if you can find the ghost pipefish! Also visited by many lionfish and the occasional ray and leopard shark, and including a colourful selection of tropical fish, this dive site is the perfect place to concentrate on the small things
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