Thailand Scuba Diving Dive Site Directory

Description

The 85m ‘King Cruiser’ passenger ferry sank on the 4th May 1997 after straying several kilometers off course and hitting Anemone reef. The impact also tore a large hole in the vessel’s hull.

	King Cruiser has now become an effective artificial reef and provides a good site for deep diving and wreck exploration. The wreck is home to large schools of snappers and has an abundance of Lionfish and well camouflaged Scorpionfish.
Depths range from 14-30m and there can be strong currents depending on tidal movements. The sunken vessel attracts a high diversity of marine life; invertebrates have taken up residence and juvenile reef fish hover around the now barnacle-encrusted frame.

Daylight penetrates the majority of the wreck, though there are some areas that can only be explored with an artificial light source. Beware that quite a few areas have collapsed ceilings - these should not be entered at all.

Watching out for the Reef: Coral Conservation Guide for Divers

• Avoid touching live corals. You can kill them with your bare hands.
• Keep your gauge and octopus hoses close to yourself and prevent them damaging the reef.
• Secure your weight belt. Dropping of the weights can destroy the reef.
• Refrain from chasing or touching animals, especially manta rays and whale sharks.
•Maintain a comfortable distant and enjoy
watching them!

Many divers unintentionally destroy corals whilst diving. Here are a few guidelines on how to avoid doing so.

• Use the correct amount of weight to aid in your buoyancy.
• Control your fins; keep them away from the reefs and avoid kicking sand onto the corals.
• Do not pick up organic objects (dead or alive) from the sea. Likewise, please do not buy shells or other decorative products made from sea animals.
• Do not stand or rest on the stone-like corals. After all, they are living animals.

Andaman Sky, Co., Ltd, 23/8 Moo 2, Ao Nang, Thailand