The sinking of the Thai Navy Ship HTMS Sattakup was not an accident.
Koh Tao dive sites have a new wreck dive located a few meters south of Hin Pee Wee.
The Sattakut wreck was intentionally sunk to create an artificial reef for fishes and marine organisms.
It rests at 30 meters on the seafloor and creates an impressive sight for local scuba divers to explore.
The wreck has several unique military features still intact. You will find the remnants of the 76mm/50 mk 22 dp Sattakut gun at 16 meters if you descend the bow line.
The menacing looking gun sits on the ship's raised platform at the front of the ship. The conning tower is roughly mid-ships approximately 30 meters from the bow on the main deck.
The tower and the pilot house are good landmarks to note when diving along the wreck. Nearer to the stern you cannot miss the 40mm/60 Bofors Mk III cannon.
Underwater photographers and wreck diver enthusiasts will be surprised to find the canon operator seats have not been dismantled and remain a superb photo opportunity.
The wreck is a challenging dive for inexperienced divers and care should be taken around openings and entry ways. The long-awaited new wreck dive at Koh Tao is precisely what wreck specialty certified divers have been hoping for.
Marine creatures soon find new homes on large sheltered underwater structures. They take advantage of the safer environment that sunken ship wrecks offer. There are already regular sightings of Jenkins Whipray near to the bow, and schools of fusiliers and barracudas circling around the wheelhouse doorways.
The wreck's nearness to Hin Pee Wee encourages new coral growth and emerging habitats. In fact Koh Tao's dive sites are already established and recognized as huge attractions for the local diving and snorkeling shops and now the new buzz word is Shipwreck in the lower Gulf of Thailand.
Average Depth: 16m
Maximum Depth: 30m
Underwater Visibility: 10 - 20m
General Currents: Moderate to Strong
Unusual Hazards: Sharp Metal, Doorways
Points of Interest: Jenkins Whipray, Barracudas, Fusiliers.
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