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Scuba Diving at Hin Luk Bath Diving Spots
This guide contains helpful tips about the best dive spots near Koh Chang with extra information about the sea life found in the Gulf of Thailand.
Hin Luk Bat is one of the premier destinations for scuba in Koh Chang. This small collection of pinnacles generates a spectacular backdrop of natural coral habitats for a range of tropical reef fishes.
Which Month is Best for Diving Koh Chang?
Unlike the Andaman Sea in the west, the eastern coastline of Thailand is unique for several reasons:
- Most of the coral reef dives are shallow (less than 12 metres deep) so they are suitable for all PADI® certification levels.
- You will also find a variety of challenging dive sites (including some of the best shipwreck dives in Thailand for beginners).
- The eastern seaboard tends to be sheltered from the worst of monsoon rains that sometimes rule out diving altogether in areas like Phuket and the Phi Phi dive sites in Krabi province.
It's fair to say that most scuba divers want to explore top diving destinations that have calm conditions underwater with lots of sunny and dry weather above the waterline.
In fact, Trat province has over 300 days of year-round sunshine and the water temperature rarely drops below 29° Celsius (84° Fahrenheit).
As a result, the white sand beaches and clear blue water at Koh Chang Island have transformed this area into one of the top places for memorable Thailand diving holidays.
Here's the thing:
Scuba diving in Koh Chang tends to be a year-round activity. Still, divers need to be mindful that southwest storms usually arrive towards the end of October and may last for several weeks.
At certain times of the year, the north eastern gulf can have twenty (20) metres of visibility underwater. Thus, the best months for scuba diving and snorkeling trips are from the beginning of September through to the latter part of February.
Pro Tip: Check out our sea life section for interesting facts about sharks (e.g. blacktip reef sharks) and rays (e.g. spotted eagle rays) that sometimes put in an appearance at the outer islands.
Tips for Diving Hin Luk Bath
As you may expect, the main pinnacle creates the ideal refuge for shoaling fish, especially the butterflyfish species (Chaetodontidae).
In addition, the huge underwater boulders that surround it form some exciting swim throughs for divers with good buoyancy skills.
Even though the average depth for scuba diving is about fifteen (15) metres, you can actually dive to 25 metres (80 feet) at the deepest point.
Pro Tip: Hin Luk Bat is a colourful triangular shaped dive site and only a short twenty minute boat ride from Bang Bao Pier. Hence, not only is it a popular destination for beginners, it's also a good spot for night diving.
Sea Life at Hin Luk Bat
Having the opportunity to experience interesting topography, clearer underwater visibility, and a superabundance of aquatic creatures are the main reasons divers choose to visit the best dive spots in Koh Chang.
Divers can expect to see some big fishes (e.g. sharks) and catch sightings of common marine life that is native to the northern Gulf of Thailand, especially during the plankton blooms in March and April, including:
- Angelfish (e.g. blue ring angelfish)
Batfish (Platax orbicularis)- Chevron barracuda
- Christmas tree worm (Spirobranchus giganteus)
- Fusilier fish species
- Grouper fish
- Hermit crab (superfamily Paguroidea)
- Moray eel (Muraenidae)
- Parrotfish (family Scaridae)
- Pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae)
- Schooling bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes)
- Sea cucumber (echinoderm)
- Serpent coral (Pachyseris speciosa)
- Stingrays (Myliobatiformes)
Pro Tip: Koh Chang dive sites offer good opportunities to explore diverse sea life that lives around hard and soft corals. For example, the hard varieties include brain, table, and staghorn corals. Some soft coral species include bubble corals (Plerogyra sinuosa) and toadstool leather corals (Genus Sarcophyton).