Diving in Thailand Sites

Richelieu Rock

Richelieu Rock rates as one of the best places in the world to dive with whale sharks and is easily the best site in Thailand diving for this amazing activity. Encounters with the whale sharks, the largest fish in the ocean, are rare almost everywhere in the world.

It's not the only Thailand dive destination where whale sharks are seen but Richelieu Rock certainly attracts more than its fair share. With nothing else for miles around, the whale sharks are attracted to the rock to feed on the rich planktonic blooms that occur here. A liveaboard charter is your best bet for diving here, as once they arrive, they tend to hang around for days, with an entourage of followers in tow, most notably cobias.

Swimming with such a large animal, known to grow to fourteen metres in length, is a never to be forgotten experience for any diver. Sightings occur about 10% of the time. Some dive seasons see more visitors than others and generally February to April is the best time for a visit if your aim is to enjoy the exhilaration of swimming with these massive creatures onboard liveaboards in Thailand.

Richelieu Rock boasts great biodiversity too and is worth several dives, with or without whale sharks. It consists of one main, horse shoe shaped splintered rock pinnacle, with several other smaller rocks around its edges. The limestone rocks are covered with anemones, sea fans, barrel sponges and soft corals of all kinds. From tomato anemone fish, yellow boxfish, white-eyed moray eels and mantis shrimps to nurse sharks, manta rays, one metre Malabar groupers and chevron barracuda, there's always plenty of life to grab your attention on this dive.

The problem for underwater photographers diving Richelieu Rock is which lens should you dive with. On the one hand there's the resident frog fish and seahorses that make such willing macro photo subjects. Mating cuttlefish and octopus are also common sights. Then, on the other hand, there's the chance of something really big swimming by and leaving you wishing that you'd selected your wide angle lens!

Richelieu Rock can be a deep dive but there is also plenty to see at shallow depths all the way to the surface. When the currents are strong there are always places to find shelter.

• Map of Similans and Surin Island

Richelieu Rock Reef Basics:
Great for: Large animals, small animals, underwater photography, dive value-for-money and advanced divers
Not so Great for: Wrecks, beginner divers, snorkelling, non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - 35m
Visibility: 15 - 35m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 26 - 29°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving Season: November to April
Distance: ~200 km north of Phuket (10 hours), 80 km northwest of Khao Lak (4 hours, or 2 hours by speed boat)
Access: Thailand liveaboards and Khao Lak diving day trips
Recommended length of stay: 2 days

Other nearby sites that can be dived on liveaboards and day trips, together with Richelieu Rock:

Other nearby sites that can only be dived on extended Richelieu Rock liveaboard cruises:

Use our short form to grab your best options
• Thailand scuba diving enquiries

• Back to Thailand diving sites index