Diving in Thailand- Our Dive Center

We dive a variety of local reefs as well as the Surin Islands and Richilieu Rock.

Koh Ra Ecolodge IS THE CLOSEST resort to the world famous Surin Islands Marine National Park and Richilieu Rock dive sites. That means that you can maximize your Thailand diving time and relaxing and minimize your time on the boat running out to the islands.

We operate a dive center with new AquaMaster diving equipment, a compressor and our own small speedboat. When demand is high, we charter larger dive boats for trips to the Surin Islands. We carry oxygen aboard our boats and also on land and have trained PADI Dive Masters that accompany divers. We have a current emergency response plan in the event of an accident and evacuation to the hospital in Kuraburi or recompression chamber in Phuket.

Our emphasis is on marine ecology and our excellent dive and research staff is extremely knowledgeable about the undersea world in this region. In this regard, we are especially well-equipped to host research and study-tour groups.

Day trip to Surin Islands National Park:

Price- Baht 6200 (snorkeling Baht 3200). Price is for minimum of 2 divers; includes boat, dive master, lunch, drinking water, air tanks (2 dives), weights, National Park fee (600 baht for foreigners) and SCUBA equipment (new AquaMaster BCD's and regulators, gauges), dive insurance. Snorkeler or non-diver price baht 2900. (Note- we have had to increase prices due to increasing boating costs and national park fees).

Day trip to Richelieu Rock:

The best all-around dive site in Thailand, rocky pinnacle covered by soft corals, sea fans and many fish, and large pelagics

Price- Baht 6200. Price is for minimum of 2 divers; includes boat, dive master, lunch, drinking water, air tanks (2 dives), weights, National Park fee (600 baht for foreigners) and SCUBA equipment (new AquaMaster BCD's and regulators, gauges), dive insurance. Snorkeler or non-diver price baht 2900. (Note- we have had to increase prices due to increasing boating costs and national park fees).

We also organize liveaboard trips to Surin, Similan, and Burma Banks, from 3-10 days. Please inquire specifically for a liveaboard quote.

Day trip to local islands (Koh Ra, Koh Kai, Koh Lan):

Explore fascinating, seldom-visited local reefs with hard coral, gorgonian fans, abundant nudibranches and high fish diversity. The nearby islands are uninhabited and part of the Laem Son National Park. We also do trips to the local sea grass beds for a rare look at this important and unique habitat with a chance to see one of the resident dugongs.

Price ranges- Baht 2900-3900 (snorkeling Baht 1200-2400)for 2 dive day depending on distance.

Marine ecology workshops, training and study tours

Through our collaboration with Reef Check we can arrange educational workshops focusing on coral reefs, marine ecology, and conservation, either with or without EcoDiver certification. We have classroom facilities for teaching. For example, a typical 5 day course may have the following schedule:

• Day 1 - Classroom presentations covering basic coral reef ecology and common species of fish, invertebrates and corals found in the Indo-Pacific region, and an introduction to scientific methods.
• Day 2 - Scientific methods for studying coral reefs such as transects and quadrats. Afternoon dive focusing on species identification.
• Day 3 - Two dives focusing on species identification and scientific methods (practice transect).
• Day 4 - Two dives focusing on scientific methods- we will collect actual transect data which students will enter and we will analyze and discuss the results. Evening lecture on marine conservation challenges in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
• Day 5 - Two dives in the marine protected area and discussion about the successes of such management.

Other topics and schedules can be tailored. Please contact us well in advance (up to 6 months) to discuss arrangements.

Reef Check

See our Reef Check page for more details about marine conservation projects and the EcoDiver certificationschedule.