MANTA QUEEN 2

The horseshoe-shaped reef discovered by Jacques-Yves Cousteau on his way to the Similan Islands is known for its purple corals (it reminded Jacques Cousteau of Cardinal Richelieu´s purple robe) as well as diverse marine life ranging from small fish and harlequin shrimp to large pelagics like whale shark, manta ray, barracuda and grouper. The pinnacle falls steeply to the surrounding sand bottom at a maximum depth of 35 metres. The south side is a bay with a slope that gently falls to the deep, while the rest comprises sheer walls, groups of rocks and numerous small caves that are home to various marine life.

The majority of corals are colourful soft corals jostling against the wall, accompanied by huge sea fans, hard corals and sea anemones. Covered with colourful soft corals and sea fans, the group of rocks to the northwest host some spectacular species.

Due to the large scale of Richelieu Rock, it is not possible to explore the whole site in one dive. You should plan at least two dives here. Enter at the southeast mooring line and then take the left or right side depending on the current. Ascend with caution, when finishing every dive use a surface marker, swim away from the pinnacle and surface slowly, looking for boat traffic all the time.

Amazement awaits divers in every square metre of Richelieu Rock. Slowing down your pace gives you the reward of a chance to meet rare, camouflaged species. Always keep an eye over your shoulder in case of passing Whale Shark.

Without doubt this is ¨The Highlight¨ during any of our liveaboard trips with The Manta Queen Fleet.

The southern Thailand diving pinnacle is bigger, at a diving depth of 12 metres to the top. It is a dome shape surrounded by large boulders. The Thailand diving sand bottom is at a scubadiving depth of around 30 to 45 metres, with the deepest area on the southern side. To the west you will find large boulders at the Thailand diving divesite, some of which have formed diving swim-throughs. In the east, you will find stacks of small rocks, most of which are covered by hard corals and sea whips. Colourful soft corals and sea fans dominate the northern area of the Marine National Park. The top of the Thailand diving pinnacle is a wide flat plain with bush and mountain coral. This huge first Thailand diving pinnacle links to the smaller second diving pinnacle with a Thailand diving sand patch at 24 metres.

From the southern pinnacle, it is about a 50 metre swim at 24 metres depth to the northern pinnacle. The top of the northern pinnacle lies at a depth of 18 metres. This smaller pinnacle comprises a wide range of rock clusters and is home to large sea fans and corals, which are similar to the ones found on the southern pinnacle.

The diving reef slopes from a diving depth of 10 metres down to sandy diving bottom at 25 to 30 metres. The majority of corals here are hard corals including staghorn coral and brain coral that are interspersed with a few big coral heads.

Some 800 metres to the northwest of the island, there is a submerged pinnacle, which is sometimes marked by a buoy set by the Similan National Marine Park based in Khao Lak, although it is often washed away, thus a depth finder is essential here. The pinnacle is at a depth of 18 to 45 metres and is covered by an abundance of yellow soft corals and large sea fans ideally for khao lak scuba adventures liveaboard diving boats for both thailand PADI scuba courses and khaolak liveaboards as much as Thailand diving liveaboards like the mantaqueen fleet.

The idea is to arrive on the top of the Thailand liveaboard diving pinnacle as soon as possible, as to avoid being blown off the khao lak dive site. Without a diving mooring line to use for the padi scuba descent, we are forced to jump in the similan water with the BCD completely empty, and descend straight away, finning to the top of the scuba pinnacle, where your manta queen dive guide will ask the first “OK?” Don’t worry though! Erase your serious face! Your khao lak scuba adventures dive guide will give you all the liveaboard scuba information you need for the similan liveaboard dive, and will address any worries you may have, in their enthusiastic and thorough manta queen dive briefing.

Check the deeper area for similan leopard sharks, thailand marble rays, and spotted eagle rays. Careful with dive buoyancy around this wall of the thailand dive pinnacle, as it drops down to about 50 meters.

Keep an eye out for the really special Sponge Snail that, in theory, resides in the Maldives but is spotted in the Thailand Liveaboard Andaman area and the Similan Islands as well.

Around the wreck, which locals describe as “fish soup,” you will pass through clouds of snappers, fusiliers, batfish, and trevally as you look for the special things living within the wreck and in the surrounding sand. Crocodile fish, stonefish, scorpionfish, lionfish, ornate ghost pipefish and much more reside with the kings of the site, the nudibranch. Do you think you will be able to find more than 10 different species on the same dive? I know I will!

Avoid penetrating the wreck at all costs. Since the tsunami broke it apart, the separate structures are very unstable. Also keep your eyes peeled for the many lionfish found hovering about the entire site. They always have the right of way.