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Journey: 3,5 hours,
Depth: 0-40+ metres,
Maximum Depth: 70 metres
2 world class dive spots! These two reefs surely are among the most beautiful
and best sites you can find in Andaman Sea. |
Due
to the exposed location (approx. 30 nautical miles off
of Ko Lanta) visibility is excellent with 15-35 metres
and the abundance of plankton attracts a variety of large
fishes (manta rays, whale sharks, reef sharks).
Since Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are only 500 metres apart you can dive
at both spots during a day trip.
Hin Muang (Thai for
purple rock): This underwater reef starts
at a depth of approx. 10 metres and consists of two
long rocks which are separated by a small canyon.
Two buoy ropes provide for a safe and comfortable
descent and safety-stop. The top of the reef is in
terraces whereas the area below 20-25 metres drops
into a rock wall.
Since strong currents can occur this dive site is more suitable for advanced
divers.
Marine life: The
diver can observe a breathtaking multitude of pelagic
fishes such as mackerels, tunas, fusilier, rainbow
runners, reef sharks, barracudas, bat fish, large
moray eels, groupers, scorpion fish, stone fish,
clown triggerfish as well as a huge variety of small
fishes, sea-urchins, starfish and crabs. Chances
are high of even coming across large manta rays.
Moreover, Hin Muang is one of the sites where divers
will most likely see whale sharks. And on a large
sandbank at a depth of 26 metres, you can watch leopard
sharks taking a nap.
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Fauna: An
amazingly colourful variety of soft and hard corals
with feather stars, black corals and gorgonian corals.
The top of the smaller reef in the West is completely
covered with sea anemones, whereas the larger rock
in the East is sumptuously overgrown with soft corals
in purple, pink, orange and white colour.
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Hin Daeng (Thai for red rock): A
round underwater massif with 3 tips pointing through the water surface.
Divers can explore rock walls, canyons, caves, niches and a large reef
plateau. Hin Daeng can be rounded easily in one dive.
Marine life: Stunning
shoals of pelagic fishes such as mackerels, large
yellow barracudas, tunas, fusilier fish and rainbow
runners. Manta rays with a span of 2-4 metres majestically
glide through the blue water. The reef is crowded
with large potato groupers, moray eels, octopus,
redtoothed triggerfish, surgeonfish, anglerfish,
parrot fish, anemone fish as well as vermilion rock
cods. Well camouflaged scorpion fish lie in wait
for prey while several leopard sharks peacefully
doze in the sand. At the same time, Hin Daeng is
the home of many smaller creatures. A variety of
shrimp lives in the crevices and clefts (red-white
banded boxer shrimp, striped hinge-beak shrimp, harlekin
shrimp) and colourful reef fishes wait patiently
for cleaner shrimp to clean their gills. Also nudibranch
and ornate ghostpipefish in bizarre colours and shapes
can be found.
Fauna: Beautiful
red and orange soft corals, gorgonian corals, hard
corals, fire corals, sponges, feather stars, anemones
and green sea grass within the upper reef. Hin Daeng
impresses by its breathtaking colourful abundance
of marine life and is surely the ultimate dive spot
of the Southern Andaman Sea!
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