Richelieu rock diving day trip
Join us on our Richelieu rock diving day trips, considered to be one of Thailand’s best dive sites. If you want to add some world class diving to your holidays? Don’t miss this experience when you’re in Khao Lak.
Your adventure starts in the early morning with the pick up at your Khao Lak accommodation. The fast dive speedboat Blue Marlin leaves at 8:45 am from the Nam Khem pier and arrives about 75 minutes later at the dive site.
Diving at Richelieu rock in small groups
After setting up your equipment and a detailed briefing, you are ready for your first world-class dive of 45 to 60 minutes in a small group of 4 divers per professional dive guide. The composition of the groups is by dive experience and certification level to suit everybody.
Richelieu Rock is the most spectacular dive site in the Andaman Sea; an isolated giant rock formation located about 18 km east of the Surin Island Archipelago, north of the Similan Islands and part of the Surin National Marine Park, which is home to the most diverse and stunning marine life, unlike anywhere in the country.
Jacques Cousteau
The top of the Richelieu rock pinnacle rises about 1 meter above the sea level during low tide and disappears underwater during high tide. The legend says that the famous diver and explorer Jacques Cousteau was here and named it Richelieu Rock because the soft purple corals covering the entire pinnacle reminded him of the purple coat of his friend, Cardinal Richelieu.
Diving at Richelieu rock with whale sharks
Besides the stunning hard and soft corals and huge sea fans, you can see large groups of barracudas, trevallies and tuna, which grow big here due to the immense amount of reef fish they are hunting. Their primary targets are the big shoals of snappers and fusiliers feeding in mid-water.
Richelieu Rock is world famous for being one of the best places in Thailand to see big pelagic whale sharks; although the biggest fish on the planet (growing to a length of up to 16 meters!), they feed on the smallest creatures building the plankton and are believed to have a lifespan of over 100 years.
Seahorses and Ghost Pipefish
The horseshoe-shaped rock falls steeply down to the surrounding sand bottom at a maximum depth of 35 meters. It hosts enormous gorgonians and anemones with different kind of ‘clownfish’, some of them you don’t often see like the Tomato Anemonefish. The cracks and crevices of the limestone provide hiding spaces for so many different species that it is not possible to explore the whole site in one dive.
Small and big marine life at Richelieu rock
You get everything from the Yellow Tiger Tail Seahorse, Harlequin Shrimps, Ghost Pipefish, Frogfish, Mantis Shrimps, Nudibranches, Moray Eels and Scorpionfish to Giant Groupers, Lionfish and mating Cuttlefish. Go slow to find all the hidden and camouflaged creatures. As a photographer always make sure to bring ample batteries and the big memory cards!
Take a deep breath after the first Richelieu rock dive and enjoy the delicious Thai food for lunch, followed by relaxation, resting and tanning in the front of the boat, or stay in the shaded area if you like it more refreshing.
Just in time for the sundowner
Soon it’s time to plunge back in again and experience the second Richelieu rock dive on this fantastic dive site.
The ride back gives you just enough time to fill in your log book and share your underwater adventures with the other divers while enjoying some fruits or soft drinks; you will return early enough at your Khao Lak accommodation for a sundowner or happy hour drink.
Write to us or call us for more information about a Richelieu Rock diving day trip.
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- Diving day trip from Khao Lak
- 2 Dives
- Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai
- Max 4 divers with one professional guide
- Nitrox available
- Best price guarantee
- Book with local diving experts
ITINERARY
Itinerary
In the morning you get picked up from your accommodation in Khao Lak.
Around 08.45 AM the fast speedboat Blue Marlin leaves to dive site from Baan Namkhem jetty. The travel time is around 1.15 hours.
The friendly and experienced crew welcome you onboard on the dive boat. The Tourleader gives a short boat briefing before the Blue Marlin leaves.
Dive groups
Dive groups are based on certification level and dive experience. In this way everybody will feel themselves comfortable: from novice open water diver to the more experienced diver. The ratio is 4 divers to 1 Dive Master. Each Dive Master gives a detailed dive briefing to his group and helps you with setting up your diving gear.
First dive
Plunge into the crystal clear water and enjoy the incredible marine wildlife. Dive time 45-60 minutes.
Back onboard during the surface interval the lunch is served , water and soft drinks are available.
Now it’s time for the second dive, your Dive Master gives a detailed dive briefing and will help you with gearing up.
Plunge back into the water and get the experience some great diving.
Arrive at Baan Namkhem
After the last dive snacks and fresh fruit are served. The Blue Marlin starts returning back to the Baan Namkhem jetty. The arrival time is around 16.00 PM . The taxi is waiting to bring you back to your accommodation in Khao Lak.
Schedule can be changed due weather, sea conditions, instructions by the national park authorities.
SCHEDULE OCTOBER 2023 - MAY 2024
| Monday | Richelieu rock | ||
| 2 Dives | |||
| Tuesday | Koh Bon | ||
| 2 Dives | |||
| Wednesday | Richelieu rock | ||
| 2 Dives | |||
| Thursday | Koh Tachai | ||
| 2 dives | |||
| Friday | Richelieu rock | ||
| 2 Dives | |||
| Saturday | Richelieu rock | ||
| 2 Dives | |||
| Sunday | Koh Bon | ||
| 2 Dives | |||
PRICES
Richelieu rock daytrip 2 dives : 5.300.- Baht
Koh Bon daytrip 2 dives : 5.000.- Baht
Koh Tachai 2 dives : 5.000.- Baht
Book all 3 trips and save and get 10 % discount
Please read the FAQ for procedure for changing dive site due to weather / sea conditions
Included in the price are :
- Experienced dive guides and instructors
- Small dive groups of 4 divers to 1 dive guide
- 12 Liter tanks air
- Weights
- Lunch, fruits and snacks
- Drinking water, softdrinks
- Towels
- Transfers for Khao Lak area
Excluded in the price are :
- National park entrance and diving fees : 700.- Baht
- Full set of diving equipment : 500.- Baht per day
- 15 Liter tank : 200.- Baht per dive
- Nitrox 32 % : 100.- Baht per dive
- Dive computer : 300.- Baht per day
FAQ
Richelieu rock is a dive site in the middle of the sea without any shelter from islands. In case we have to change the dive sites due of weather / ocean conditions, here are our procedures :
If we can reach Richelieu Rock and have to leave the Rock after the first dive is done due of changes of the ocean conditions we have 3 options:
- If the ocean conditions allow us we will go for the second dive to Surin Islands ( not refund will apply )
- If the ocean conditions make a journey to Surin not possible / difficult or uncomfortable for our guests we go instead for the second dive to Boon Song Wreck ( no refund will apply )
- If the ocean conditions not allow us at all to go to Richelieu Rock either Surin Islands we change instead to Boon Song Wreck ( the price will be 3.200 THB )
No plastic bottles allowed on this trip
We hand out in the morning stainless steel thermo water bottles with numbers on to every customer on the boat what can get refilled out a stainless steel water provider attached in the boat.
MAKE AN INQUIRY
