Samaesarn 13-13 Jul 2025

General Info

It is a group of islands off the coast of Sattahip under the supervision of the Royal Thai Navy. Samaesan is the largest island among many islets where diving spots are located. It’s a place where many dive schools take their students to practice their skills.

There are no accommodations on the islands, but on the mainland there are many options. There are also seafood markets from local fishermen.

Apart from diving activities, there are many places you can visit in the area, for example, the Natural History Museum, which is in the same area as the boat ticket sales point to Koh Samaesan and Koh Kham. Not far from there, there is the largest clownfish farm in Thailand, which has an exhibition zone open to the public. To the north at Tien Talay Beach, there is "Sea Turtle Conservation Center" run by the Royal Thai Navy, which has exhibition zones, a nursery area for releasing into the wild, and rescue and rehabilitation center.

Caution

Many dive sites in this area have a strong current, especially at the tip of the cape and the water channel. Divers should plan to dive during neap tides and always have SMB with you as there are many boats around.

• Diving Type

  Boat Diving, Drift Diving, Wreck Diving

• Level

  Beginner, Experience Diver

• Visibility

  3 - 15 m.

• Current

  None - Strong

• Dive Site

  Samaesan: Hardeep Wreck, Japanese Garden, Ko Chuang, Ko Chan, Ko Rong Khon, Ko Rong Nang, Shark Point, Hin Lak-bet, Rock Garden
  Sattahip: Petchburi Bremen Wreck, Ko Ei Ra, Ko Ei Lao, Hin Ta, Hin Yai

• Season

  All seasons, but during July - September, there may be rain and wind waves on some days.

• Highlight

  - If you are a sea slug lover, this place is for you. According to citizen science’s database in the Sea Slug Thailand Group, there have been over 150 species of sea slugs found here.
  
  - It’s also a paradise for clownfish lovers, especially the false clown anemonefish (aka. Nemo), which is normally a species rarely found in the Gulf of Thailand.
  
  - Two new soft coral species of the world were discovered here, Chironephthya sirindhornae and Chironephthya cornigera.
  
  - Whale sharks can be seen. Even the rarer bull sharks have been reported at the Suthathip wreck in February 2022.
  
  - Other interesting animals include stingrays, sea turtles, xeno crabs, barracudas, cleaner pipefish, seahorses, etc

Traveling to Samaesan can be done by personal car or public transport, which includes minibus or train. For minibus, the nearest stop to get off is at km6 or km10. For the train, you can get off at the Phlu Ta Luang Station, but this route is available only on Saturday and Sunday.

From the town of Samaesan, you can take a local public transport called Song Theaw or a motorcycle taxi to the pier, where there are many piers for different diving companies in the same vicinity.