- Dive Trip Type: Premium
- Suitability: Experienced (Advanced Open Water or 20+ logged dives)
- Depth: 8 to 40 metres
Hin Daeng & Hin Muang are world famous dive sites, arguably among the best in Thailand and certainly the best outside of the Similan Islands. The 2 pinnacles are located a good distance from land and are surrounded by deep water. Manta rays and whalesharks are frequent visitors. Ocean Divers use a speedboat to get to this remote area. The speedboat is able to make the journey in just 1.5 hours compared to 4 hours for a big boat.
Hin Daeng (Thai for Red Rock) is a large underwater formation which just breaks the surface. The part of the pinnacle that is visible as you approach is just barren rock, and this is completely at odds with lush life and beauty that lies below. The eastern and northern sides offer shallower water, whereas the western and southern sides features a long sandy slope with coral patches which leads to a drop off that just keeps on getting deeper.
Hin Daeng’s red soft coral is lush, and huge schools of jacks and trevally sweep past the ridge, surrounding you with a shimmering wall of fish. It’s very easy to get mesmerised by the ample marine life but is is important to watch your depth! At the south end of the site, the wall drops to about 70m and the unwitting diver can find themselves deeper than they planned. Aside from checking out the soft corals, always keep an eye on the “big blue”. If a whale shark should appear, it’ll probably be here. You sometimes need an extra pair of eyes on Hin Daeng, also look up and be ready for the shadow of a manta ray…
Ascending to the shallows you’ll see crocodile needle fish and barracuda hunting their prey, and large schools of fusiliers darting this way and that. The shallower areas are also home to a myriad of macro life and critters.
Hin Muang (Thai for Purple Rock) is the deepest vertical wall dive site in Thailand. The southern side descends to over 60 metres. The pinnacle is completely submerged and is home to a huge amount of marine life, both in terms of numbers as well as in variety. The pinnacle is approximately 200 metres by 25 metres and is covered in purple soft coral, from where the site gets its name.
Due to the shape and orientation Hin Muang can be a challenging dive if the current is fast. Hin Muang can be a challenge in another way, it’s almost impossible to see everything! It’s not uncommon to see a diver with a camera focusing on an unusual shrimp or crab, totally oblivious to the whaleshark behind him or the manta ray cruising above. You really do need eyes in the back of your head!
Go back to Dive Sites of Ocean Divers.