The King Cruiser was once a car ferry way back in the early sixties when she first started to plough the seas. Since then, it had been used as a passenger ferry, until that was the fateful day she finally sank.
King Cruiser is a great dive to do as part of the Adventure or Advanced Dive Courses.
On May 4th 1997 The King Cruiser was on her way back from Phi Phi Island and for some reason unknown, she hit another local dive site (Anemone Reef – a beautiful site by the way).
No damage was done to the reef however King Cruiser was not so lucky, she developed a hole and subsequently went down to the bottom and never to return. However when she went down, thankfully, there was no loss of life, only red faces, not quite sure what happen to the captain, I am sure he was not a popular man at the time though.
The King Cruiser sank slowly on her side but settled up right. This makes navigation easier especially compared to other wrecks.
She is 85m/279 ft long and 26m/85 ft wide and sits in 30m/98 ft of water, with several buoy lines attached, the shallowest point being at 14m/ 46ft.
This artificial reef attracts a variety of marine life including; Yellow Tail Barracudas, many species of Snapper, Trevallies love it here -for the hunting is exceptional for them. Bearded and raggy Scorpion Fish, Lionfish, Black and White Coral Banded Sea Snakes, Porcupine fish to name a few all call the King Cruiser home.
The whole dive site is what we call an artificial reef and is perfect breeding ground for many species, and with that in mind, there are many predators, so you will see some serious action here.
The site is not too far from the Anemone Reef and Phuket Shark Point dive sites, and many companies incorporate them into a one day dive trip, usually included also is Koh Doc Mai.
DIVE TIPS:
- Max. Depth: 33m
- Level of difficulty: Advanced upwards.
- Visibility: 5/25m
- Current: Weak to strong.
- Special features: Car deck, bridge, heads, passenger deck, all now not accessible can be dangerous.
- Quick tip: Use buoy lines for ascent /decent. Be careful of sharp shells on the entrances of the ship.
- Recommended season: All year round
- Special training required for wreck penetration.
Other Phuket Dive Sites
