Bungalow Bay the name derives from the many Bungalows that adorned this beautiful little bay on Racha Yai. There are two dive sites here, and are mainly chosen for diving in the low season when it becomes too rough on the east coast to dive.
Racha Yai is also fantastic for doing the PADI Open Water and Advanced Courses here too… Continue Reading…
Both north and south side dive sites are gentle sloping reefs the bottom is covered in many large and some not so large boulders. It is a great site for those who are just starting out to learn to dive and conducting courses.
There is some sandy areas where to conduct dive skills is the norm, like mask clearing, regulator recovery and so on. There are some fine wonders here too, as you look out onto the sand you are sure to find several Blue Spotted Stingrays and other sand dwelling fishes.
There is a chance to see some Barracuda, there is a large group of Yellow Tailed Barracudas that are very inquisitive and like to know just who is playing about in their water.
Look closely within the large boulders and you will discover a plethora of Scorpion fishes, Lion fish and Raggy and Bearded Scorpion fish all love this bay as there is lots of tiny juvenile fish that they can feast on – be careful where you put your hands.
Also it is quite possible to bump into a Hawksbill Turtle, this fellow has been living here for years, and is quite at home rummaging through all the soft corals for food. Titan Triggerfish thrive here too, also the Picasso Triggerfish and little Red Tooth Triggers call Bungalow Bay home too.
There has been an artificial reef constructed here, consisting of huge concrete cubes which were dropped a few years ago, hoping to help nature recover from the loss of many hard corals, and it is working too, as they are growing back quickly. We lost quite a few species of hard corals due to high water temperatures a few years ago.
It is always a good idea to have a god look around this artificial reef, as there is always something different to see. Scorpion fish will be lurking and Octopus maybe hiding inside the cracks of the concrete construction.
If you are really lucky then you might just see some very special visitors too, out further off the reef resting on the sand, it is more than possible to find the odd sleeping Leopard Shark, these are wonderful and graceful creatures, and if you have ever seen one or watched them swim you will know just what I mean.
Only recently too, we spotted a very large Manta Ray come into the bay, it was all going very smoothly, everything was bright and colourful, then all of a sudden everything went dark we were only at 10 metres.
I thought the sun had gone in, oh how wrong I was. There just 4 metres above us was the biggest Manta Ray in the world, well maybe not the biggest, but she was big, very big.
Manta Rays can also be seen on Racha Yai Sister Island of Racha Noi
Dive Tips
- Max depth: 20 metres
- Level of difficulty: Suitable for all
- Visibility: 10 – 30m / 33 – 100ft.
- Current: weak
- Special features: Large boulders supporting Macro life
Quick tip: always use an Surface marker Buoy
Racha Yai Dive Sites:
- Homerun
- Lucy’s Reef
- Marla’s Mystery
- Siam Bay
- Bungalow Bay
