Homerun Reef is a fantastic dive to end your days’ diving on Racha Yai, many of the dive companies favour this site not because its closer to home, because it has so much to offer. It is ideal for all divers whether on a course or experienced divers there is something for everyone.
Racha Yai is also fantastic for doing the PADI Open Water and Advanced Courses here too… Continue Reading…
There are several Wrecks scattered around Racha Yai, and Homerun host one of the smallest wreck you will encounter anywhere. The wreck here is an old speed boat; it sits down at about 18 metres and is cover in marine life.
Homerun has some soft corals mainly though it is the hard corals that have thrived here; though much of it died a few years ago due to the warmer waters that damaged much of the hard corals all down the Andaman coast line.
There are many different species of reef fish here to find. As you enter the water you will see some very large boulders leading into the shallows, this is a good place to descend asyou can use the rocks as a reference. Once down the visibility should clear to around 20 metres maybe more.
If you stay close to the bottom you may come across some Garden Eels, strange little creatures that bury themselves in the sand with only their little head sticking out. They do this in the hope of catching any small crustaceans and zoo plankton as it drifts by in the current.
Speaking of current, it generally runs south to north and is sometimes a little strong, so makes for a great drift dive, if you are so inclined. If there is little drift then heading pout towards the little wreck will make the dive all that bit more special.
There is usually a small school of Yellow Snapper hanging about near the wreck, once you get close to the wreck you can rest your fins on the bottom, making sure first that there is nothing that could get damaged of course. If you get real close you will be able to find Jens Cleaner Pipefish, but first you should spot the Durban dancing Shrimp and Cleaner Box Shrimp, put your hand near them and they may even give you a manicure.
Have a look around on the sand too; I have on occasion seen Flatheads and snake eels buried, hard to spot even with a keen eye though. There are some barracudas usually lurking in the background, even some Blue Fin Trevallies.
Both these predators take full advantage of dive sites like this one, as they know they can pick up a cheap meal, what with all the juvenile fishes present it’s a smorgasbord for them.
Turning back towards the reef to continue the rest of the dive you should find Trumpet fish and cornet fish both of these species are aggressive hunters, the trumpet fish likes to hide on the back of large groupers, as a way of concealing itself to its prey before the final deadly strike, great to watch.
Also using camouflage as an aid for sneakiness the scorpion fishes are the masters, they just sit there , perfectly marked like their surroundings and wait for the right sized, bite sized fishy to come along, then its ‘POW’ lunch time baby.
Dive Tips
- Max depth: 20 metres
- Level of difficulty: Suitable for all
- Visibility: 10 – 30m / 33 – 100ft.
- Current: weak sometimes good drift
- Special features: Large boulders and small wreck
Quick tip: Watch where you put your hands on the wreck
Racha Yai Dive Sites
- Homerun
- Lucy’s Reef
- Marla’s Mystery
- Siam Bay
- Bungalow Bay
