Racha Yai – Siam bay is possibly the least busiest dive site on Racha Yai and is situated on the northwest side of Island. And it is here that you can actually dive with Elephants: ‘what, Elephants, are you sure?’
‘Yep!’
Back in 2006 someone had an idea to attract divers back to Thailand as it was still suffering from the tsunami effects (on tourism), this idea was brought about to recreate interest and help the local economy to recover.
Racha Yai is also fantastic for doing the PADI Open Water and Advanced Courses here too… Continue Reading…
So a couple of huge Elephant Statues were chiseled out and dropped in the middle of the bay, they make excellent photos models, no one will believe you have dived with these big guys, there is also a huge Oyster Shell and a very big Temple gate. I would strongly recommend here that you bring an underwater camera, you can buy disposables ones from most dive shops.
Siam Bay is another great place for training dives; compass navigation is made all the more fun here, due to the fine flat bottom sandy areas, bet you still get lost though! The visibility here tends to be even better than bungalow bay, mainly due to the location of the bay itself, as it is washed clean everyday by the surging tide, so the whole bay is left fresh and vitalized.
The fish life too here is good, Peacock Mantis Shrimps run a mock here, they love to construct their little caves, well it is more of a tunnel.
Try to spot them, if you look around on the sand and see a small hole which is built up by small pieces of stone and old dead coral, look more closely and then you should see another little hole about half a metre away.
This is the home of the Mantis Shrimp, feisty little fellows. They are not very well like in aquariums as they have been known to smashed the glass that holds them, so watch where you put your mask, they have one of the strongest kicks in the whole of the animal kingdom, amazing fact and true.
Also out on the sand, there will be lots of Blue Spotted Stingrays, now don’t worry, they are not dangerous, they are about half metre across and just lie on the sand waiting to get fed. If the diver gets too close, they will just up and swim off, sometimes causing a little stir for the diver, especially if the diver has not seen it until it’s too late.
Dive Tips
- Max depth: 20+ metres
- Level of difficulty: Suitable for all
- Visibility: 15 – 30m / 45 – 100ft.
- Current: weak
- Special features: Large Elephant Statues
Quick tip: Bring a camera
Racha YaiDive Sites:
- Homerun
- Lucy’s Reef
- Marla’s Mystery
- Siam Bay
- Bungalow Bay
