Phuket Dive Guide : Koh Rok
About the location and site
The two sister-islands of Ko Rok are known as Ko Rok Nok and Ko Rok Nai, which means the inner and the outer island. Both islands are located within the Mu Koh lanta National Marine Park, 25 kilometers south of Koh Ha.
They are named after a small fury animal (Rok) that can be found on these islands. Giant Monitor lizards, often over 1 meter in length, have also made their home here along with thousands of hermit crabs. Both uninhabited islands are 100% National Park land so there has been no development or roads here. The National Park headquarters and a campground are on the south side of Koh Rok Nai.
What you will find are colourful reefs and stunning, powder-white sandy beaches! Koh Rok Nok and Koh Rok Nai were the location for filming of the French version of the popular Survivor series.
The diving here is very shallow with a maximum depth of 20 metres but this results in good visibility and abundance in colourful marine life.
The shallow channel between Ko Rok’s twin islands reaches a maximum depth of 15 m, which makes Ko Rok a great destination for all levels and the top snorkeling site around Ko Lanta. This is great place for spotting and diving with sharks!
The two sister-islands of Ko Rok are known as Ko Rok Nok and Ko Rok Nai, which means the inner and the outer island. Both islands are located within the Mu Koh lanta National Marine Park, 25 kilometers south of Koh Ha.
They are named after a small fury animal (Rok) that can be found on these islands. Giant Monitor lizards, often over 1 meter in length, have also made their home here along with thousands of hermit crabs. Both uninhabited islands are 100% National Park land so there has been no development or roads here. The National Park headquarters and a campground are on the south side of Koh Rok Nai.
What you will find are colourful reefs and stunning, powder-white sandy beaches! Koh Rok Nok and Koh Rok Nai were the location for filming of the French version of the popular Survivor series.
The diving here is very shallow with a maximum depth of 20 metres but this results in good visibility and abundance in colourful marine life.
The shallow channel between Ko Rok’s twin islands reaches a maximum depth of 15 m, which makes Ko Rok a great destination for all levels and the top snorkeling site around Ko Lanta. This is great place for spotting and diving with sharks!
Koh Rok is best described as a coral garden. The corals are among the best in the area at these dive sites.
The west side slopes gently downwards to a sandy bottom between 21 – 25 metres. There is an abundance of colourful reef fish here as well as plenty of moray eels and octopus. You can expect to see plenty of angelfish, butterflyfish, pufferfish, anemon fish and Snappers. Look closely for the numerous different nudibranchs. Blacktip reef sharks can be seen in the early morning and again at dusk. Watch out for Kuhl's blue-spotted stingrays partially hidden in the sand on the seabed, the most common type of ray found at Thailand's dive sites. On the eastern side of Koh Rok, enormous Gorgonian Sea Fans, hard corals, interspersed with many colourful, soft corals and sponges dominate the deeper areas. This attracts plenty of turtles, as the Hawksbill turtle and you can get quite close to them, especially while they are feeding. The point of the island has strong current so pelagic fish are often seen here including mackerels and cobias.
The channel offers a semi sheltered anchorage and this spot is good for muck diving with many small creatures hiding in the cracks waiting to be spotted.
If you look out into the blue, you might be lucky enough to spot an Eagle Ray or even a passing White-Tip Reef Shark.
There are great underwater photography opportunities and the visibility is usually superb.
The spectacular twin beaches, crystal-clear water and abundant wildlife, above and below the water, make the diving and snorkeling at Ko Rok very relaxing and scenic.
The west side slopes gently downwards to a sandy bottom between 21 – 25 metres. There is an abundance of colourful reef fish here as well as plenty of moray eels and octopus. You can expect to see plenty of angelfish, butterflyfish, pufferfish, anemon fish and Snappers. Look closely for the numerous different nudibranchs. Blacktip reef sharks can be seen in the early morning and again at dusk. Watch out for Kuhl's blue-spotted stingrays partially hidden in the sand on the seabed, the most common type of ray found at Thailand's dive sites. On the eastern side of Koh Rok, enormous Gorgonian Sea Fans, hard corals, interspersed with many colourful, soft corals and sponges dominate the deeper areas. This attracts plenty of turtles, as the Hawksbill turtle and you can get quite close to them, especially while they are feeding. The point of the island has strong current so pelagic fish are often seen here including mackerels and cobias.
The channel offers a semi sheltered anchorage and this spot is good for muck diving with many small creatures hiding in the cracks waiting to be spotted.
If you look out into the blue, you might be lucky enough to spot an Eagle Ray or even a passing White-Tip Reef Shark.
There are great underwater photography opportunities and the visibility is usually superb.
The spectacular twin beaches, crystal-clear water and abundant wildlife, above and below the water, make the diving and snorkeling at Ko Rok very relaxing and scenic.
Phuket Dive Guide dive maps : Koh Rok
