Hin Klai - Garang HengHin Klai - Garang Heng

Hin Klai – Garang Heng

  • Distance: 56 Km boat trip of approx. 150 minutes.
  • Depth: 5 – 18 meters
  • Experience: Advanced

  • Reef type: Coral garden, Sea Fans, sandy area, lime stone rocks

  • Visibility: Variable 10 to 25 meters

  • Current: Variable, mild to medium

  • Corals: Hard Coarals and Sea Fans
  • Fish: Barracudas, Snappers, scorpionfish, moray eels, Lion Fishes
  • Highlights: Leopard Sharks, Whale Shark, Shrimps, sea slugs

The Hin Klai dive site is also known as Garang Heng. Hin Klai is an excellent diving site for divers of all levels of experience and it is located east of Phi Phi Ley and Phi Phi Don. It’s neither too deep nor too difficult to be dived by inexperienced divers, and it is interesting enough to be enjoyed by those with plenty of experience. 

The top of this cylindrical pinnacle is about 6 metres from the surface, and there is no buoy. Therefore this dive site is not suitable for snorkellers, and not ideal for Try Divers. However, for Open Water certified divers and above, it’s a great place to visit and generally unlikely to be crowded with other dive groups. 

Diving at Garang Heng needs to be timed carefully, as medium to strong currents and surface waves can make it difficult to ‘hit the dive site’ or return to the boat easily. Hin Klai is just the right size to be easily enjoyed in a one hour dive. In the right diving conditions, it’s easy enough for most divers to descend to the bottom then enjoy the dive site at a reasonable pace, without having to hurry.

If, during a slack tide, when there is little or no current, divers can easily descend to the pinnacle in their own time. The tour leader and captain will make the appropriate decision, and in the right conditions, this is always a great dive site, especially since there are likely to be very few or no other boats there at the same time.

The topography of Hin Klai is easily explained. A cylindrical pinnacle rises up out of the sandy seabed from a depth of about 23 metres and its peak is about 6 metres from the surface. There are lots of healthy corals and anemones to provide food and shelter for the thousands of creatures which either call the dive site home, or visit regularly. Reef fish are to be found in vast numbers, probably due to the occasionally strong currents and/or lack of human activity. There is a very high possibility of seeing a Leopard Shark while diving at Hin Klai. There are always a few Lionfish swimming around the hard and soft corals alone, or resting in barrel sponges. They fear nothing, as they are both colourful and venomous. Photographing Moral Eels and Lionfish is normally not difficult, and these species are as popular with underwater photographers as Anemonefish. Clown, Skunk, Saddleback, and Clark’s are species of Anemonefish commonly found in these waters. There are plenty of other creatures here at Hin Klai. Some are invertebrates, and difficult to notice, mainly due to camouflage. Others include larger reef and pelagic fish species. Barracuda, Snapper and Fusiliers being three examples.

Notes:

Dive sites are selected based on the weather conditions, currents, overall safety and suitability for the majority of divers on the boat. We cannot guarantee specific dive sites prior to the boat departing.

Hin Klai is often dived on a Phi Phi Overnight Trip, Island hopping and dive cruise or Green Season Liveaboard Trip.

Diving in Phuket Thailand

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