Andaman Sea Dive Sites - Anemone Reef
Anemone reef is the submerged pinnacle the King Cruiser ferry crashed into causing it to sink about 1 km away. If you look closely you can still see the scars from the incident in 1997.
The Thai name is Hin jom meaning submerged rock, which is appropriate as the dive site starts at 4-6m and descends to around 28m. It is a pinnacle with some outcrops away from the main areas.
The pinnacle has a north south orientation, with the depth ranging from 5 to 25 meters.
The top of the pinnacle is blanketed in anemones, so every type of clown fish can be seen here, Skunk, western, Clarks and Tomato, also look for the porcelain crabs and shrimps that can be found co-habiting with them.
The dive is not just about anemone as the name may suggest, here you get many schooling fish, from fosters and chevron barracuda, yellow snapper, fusiliers and Trevally. Also a large number of lion fish which seem to be out displaying even in the daylight. Look on the pinnacle for many different moray eels, the giant, zebra, fibrillated, white eye and snowflake are often seen here.
Scuba diving elsewhere on this reef, you will find large clusters of soft corals and enormous sea fans. At its deepest point, a solitary rock is home to a group of Moray Eels. Keep a watch out for leopard sharks on the sandy bottom near the rock. This is another favourite for photographers.
Like its close neighbour Shark point, leopard sharks can be spotted here in the daytime sleeping on the sandy bottom. Large gorgonian sea fans and barrel sponges are found here, often with scorpion fish inside, also when in the shallow area look for the small hawksbill turtle that has a hiding place of a small hollow between the split of the pinnacle the King Cruiser made during it crash. Look under the ledges here for soldier and squirrelfish, also a keen eye may find a tiger tail seahorse or ornate ghost pipefish in some of the crevices of the pinnacle.
Currents can be present during the dive, but a zig zag pattern around the sheltered side of the pinnacle usually can be completed to return the divers to the mooring line used for ascents and descents.
This dive site is for intermediate to experienced divers only, to enjoy the site to its best potential we recommend that you take Advanced Open Water Diver training before diving here.
