Discover Ko Lipe

Lipe is a famous diving destination where crystalline blue water teems with a diverse array of ocean life. The best scuba diving sites are scattered around but are all within a short boat ride. Here are the five best diving spots to roll back into the deep blue, beautiful sea. You may experience a fascinating encounter with the gentle whale shark, hear mysterious myths and legends, explore a shipwreck, spectacular coral reefs, and more.

True to its name, “8 Mile Rock” is exactly eight miles south of Ko Lipe. Here, the underwater wonders start at 16 meters before descending to over 40 meters. The water is home to a diversity of marine life varied from small macro life such as nudibranchs to the enormous whale shark. Swimming alongside large schools of fusilier and batfish around 8 Mile Rock is the type of once in a lifetime experience that divers crave. Two-meter-long barracudas and endearing eagle rays roam around this area.
Difficulty: advanced diving skills needed.

Within a short boat ride from Sunrise Beach is Stonehenge—a tropical paradise for divers. Sharing its name with the famous Stonehenge of England, the standing stones of Lipe are quite different from the prehistoric monument in the British countryside. Lipe’s Stonehenge is on the seabed (5-25 meters), carpeted by white and pink soft corals. The coral outcroppings are also home to small yet eye-popping marine creatures like butterflyfish, pufferfish, little shrimps, and blue dragon nudibranch, to name a few. With shallow and calm water, Stonehenge is an ideal place for beginners to dive along the endless scenic field of leafy, colorful coral reefs. Schools of barracudas, trevallies, and yellow snappers add extra excitement.
Difficulty: Easy. Expect strong current sometimes.

At 45 meters (147 feet) deep, an old fishing vessel, Yong Hua, finds her resting place on Lipe’s seabed, accessible by deep diving. The 75-meter-long fish-processing ship got her ominous nickname from spooky and hair-raising tales passed around diving communities. Legend has it that while diving around this underwater wreckage, divers sometimes feel a soft tap on their arm as if a buddy is trying to get their attention. When they look around, nobody but soft corals swaying mournfully in the current. While the origin of the story is unknown, the only thing that all divers agree is the unmistakable beauty of the marine life in and around this shipwreck. Once processing and freezing tons of caught fish, the vessel is now home to groupers, seahorses, and many marine species. The whale shark is spotted occasionally around the wreckage. The soft purple corals on the port side of the ship are especially spectacular. Divers can also horse around the large storage tank and rusting propeller. Yong Hua shipwreck is a promising diving site filled with excitement, admiration, and respect.
Difficulty: Deep diving

The Far Islands are a cluster of tiny islands on the northern side of Ko Lipe. The marine life diversity here is some of the richest in South East Asia. Hundreds of coral species support an enormous spectrum of marine creatures, such as crabs, moray eels, turtles, schools of scorpionfish, and other extraordinary bottom dwellers. There is a higher chance at this site of encountering rays, sharks, and other enormous sea creatures. Taking a trip to the Far Islands is a must-do for underwater photography enthusiasts, as they could find a host of stunning nudibranch.
Difficulty: Easy

Within a 25-minute boat ride from Ko Lipe, Ko Taru is the perfect diving site for beginners. Divers will be overwhelmed with exotic sea creatures moving and crawling among a spectacular mix of hard and soft coral. Rollback from this site drop, and you will come across seahorses, nudibranch, commensal shrimps, scorpionfish, and even eye-popping harlequin shrimp. Stingrays, moray eels, schools of snappers, and plenty of colorful reef fish also roam around the coral gardens.
Difficulty: Easy