Richelieu Rock Liveaboard Diving

Without a doubt, the best diving site in Thailand is Richelieu Rock. Ever since Jacques Cousteau first discovered this underwater pinnacle several decades ago divers from all around the world have agreed that there is no better dive site in the Kingdom. While some local diving professionals have a soft spot for Koh Tachai or Hin Daeng, the general consensus is that Richelieu Rock has just too much good stuff on any given day to be knocked off of its throne.

Richelieu Rock is probably one of the best dive sites in the world and is definitely the best in Thailand. It is situated fairly close to the Surin Islands and is famous for whale sharks sightings whilst on a liveaboard diving trip or day trip.

What Makes Richelieu Rock Diving so good?

Soft Corals And Resident Marine Life At Richelieu Rock

Yellow Tigertail Seahorse at Richelieu RockSoft corals and resident marine life at Richelieu Rock are always there. Regardless of what day of the Richelieu Rock diving season you visit, you’re guaranteed to be in awe of so much colourful life. The red and purple soft corals are what you notice first and most. But after a few minutes underwater, you will see plenty of healthy hard corals and abundant marine life species that have made Richelieu Rock their home. Right from the surface down to more than 30 metres deep, there are hundreds of species and hundreds of thousands of individuals. These include bony reef fish, invertebrates and the occasional reptile. The resident Yellow Thorny Seahorse, which is normally around 32m. deep, is possibly the most-photographed individual here, closely followed by the Ornate Ghost Pipefish which is a few metres shallower. Even diving professionals who have visited Richelieu Rock plenty of times still get excited about what may be in store when they step into the crystal-clear warm water.

Visiting Pelagic Species When Diving

Manta Ray (Manta aflredi) at Richelieu RockVisiting pelagic species are what most divers hope for, especially those who haven’t been here many times or seen many big fish. The Whale Shark is the largest fish in the world, and they are often seen here during the diving season, although reported sightings each year have been getting fewer and further between. Manta Rays are very graceful, large filter-feeding rays that are always very popular among scuba divers. Although they tend to be seen more at Koh Bon than at here at Richelieu Rock, sightings are not uncommon. There are other rays, sharks and bony fish that swim around the Andaman Sea all their lives and sometimes pay Richelieu Rock a visit on their travels. The problem is that with so much to see on the reef, turning around to look out into the blue isn’t easy.

The Size Of Richelieu Rock Dive Site

Its size ensures that not only lots and lots of life can flourish here, but also divers can visit Richelieu Rock up to three times in one day without getting bored. Also due to its popularity, there are usually several dive boats here but the large area that Richelieu Rock covers means that divers aren’t bumping into each other because there’s plenty of space for everyone.

Sea Conditions At Richelieu Rock Don’t affect Its Diving Appeal

Sea conditions don’t affect its appeal because even if the visibility or currents aren’t ideal, you can still have a wonderful dive at Richelieu Rock.

Starting with visibility:

Because there is so much life at Richelieu Rock, even if the sea isn’t as clear as normal, there is so much to see, such as smaller reef species. Many other dive sites can be boring or even dangerous if the visibility is reduced to less than 10 metres, but at Richelieu Rock, it’s no problem. You can just focus on the thousands of animals in all the nooks and crannies. And low visibility is usually caused by plankton blooms, which of course are food for filter-feeding giants. So, the chance of a Whale Shark or Manta Ray being in the area is greater. The shape of Richelieu Rock means that even if there is a medium or even strong current, divers can easily find shelter from the main pinnacle or surrounding topography.

Where is Richelieu Rock?

Its location is perfect for great scuba diving experiences. Richelieu Rock is located far from the mainland or any other islands, and it is surrounded by deep water. Therefore, currents push cooler nutrient-rich water up to the reef’s pinnacle, and that enables the marine life here to flourish. Also, with nothing else around, life condenses here as it is a home, a haven, a cleaning station, and somewhere for predatory species to feed.

What marine life can you see at Richelieu Rock?

Richelieu Rock is often referred to as 'fish soup' because it's common to be surrounded by thousands of fish, and many different species. Even when the sea conditions are not ideal, you can be guaranteed to see lots of life here, and that includes special species. When the sea is clear, it's hard to know where to look.

Whale Shark

(Rhincodon typus)

Reef Manta Ray

(Mobula alfredi)

Giant Moray Eel

(Gymnothorax javanicus)

Common Octopus

(Octopus vulgaris)

Barracuda

(Sphyraena)

Giant Trevally

(Caranx ignobilis)

Orbicular Batfish

(Platax orbicularis)

Clown Anemonefish

(Amphiprion ocellaris)

Whitetip Reef Shark

(Triaenodon obesus)

Moorish Idol

(Zanclus cornutus)

Ribbon Eel

(Rhinomuraena quaesita)

Leopard Shark

(Stegostoma fasciatum)

You can also see

Tuna

Banded Sea Krait

Skunk Anemonefish

Clark's Anemonefish

Titan Triggerfish

Oriental Sweetlips

Clown Triggerfish

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

Bluespotted Stingray

Honeycomb Moray Eel

Green Turtle

Powder Blue Surgeonfish (Tang)

Blacktip Reef Shark

Tigertail Seahorse

Whitemouth Moray Eel

Yellow Boxfish

Black-Blotched Porcupinefish

Ornate Ghost Pipefish

Horned Boxfish

Harlequin Shrimp

Porcelain Anemone Crab

Spotted Boxfish

White Eyed Moray Eel

Yellow-Margin Moray Eel

Black-Spotted Pufferfish

Blue-Spotted Pufferfish

Leaf Scorpionfish

Green Humphead Parrotfish

Yellow-Banded Sweetlips

Valentini Puffer

Maroon Anemonefish

Ribboned Sweetlips

Napoleon Snake Eel

Squat (Sexy) Shrimp

Giant Sweetlips

Banded Pipefish

Even more marine life

Harlequin Sweetlips

Tawny Nurse Shark

Humphead / Napoleon Wrasse

Starry Pufferfish

Hawksbill Turtle

Redtooth Triggerfish

Pharaoh Cuttlefish

Tassled Scorpionfish

Emperor Angelfish

Redtail Butterflyfish

Cockatoo Waspfish

Crocodilefish

Yellow-Margin Triggerfish

Thorny / Spiny Seahorse

Robust Ghost Pipefish

Warty Frogfish

Broadclub Cuttlefish

Striated / Hairy Frogfish

Painted Frogfish

Durban Dancing / Hingebeak Shrimp

Black Garden Eel

Zebra / Banded Garden Eel

Painted Sweetlips

Blue-Ringed Octopus

Narrow-Lined Pufferfish

Map Pufferfish

Spot-Fin Porcupinefish

Pickhandle Barracuda

Big-Eye Trevally

Fusilier

Angelfish

Butterflyfish

Damselfish

Grouper

Wrasse

Parrotfish

Surgeonfish

Goby

Scorpionfish

Black Combtooth Blenny

Dragonet

Commensal Shrimp

Unicornfish

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin

Cheesecake Nudibranch

Dusky Nembrotha

Oceanic Manta Ray

Pikachu Nudibranch

Velvet Sea Slug

Swallowtail Aglaja

Ocellate Phyllidia

Coleman's Chromodoris / Sea Slug

Red-Margined Glossodoris

Co's Goniobranchus

Miller's Nembrotha

Whitenose Nudibranch

Glorious Flatworm

Cryptic Phyllodesmium

Morose Nudibranch

Linda's Flatworm

Indian Caloria

Lined Nembrotha

Marine Flatworm

Purple-Edged Ceratosoma

Ridged Pearl Ovulid

Ringed Chromodoris

Bullock's Hypselodoris

Multi Pustuled Mexichromis

Pyjama Chromodoris

Swollen Phyllidia

Yellow-Spotted Flatworm

Yellow Masked Angelfish

Blue Ring Angelfish

Day Octopus

Bigeye Snapper

Acanthozoon Flatworm

Teira Batfish

Pinnate Batfish

Bluestripe Snapper

Anemone Shrimp

Zanzibar Whip Coral Shrimp

Ambon Crinoid / Commensal Shrimp

Streaked Spinefoot

Clearfin Lionfish

Common Lionfish / Devil Firefish

Red Lionfish

Zebra Lionfish

Spotfin Lionfish

Domino Damselfish

Dark-Striped Squirrelfish