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Koh
Chang Marine National Park offers some
of the most spectacular dive sites. The season starts
from mid October to end of April. The best sites
are on the west and south of Chang Island where
the abundance of colourful and unspoiled corals
and the great diversity of fish are the main draw.
Popular
sites include Klong Son Beach, Yuak Island,
Man Nai Island, Koh Man Nok, Larp Rock, Sam Sao
Rock, Look Bard Rock, Run Taek Rock, Rom Island,
Wai Island, Ngam Island, Rang Island, Laoya Island,
Mai Si Lek Island, Raet Island, Mak Island, Kham
Island, Rayang Yai Island, Kra Island, Thong Lang
Island, Thian Island, and Yak Island.
Chang
Noi Island is located off Chang Noi Cape
at the northwestern tip of Chang Island. The island
and the cape consist mainly of rocks and forest,
but the beauty of this area lies in the seabed between
with unspoilt virgin coral reefs. For advanced divers,
there are several wrecks in the vicinity of Chang
Island.
The
"Koh Chang Wreck" is a Thai warship sunken
by the French Navy. The wreck lies in shallow waters
near the Salak Petch Bay, south of Chang Island.
The
"Pak One" wreck is a 900-tonne tanker that
was also called the Vertical Wreck. The ship sank
after hitting a coral reef in August 1996 on its
way to Vietnam. It resurfaced some years later and
drifted bow-upwards into international waters, where
it posed a danger to passing ships. The Thai Navy
drained off its cargo of liquefied petroleum gas
and re-sank it between Chang and Samet Island, where
it lies horizontal, in 35 metre deep waters.
The
"Hardeep" was sunk by Allied bombers during
World War 2. The Indonesian cargo ship was used
by the Japanese army to run supplies to Thailand
where they were building the railway linking the
country to Burma. It is 64 metres long and lies
on its starboard side, a few hundred metres from
Chuang Island, where the skipper made a vain effort
to beach the ship. The hull is largely intact and
access to the engine room is possible for experienced
divers. The huge crankshaft and some fire bricks
are still in place. The remnants of the funnel are
resting on the seafloor in 28 metres of water with
the foremast nearby. Carry a torch to examine dark
corners, there is certainly a lot to be explored
inside. After nearly 60 years nature has worked
her magic on the wreck and it is home to angelfish,
batfish, groupers, stingrays, barracuda, wrasse,
butterfly fish, crabs, and nudibranches.
The
"Bremen" is a 110-metre freighter severely
damaged by a fire and an explosion in her engine
room in the mid-1930s. The ship is in three main
parts, while the forward and stern sections are
relatively intact, the centre part is a tangle of
steelwork caused by the explosion and by demolition
practice carried out by the Royal Thai Navy. Penetrating
the main hull sections is not advised, but the skipper's
private bathroom, complete with bath, lavatory and
very attractive ceramic floor tiles, can be explored
by experienced divers. Nature has claimed the Bremen
and many types of coral and sea whips grow on the
sides and decks of the ship. Blue-ringed and six-banded
angelfish, batfish, moray eels, rays, barracuda,
and numerous smaller reef fish inhabit the wreck.
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