Koh Doc Mai Liveaboard Diving

This small uninhabited island near to Phuket is just 250 metres long and 90 metres wide. On each side there is abundant marine life from the surface to the sandy seabed. Koh Doc Mai is often overlooked by dive centres in favour of teh big-name dive sites in the area, but in many ways Koh Doc Mai is better than them all.

Koh Doc Mai (Flower Island) is one of the many tiny uninhabited limestone islands that surround the southern seas of Phuket. It's located 15 kilometres east-southeast from Chalong Bay and nearly half way to Koh Phi Phi. The 'big-name' dive sites nearby are King Cruiser Wreck, Shark Point & Anemone Reef. And Koh Phi Phi has at least ten great dive sites. So what's wrong with Koh Doc Mai? The answer is 'nothing at all.' It really is an excellent dive site that has something for everyone, except maximum depth. Macro lovers in particular regard Koh Doc Mai as the best dive site in Phuket!

The island is just 250 metres long and 90 metres wide, and lies lengthways almost north to south. The surrounding water is warm and usually very clear, but not deeper than 25 metres in most directions. The nearest small island is 6 kilometres southwest, and other larger islands are further away, but within sight from the surface. Even in the monsoon season (June - September) Koh Doc Mai gets protection from Phuket to the west. That means the sea conditions are suitable all year round for diving, and for liveaboard boats at the surface. Because of the layout of the island, it makes sense to dive the east side before lunch and the west side in the afternoon. Both sides of Koh Doc Mai have near-vertical walls, but the west side also has a plateau area at the northern end. On the east side there are two caves, but these are only for experienced divers. The larger cave entrance is near the bottom (18-22 metres) at the southern end, and the smaller one is a little shallower and further north, and it allows for experienced divers to enter and ascend to an air pocket, but only in very small groups.

Glossodoris Nudibranch at Koh Doc Mai Phuket - Credit: Oom BoonraksaThere is lots to see here at Koh Doc Mai, but patient divers will see more than those who race along the reef. It's very easy to spend more than one hour on each side of the island, especially the eastern wall. Here, you can swim or drift as slowly as possible exploring the coral-covered wall. Even if the visibility is limited, you have plenty to see from the smallest nudibranchs and shrimps to large schooling fish, moray eels and pufferfish. Eagle-eyed and lucky divers might find a seahorse or Ornate Ghost Pipefish, and every now and then large pelagic species pay a visit.

Currents are generally mild, and flow from north to south, or vice versa. So the best way to dive Koh Doc Mai is to jump in up current on your chosen side, and go with the current to the other end of the island. If the visibility is poor, then just ascend slightly and get as close as you can to the wall. Here you are likely to see species that you would miss on a day when the visibility is better. If the current is strong or you don't go as slowly as possible, you will end up at the other end of the island before the end of your 50-60-minute dive. And it's not easy or normal to continue around to the other side of the island on the same dive. The best way is to dive along the wall as slowly as possible, and at a depth and distance from the wall that best suits your scuba diving needs, skills and style.

What marine life can you see at Koh Doc Mai?

There's a great variety of resident marine life at Koh Doc Mai. This includes Yellow Margin Moray Eels, many species of nudibranchs, pufferfish, lionfish, anemonefish, lobster, Moorish Idols, sea kraits, triggerfish, Bamboo Sharks, and shoals of fusilier & snapper. And don't forget that something large, such as a pelagic shark or ray, could pass by at any time.

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

Green Humphead Parrotfish

Yellow-Banded Sweetlips

Valentini Puffer

Maroon Anemonefish

Ribboned Sweetlips

Squat (Sexy) Shrimp

Giant Sweetlips

Banded Pipefish

Harlequin Sweetlips

Tawny Nurse Shark

Even more marine life

Humphead / Napoleon Wrasse

Starry Pufferfish

Hawksbill Turtle

Redtooth Triggerfish

Pharaoh Cuttlefish

Tassled Scorpionfish

Emperor Angelfish

Redtail Butterflyfish

Yellow-Margin Triggerfish

Thorny / Spiny Seahorse

Robust Ghost Pipefish

Warty Frogfish

Broadclub Cuttlefish

Striated / Hairy Frogfish

Painted Frogfish

Durban Dancing / Hingebeak Shrimp

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

Velvet Sea Slug

Ocellate Phyllidia

Red-Margined Glossodoris

Co's Goniobranchus

Miller's Nembrotha

Glorious Flatworm

Cryptic Phyllodesmium

Morose Nudibranch

Linda's Flatworm

Lined Nembrotha

Purple-Edged Ceratosoma

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

Streaked Spinefoot

Clearfin Lionfish

Common Lionfish / Devil Firefish

Red Lionfish

Zebra Lionfish

Spotfin Lionfish

Domino Damselfish

Dark-Striped Squirrelfish