Racha Yai Island

Lying about 20kms south of Phuket, the Racha Islands comprise two islands, Koh Racha Yai and Koh Racha Noi. To confuse matters they are also known as Koh Raya Yai and Koh Raya Noi (Yai means “Big” in Thai and as you may have already guessed, noi means “Little”).

The islands possess crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches. They are very popular with divers and snorkellers, with challenging dive sites for advanced divers as well as plenty for beginners and snorkellers.

The waters boast diverse and colorful reefs filled with hard and soft coral. Varieties of anemone fish are plentiful with yellowtail barracuda often schooling above the reef. Keep an eye out in the sand for garden eels and a variety of rays. Deeper outer reefs are formed by collections of large boulders and include some great swim-throughs and Wrecks.

Diving in Koh Racha offers gentle drifts along a sloping rock face, dusted with a variety of coral forests. Large schools of barracuda, octopi and cuttlefish are often be spotted as well the occasional manta ray and whale shark.