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Whale Sharks In Thailand: Where To See Them

Whale sharks are the biggest fish in the world, growing up to a staggering 15 metres in length. yet they are completely harmless to humans and one of the most amazing underwater sights for scuba divers in Thailand

Whale Shark (actually taken in Indonesia but same same)

Whales sharks are by no means only found in Thailand – Cenderawasih Bay in Indonesia, the Maldives’ tiny Hanifaru Bay, Sogod Bay in the Philippines and West Australia’s Ningaloo Reef are other big whale shark havens – but for many divers, Thailand is where they see their first whale shark.

It’s hard to express the sense of awe seeing one of these creatures for the first time – it’s like watching a spaceship come out of the blue, serenely gliding towards you with a squadron of cleaner fish flanking it on all sides. It’s only as it gets nearer, unphased by your presence, that you start to realise the speed it’s moving at and the sheer power within its immense body. Most whale sharks are around 4 to 6 metres – at minimum, twice the size of a human. It’s one of those moments when you realise that you are very much a privileged guest in another realm when you’re scuba diving.

In Thailand, there are three key dive sites for seeing whale sharks

  • Chumphon Pinnacle, accessible from Koh Tao
  • Hin Daeng, accessible from Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta
  • Richelieu Rock, which is north of the Similan Islands and accessible only as part of a Similan Islands liveaboard

It should be stressed that while these are whale shark hotspots, it’s still rare to see them – they are spotted perhaps 10 times maximum in a six month season. So if you go diving expecting to see a whale shark, you’re probably going to be very disappointed. If you go diving with the idea that if you get very, very lucky one might turn up when you least expect it… it probably will.

Because Hin Daeng and Richelieu Rock are in the Andaman Sea on the west coast of Thailand, dive boats only go there from November to April each year. The rest of the year – May to October – the seas are too rough to dive because of the monsoon season. The Similan marine park is also closed from 15 May to 15 October.

The Gulf Of Thailand on the east coast of Thailand is diveable pretty much all year round – they get some pretty crappy weather from September to November but it’s very variable.

This map of Thailand and neighbouring Myanmar’s dive sites show the location of each of Thailand’s whale shark hot spots and the nearest airports too.

Thailand Dive Sites Map and Myanmar Dive Sites

How To Get To Whale Shark Hot Spots In Thailand

To get to Hin Daeng:

Make your way the island Koh Lanta. From there you can get daytrips that go out to Hin Daeng. Koh Lanta is a little more effort to reach – you need to get a ferry over from Phuket or go via Krabi – but to my mind it’s are far, far better place to visit than Phuket. Much more scenic, less expensive, and not so crowded.

You can go on liveaboards from Koh Lanta to Hin Daeng, and also liveaboards from Phuket visit Hin Daeng (although they tend to be more focussed on going to the Similan Islands).

Besides the occasional whale shark, manta rays visit Hin Daeng very frequently. During the last dive season (2013 – 2014), my friends who work as dive guides on Koh Lanta and who have been visiting this site twice a week say that the mantas were there almost constantly, in contrast to previous seasons when they would disappear for a week and then return.

Of course, no one can guarantee the mantas will be there, but you have very good odds of spotting them. The journey to the dive site is quite long – around three and half hours each way. It was on a dive from Koh Lanta in April 2005 that I saw a whale shark at Hin Daeng. Read the article I wrote for Asian Diver magazine about Hin Daeng.

To get to Richelieu Rock:

The only way to see Richelieu Rock is on a Similans liveaboard boat. There are plenty of choices for all budgets – see our pages on Budget Similan Liveabaoards, Mid-Range Similan Liveaboards and Luxury Similan Liveaboards for info on prices and schedules of specific boats. A liveaboard typically lasts four days and is ideal for doing a lot of diving without costing a fortune. You’ll need to get a liveaboard to the Similans either from Phuket, or from Khao Lak, which is about an hour up the coast from Phuket and geographically the nearest place on the mainland to the Similan Islands.

Richelieu is the most northern dive site on the Similan liveaboard itineraries, and it is an amazing dive site, whether or not you see whale sharks. It’s a horseshoe shaped rock in the middle of the ocean that acts a shelter and hunting ground for hundreds of different species of marine life. Read my trip report of a Similan Islands liveaboard to Richelieu Rock for a sense of the whole experience.

To get to Chumphon Pinnacle:

Chumphon Pinnacle can be reached from Koh Tao in about half an hour or from Koh Samui in a couple of hours – a lot less if you’re on a speedboat. If you’re serious about diving, don’t bother staying on Samui – go straight to Koh Tao, because it’s much nearer the better dive sites. Koh Tao is also a lot more relaxed and less crowded than Samui, mainly thanks to its remoteness. It takes four hours to get to the island from the mainland at Surat Thani by ferry.

Widely regarded as the best dive site in the Gulf of Thailand, Chumphon Pinnacle also sees whale sharks appear three or four times a year. Like the other sites mentioned here, it is a great dive site in its own right, particularly if you can find the grey reef sharks that patrol off the edge of Barracuda Rock.

Good luck with your search for the whale sharks – and if you see them, let me know!



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:: Check the availability and pricing of liveaboards in Thailand and book online.


:: Find the cheapest flights to Thailand - Phuket (airport code: HKT) is the nearest airport for diving the Similan Islands. You can get direct international flights to Phuket or go via one of Bangkok's two airports - Suvarnabhumi (BKK), the main airport, or Don Mueang (DMK), the low cost carrier terminal.


:: Make sure you don't forget to bring any of the essentials for your scuba diving trip with our comprehensive Liveaboard Packing List


:: World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.


:: Find available places to stay in Phuket for before and after your liveaboard on Booking.com - usually you can reserve a room with no upfront payment. Pay when you check out. Free cancellations too.


:: Need inspiration? See our Best Places To Dive In Thailand for ideas of where to go and what to do.


Dive Happy Podcast Newsletter

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More Thailand Diving Stories

  • Blue Dolphin Liveaboard Review
  • Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report February 2023
  • Ao Suthep, Surin Islands, Thailand
  • Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report December 2022
  • Diving Stonehenge, Koh Lipe, April 2022
  • Manta Rays at Koh Bon, March 2022
  • Diving Richelieu Rock, Thailand – January 2022
  • Diving HTMS Chang and Alahambra Rock: March 2021
  • Thailand’s Best Dive Sites
  • Where To See Manta Rays In Thailand
  • Whale Sharks In Thailand: Where To See Them
  • Similan Islands Liveaboard February 2020
  • Are There Great White Sharks In Thailand?
  • Myanmar And Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report
  • Koh Lanta Diving
  • Koh Tao: An Introduction
  • Diving The USS Lagarto Submarine – Richie Kohler interview
  • Cheap Scuba Diving In Asia
  • Thailand Diving Home

Dive Happy Podcast

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  • LAMAVE Volunteer Whale Shark Research
  • Dream Job: What’s It Like To Be A Marine Biologist?
  • Dumaguete Diving Podcast
  • Komodo Diving Podcast
  • Diving The Yonaguni Monument, Japan Podcast
  • Diving Koh Lanta Podcast
  • Moalboal Diving Podcast
  • Diving The Banda Sea Podcast: Part 2
  • Diving The Banda Sea Podcast: Part 1
  • Diving Hawaii Podcast
  • Diving Malapascua Podcast
  • Diving Taiwan Podcast
  • Diving Japan Podcast
  • Diving HTMS Chang And Alhambra Rock Podcast
  • Diving The WW2 Shipwrecks Of Coron Podcast
  • Diving Lembongan Podcast
  • Diving Romblon: the Philippines’ Secret Super Macro Paradise
  • Triton Bay Diving 2020 Podcast
  • Dream Job: Liveaboard Cruise Director Podcast
  • Diving Triton Bay Podcast
  • Diving Tubbataha Reef Podcast
  • Diving Yap Podcast
  • Diving Truk Lagoon Podcast
  • Diving Sogod Bay Podcast
  • Misool Eco Resort Podcast
  • Diving Palau Podcast
  • The Manta Rays Of Myanmar’s Black Rock Podcast
  • Diving Myanmar Podcast
  • Diving Bali Podcast
  • Diving Cenderawasih Bay Podcast
  • Diving Komodo Podcast
  • Diving Raja Ampat Podcast
  • Dive Happy Podcast Home Page

My Recent Dive Trips

  • February 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2022: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • December 2022: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2022: Komodo liveaboard, Indonesia
  • June 2022: USAT Liberty shipwreck, Bali, Indonesia
  • April 2022: Stonehenge, Koh Lipe, Thailand
  • March 2022: Manta Rays at Koh Bon, Thailand
  • January 2022: Richelieu Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • March 2021: HTMS Chang and Alahambra Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • February 2020: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2019: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2019: Malapascua, Philippines
  • June 2019: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • April 2019: Tulamben, Bali
  • December 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • December 2018: Anilao, Philippines
  • October 2018: Moalboal, Philippines
  • October 2018: Malapascua, Philippines
  • July 2018: Tulamben, Bali
  • May 2018: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • April 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • May 2017: Apo Island and Dumaguete, Philippines
  • April 2017: Tubbataha Reef, Philippines
  • April 2017: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • March 2017: Triton Bay, Indonesia
  • March 2017: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • September 2016: Tulamben, Bali at Alba Dive Resort
  • August 2016: Cenderawasih Bay on Damai 1
  • April 2016: Sogod Bay at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort
  • February 2016: Raja Ampat and Banda Islands on Damai 1
  • April 2015: Anilao at Crystal Dive Resort

My Less Recent Dive Trips

  • March 2015: Myanmar and Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • May 2013: Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • April 2013: Tubbataha Reef on Discovery Palawan
  • January 2013: Komodo, Indonesia on MSY Damai
  • August 2012: Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
  • April 2012: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • January 2012: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2011: Hanifaru, Maldives
  • June 2011: Tubbataha Liveaboard Hans Christian Andersen
  • April 2011: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • April 2011: Carpe Vita Liveaboard, Maldives
  • March 2011: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
  • December 2010: Menjangan, Bali
  • July 2010: Tofo, Mozambique
  • July 2010: Sardine Run, South Africa
  • May 2010: Sangalaki / Derawan, Tambora
  • March 2010: MV Flying Seahorse, Similan Islands
  • March 2010: MV Orion, Southern Maldives
  • January 2010: Big Blue Explorer, Palau
  • November 2009: MSY Damai, Banda Sea Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MSY Damai, Komodo Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MV Orion, Maldives Liveaboard
  • September 2009: MV Scubanet, Koh Losin, Thailand
  • May 2009: MSY Seahorse, Banda Sea liveaboard, Indonesia
  • March 2009: Sachika Liveaboard, Maldives
  • February 2009: Daytrips, Koh Lanta, Thailand
  • January 2009: MV Jazz, Burma (Myanmar) Liveaboard

Back In The Day Bragging Rights Dive Trips

  • November 2008: Borneo Explorer, Visayas Liveaboard
  • September 2008: S/Y Siren, Komodo Liveaboard
  • August 2008: Ocean Rover, Sulawesi Liveaboard
  • August 2008: NAD Lembeh Resort, Indonesia
  • June 2008: Koh Tao
  • March 2008: Maldives, Bandos Island
  • February 2008: MSY Seahorse, Raja Ampat Liveaboard
  • January 2008: MV Jazz, Burma Liveaboard
  • October 2007: Bali Dive Safari
  • September 2007: Davao, Philippines
  • July 2007: Great White Sharks, Rodney Fox Liveaboard
  • June 2007: Big Blue, Palau Liveaboard
  • May 2007: Whale Sharks at Exmouth, Australia
  • April 2007: Borneo Explorer, Tubbataha Reef Liveaboard
  • December 2006: Komodo Dancer, Komodo Liveaboard

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