Plenty of Cool Critters Can Be Found Around Phuket
Diving in Phuket is not renowned for critters but we do get our fair share of small animals, it’s just that they’re a little harder to find. It’s hard to beat our dive guides for local knowledge, they’re out everyday looking in every crack and crevice trying to find those special animals for you.
Recently there’s been lots of cool critters spotted on lots of dive sites. We have ornate ghost pipefish at Shark Point, Racha Noi and Racha Yai, harlequin shrimp and tigertail seahorses at Shark Point, giant frogfish at Racha Noi and freckled frogfish at Racha Yai. Our favourite critter dive site – Koh Doc Mai is being slightly over shadowed although it’s always home to many different species of nudi’s for those willing to take their time and search every inch of the sponge and coral encrusted walls.
Peacock mantis shrimp are almost a guaranteed sighting around Phuket but at the moment we also have the rarer giant spearing mantis at Racha Noi and not far from its perfectly manicured hole there’s a stunning red fire goby and a winged pipefish.
Cleaning stations are always a hive of activity and every dive site has them although one in particular Turtle Rock in the Phi Phi has four different species of cleaner shrimp, cleaner wrasse and the beautiful Jann’s pipefish, all anxiously waiting for the next client on the station.
Whip corals around Phuket are worth closer inspection, most of them have their resident gobies but some have the perfectly camouflaged coral whip shrimp and the bizarre looking xeno crab.
It may not compare to some more famous critter locations around the world but there’s not many where the lighting on your macro shot can be ruined by the shadow of a passing giant manta ray…
Come and find your critters with our expert Phuket diving guides
By Justin Hartrey
Posted in Amazing Local Dives on .
