Anemone Reef Phuket’s Seahorse City
It’s immediately obvious how Anemone Reef got its name. This great Phuket diving site is carpeted with heteractis magnifica anemones. They do have a mild sting so make sure your buoyancy is correct before you leave the decent line.
The dive will usually start at the mooring line. After leaving the mooring line you’ll quickly descend to 18 – 24m depending on your certification level. Under the deeper ledges at the bottom of the reef you may find some bamboo sharks. If you’re lucky you may spot a leopard shark resting on the sand. Then a slow upward spiral around the dive sites looking out for all the special creatures on the way.
At the South end of the dive site there is a narrow channel. This for some reason is a favourite hangout for tigertail seahorses. Quite often we can find three or four clinging to the rock walls of the channel. These bright yellow critters are a favourite for photographers but please show a bit of restraint when using the flash.
Lots Of Fish At Anemone Reef
A school of juvenile chevron barracuda and large schools of different snapper species hang just above the rocks or tightly bunched against them if there is a bit of current. Anemone Reef is the only site where we regularly see a school of large mouth mackerel. These bizarre bright silver fish swim around with mouths agape scooping up plankton. As you continue you around the reef look in holes and cracks for many species of moray, shrimp and colourful nudibranch.
The safety stop on Anemone Reef is really nice. The water is generally much clearer near the surface and you can just hover above the reef watching the damsels and clownfish play in the swaying anemones. Occasionally a big giant barracuda comes to get cleaned at the top of the reef and you can observe the brave cleaner wrasse picking out leftovers from in between the huge teeth.
This small pinnacle isn’t dived as often as it should be in favour of its more famous neighbour – Shark Point which is only a few hundred meters away. We may visit as part of the Phi Phi day trip if Shark Point is to busy and the current is mild. If you want to have a good look at our seahorses then contact us to arrange a great day out!
