Local Dive Thailand now owned and operated by Aussie Divers Phuket

Richelieu Rock – Thailand’s Great All Rounder

Richelieu Rock – Thailand’s Great All Rounder

Richelieu Rock Is Widely Regarded As One Of The Top Dive Sites In The World

Very few dive sites can match Richelieu Rock for variety. So much so that it can be a bit of a nightmare for photographers choosing which lens to take. On its day regarded as one of the top ten dive sites in the world and is certainly the best in Thailand. Allegedly ‘discovered’ by Jacques Cousteau with the help of local fisherman. There is much debate on how Richelieu Rock got its name so it’s nice to think that the great man had some involvement.

Richelieu Rock is a horseshoe shaped rock that sits alone in the Andaman sea. It’s nearly 20km from the Surin Islands and almost 40km from both the mainland and Koh Tachai so it’s hardly surprising it attracts so much life. At high tide it’s completely submerged and at low tide the rock just pokes above the surface. Which explains its Thai name – Hin Ploo Nam (rock rising from the water).

fish everywhere at richelieu rock

fish everywhere at richelieu rock

Most Similan island liveaboards will do more than one dive here and some up to four. The horseshoe shape rock always has some shelter even if the current is at its strongest. The dive plan will depend on the strength and direction of current but we try to take in the deeper northern corner of Richelieu Rock on the first dive and profile shallower for the rest of the dives.

The drop will be near or directly on the single buoy line attached at the southeast corner. If there’s strong current you’ll descend on the buoy line or just use it as reference if it’s mild. Your guide will ask you to let go around 12m. You’ll then swim off in the direction of least resistance and start to explore this magnificent dive site.

pharoah cuttlefish at richelieu rock

pharoah cuttlefish at richelieu rock

So Much Happening At Richelieu Rock

The marine life jumps out at you from all directions, it’s hard to know where to look. The larger fish will be immediately obvious, different trevally species, groupers and great barracuda constantly encircle the rock, waiting for one of the smaller fish to venture too far from safety. The centre of the horseshoe is usually filled with a huge school of yellow snapper. Octopus and pharoah cuttlefish are always present. The latter sometimes put on a show when the large males defend their chosen female during breeding time.

The nooks and crannies are what make Richelieu Rock so attractive for the smaller animals so it’s important that you take your time. Remember you more than likely have more than one dive here. At the bottom of the reef we can find tigertail seahorses and their close relatives the ornate ghost pipefish. Exquisitely coloured harlequin shrimp live in the cracks but they are very difficult to find. Keep an eye out for severed star fish legs which might just lead you to their house.

harlequin shrimp at richelieu rock thailand

harlequin shrimp at richelieu rock thailand

Moray eels love this oasis in the sand so lots of different species including giant, yellow margin, white-eyed, zebra, honeycomb and bar-tailed make Richelieu Rock their home. Lots of different varieties of nudibranchs cling to the walls and if you’re lucky you may see the very rare and bizarre looking pinecone fish.

The rock itself is festooned with purple and red soft corals. Anemones carpet the shallower areas near the buoy line where you’ll finish your dive. In recent times we have seen an encouraging rise in whale shark sightings in the Similan and Surin Islands so if you hear a cacophony of tank bangers you know that one of these gentle giants or a manta ray is close by.

Richelieu Rock is often the highlight of the trip and a dive site that you’ll never forget.

Contact Us Now

Popular Services

ornate ghost pipefish in phuket

Amazing Critters In Phuket

Have you seen an Indian Ocean Walkman yet, what about Sea Horses, Ornate Ghost Pipe Fish, Frog Fish or Snake Eels? If you answered no to any of those then you will like this gallery because those critters above are regular denizens of the reefs and wrecks we dive here in Phuket. If you want to see them in real life with your own eye's, then don't hesitate, Contact us today, book your diving tour and be diving tomorrow! Book Your Tour [...]

Find Out More
Get Your PADI Deep Dive Specialty In Phuket

PADI Deep Diver Course – Explore More!

The lure of the unknown is what got many of us into scuba diving in the first place. I'm sure like me you glance wistfully into the depths wondering what they're hiding. There's always the feeling of excitement and mystery when exploring somewhere that not many others can. The PADI Deep Diver specialty will extend your current depth limit to 40m/130ft. Allowing you to check out new environments, deep wrecks or maybe just get away from the [...]

Find Out More

Daily Schedules

M/V Kepsub Schedule

Jobs @ Local Dive Thailand

Local Dive Thailand is one of Phuket's fatest growing & most vibrant scuba diving operations, we are always looking for quality staff to join us, so feel free to have a look at our jobs listing page.

Job Listings

Contact LDT

Local Guides, Local Knowledge, Local Experiences

Don't trust your diving to amateurs or freshly minted dive guides, dive with local experienced experts from Local Dive Thailand. Our Scuba Diving Phuket Tours will take you to see the rarest of the rare critters, you will be amazed by the macro life our guides can find, in the secret places only they know. To put it in perspective, if you were going to climb Mount Everest you would certainly hire a local sherpa to lead the way & keep you safe. Diving is similar because there is absolutely no substitute for local experience & local knowledge, Local Dive Thailand's guides are Phuket's Sherpa's of the Andaman Sea!

Learn More About Us

Scuba Diving Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand

When talking about Scuba Diving in Phuket, you should believe the hype, many seasons we have had Whale Sharks grace us on our regular and easy to reach dive sites and on a good day you can add Sea Horses, Sea Moths, Snake Eels, Frog Fish & Octopus to what you can see on any given dive and so much more. If we are heading to Phi Phi Island for the day, you can possibly see Hawksbill Sea Turtles and Black Tip Reef Sharks, also don't forget the King Cruiser, 84 meters of beautiful wreck and the most amazing reef nursery for fish and nudibranch. Local Dive Thailand day trip tours to these locations are not to be missed when you are scuba diving Phuket, get in touch with us and book an 'awesome' day of diving.

Book Your Day Trip

Related News From Local Dive Thailand

See why we are Thailand's leading scuba diving Phuket tour provider, stay up to date & watch out for news & special liveaboard offers!

Take A Break From Diving and Go to Wat Chalong Temple Phuket Phuket Sights & Fun

Wat Chalong

Wat Chalong is the most important and the most beautiful Buddhist temple of the 29 or so located in Phuket. This stunning landmark is one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island. The temple is dedicated to an eminent monk who is believed to have assisted the citizens of Phuket overcome a Chinese tin workers rebellion in 1876. Of course being a monk he didn't fight himself. But Luang Pho Cham's advice and medical assistance to [...]

Read Full Story
phuket diving tripadvisor certificate of excellence News & Updates

Phuket Diving TripAdvisor Certificate Of Excellence

It's the third consecutive year we've received the award, we've been running as company for 7 years. Before that we used to look after other companies dive guests, we still do but for the last three years we've been looking after more of our own guests. SO that's why we're beginning to show on the Phuket diving TripAdvisor section. Our experienced owners and staff have got it right from the beginning and below are some of the reasons why. [...]

Read Full Story
New Website For Local Dive Thailand News & Updates

Local Dive Thailand’s New Web Threads

These days if you are not mobile friendly then you are out of the game, simple as that, we were seeing almost half of our web traffic come from small screens, what can only be described as mobile or small tablet resolutions, that meant we needed to change from the old slow non responsive website we had before, to something new and fast that anyone could load anywhere, on their phones, tablets or laptops! Welcome to the new and shiny Loc [...]

Read Full Story

Local Dive Thailand Office In Phuket


Find Us On Google Maps