Ko Samae San

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Ko Samae San
เกาะแสมสาร
Island
Ko Samae San is located in Thailand
Ko Samae San
Ko Samae San
Coordinates: 12°34′N 100°57′E / 12.567°N 100.950°E / 12.567; 100.950
CountryThailand
ProvinceChonburi Province
AmphoeSattahip
Elevation
153 m (502 ft)
Thai marines prepare for amphibious assault training with U.S. Marines assigned to the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2013 at Camp Samae San. 6 June 2013.

Ko Samae San (Thai: เกาะแสมสาร, pronounced [kɔ̀ʔ sā.mɛ̌ː.sǎːn]) is a small island in Sattahip District, Chonburi Province of Thailand.

Geography

Ko Samae San has a length of four kilometres and its maximum width is about one kilometre. The island is thickly wooded and uninhabited. Formerly there was a fishing village on Ko Samae San, but it was vacated and the island now is under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. Some 1,240 families reside in the fishing village of Ban Samae San on the mainland. Administratively the islands belong to the Samae San Sub-district of Sattahip.

Islands

There are four main islands in the Samae San group. The northern cluster surrounds Samae San Island, while the southern subgroup is centered on Ko Chuang. Chuang Island has a small bay at its southern end. Hin Chalam (Shark Rock) is five kilometres to the south of the southern end of the group.[1]

NameThai NameLocationCoordinates
Ko SamaesanเกาะแสมสารMain island of the group12°34′23″N 100°57′00″E / 12.573°N 100.95°E / 12.573; 100.95
Ko KhamเกาะขามWest of Ko Samaesan12°34′23″N 100°56′02″E / 12.573°N 100.934°E / 12.573; 100.934
Ko RaetเกาะแรดNE of Ko Samaesan12°35′06″N 100°57′50″E / 12.585°N 100.964°E / 12.585; 100.964
Ko Chang KlueaเกาะฉางเกลือRock east of the group12°33′00″N 100°58′16″E / 12.550°N 100.971°E / 12.550; 100.971
Ko ChuangเกาะจวงSouth of Ko Samaesan12°31′12″N 100°57′36″E / 12.520°N 100.96°E / 12.520; 100.96
Ko ChanเกาะจานEast of Ko Chuang12°31′16″N 100°58′12″E / 12.521°N 100.970°E / 12.521; 100.970
Ko Rong NangเกาะโรงหนังNE of Ko Chuang12°32′04″N 100°57′31″E / 12.53437°N 100.95870°E / 12.53437; 100.95870
Ko Rong KhonเกาะโรงโขนNE of Ko Chuang12°31′54″N 100°57′35″E / 12.53169°N 100.95972°E / 12.53169; 100.95972

Preservation area

The Ko Kham Undersea Park is part of a royal project of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn that preserves the plants and animals of the sea and island. It is home to many kinds of fish, including bluespotted stingrays, moray eels, fusilier fish, angel fish and lionfish.[2]

Tourism

Visitors are restricted, although tourist attractions on the island include fishing, swimming, bicycle riding and hiking.[3] The islands are also well known for their diving areas.[4] [5] The area is particularly renowned for its technical diving with PADI referring to it as "Thailand's Hidden Gem for Tec Divers" due to the high number of easily accessible deep technical dives.[6] A number of local dive sites feature on the list of deepest dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand, including those that hold the top three rankings. The deepest among them being the Samaesan Hole.[7] [8] The Samaesan Hole is considered one of the most extreme dive sites in the world due to a number of hazards including: depth, poor visibility, darkness, unexploded ordinance, strong and unpredictable currents as well as it being situated in a commercial shipping lane. [9] [10] [11] Since the island is within a military area, off-limits for casual tourists, booking has to be done through local travel agents.

Technical Dive Sites

Name Max. depth Coordinates Level First Recorded Dive
Samaesan Hole [8] 85m 12°32.314′N 100°57.616′E / 12.538567°N 100.960267°E / 12.538567; 100.960267 Trimix 90, CCR100 Steve Burton, 1998 [8][11]
Sharkfin Deep Drop / Samaesan Cliff [8][7] 85m 12°31.705′N 100°56.020′E / 12.528417°N 100.933667°E / 12.528417; 100.933667 Trimix 90, CCR100 Steve Burton, 1998 [8]
1/4 Mile Mouthpiece Drop [7] 75m 12°30.094′N 100°57.233′E / 12.501567°N 100.953883°E / 12.501567; 100.953883 Trimix 90, CCR100 Troy Jamieson & Ryland Cairns, 2026 [6] [12]
Thunder Bowl [7] 65m 12°32.807′N 100°55.655′E / 12.546783°N 100.927583°E / 12.546783; 100.927583 Trimix 65+, CCR100 Troy Jamieson & Ryland Cairns, 2026 [6] [13]
Narcosis Colosseum [7] 50m 12°30.128′N 100°57.191′E / 12.502133°N 100.953183°E / 12.502133; 100.953183 Tec 50+ Troy Jamieson & Ryland Cairns, 2026 [6] [14]
Koh Rong Nang Training Buoy [7] 37m-50m 12°32.968′N 100°57.298′E / 12.549467°N 100.954967°E / 12.549467; 100.954967 Tec 40+ No records found
Hardeep Wreck [7] 36m 12°31.556′N 100°57.196′E / 12.525933°N 100.953267°E / 12.525933; 100.953267 Tec 40+ No records found
Ko Samaesan Technical Dive Sites

See also

References

  1. Mapcarta - Ko Samae San
  2. "Ko Kham Undersea Park". Archived from the original on 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  3. "Amazing Thailand". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  4. "Pattaya Dive Sites: Samae San Bay Islands". Archived from the original on 2018-08-18. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  5. "Koh Samae San". Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-11-22.
  6. "Thailands's Hidden Gem for Tec Divers". PADI Blog. PADI. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
  7. "Diving in Pattaya - Gulf of Thailand's best tec sites". Thai Tec Diver. 14 February 2026. Archived from the original on 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  8. "Technical Dive Sites - Thailand". Thai Wreck Diver. Archived from the original on 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  9. "9 of The Worlds Most Extreme Scuba Diving Locations". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  10. "The dangerous places humans shouldn't venture to (but sometimes do)". 9 News [Australia]. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  11. "Two Deadly Dive Sites". UnderCurrent Diver Magazine. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  12. "1/4 Mile Mouthpiece Drop". Thai Tec Diver. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  13. "Thunder Bowl Dive Site". Thai Tec Diver. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  14. "Narcosis Colosseum Dive Site". Thai Tec Diver. Retrieved 21 February 2026.