East of Eden:
General information:
East of Koh Pa-Yu (island 7), the East of Eden dive site is aligned from north to south and is ideal for a reef dive.
The reef slope ranges from 5 to 40 meters. In the north, there is a cluster of staghorn coral and blue coral punctuated by sparse rocks.
I the middle of the site, you will find few corals, mostly sand and scatted fire coral.
The highlight of the site is a pinnacle called Ruan Gluay-Mai (the orchid garden), which is covered with colourful soft corals and sea fans,
a magnificent sight that shows the diversity and beauty of the marine life in the reef.
This site is believed to be one of the best in the Similans by some frequent divers.
On the southern side, some corals can be found. In addition,
in the shallow parts, you will find a huge plain of small grass-like soft corals on the sand that
create a very pretty picture that looks similar to an underwater Japanese garden!
Current: Moderate to strong current, running in a north to south direction.
Marine life: In the morning, on the outer sand area, there is a good chance that you will be able to spot some sharks
including black tip reef sharks, white tip reef sharks and leopard sharks, sometimes just lying on the sand.
At a depth of about 30 to 35 meters, around the rocky area, purple fire gobies can be seen,
usually in pairs on the sand beside the rocks. You may also have the opportunity to see a lobster hiding in a crevice.
Along the reef you will find a variety of small creatures and general reef fish such as nudibranchs, ghost pipefish,
angelfish, scorpionfish and trumpetfish. Also, big groupers love to use rocks for shelter.
In mid-water, you can see schools of blue trevally, dogtooth tuna, yellow snapper,
and goatfish. There is also a chance that you may be able to see a green turtle or hawksbill turtle as well.
Dive tip: This dive site is good for a first deep dive in the morning, because the reef falls deeper than 30 meters.
The popular dive route starts from north to south, keeping your right shoulder along the reef.
You should end the dive around the Ruan Gluay-Mai pinnacle, and do a safety stop near the shallow coral reefs.
Do not choose your entry time during high tides or strong currents.
lives a famous giant moray eel, which is arguably the star of the dive site.
If you swim close, the eel is likely to come out and play with you, thinking you might have some food for it.
While the sight of a scary-looking moray heading straight for them may frighten some diver,
many more are delighted to see such a friendly fish.
In April 2005, this eel made the headlines in the local newspaper, the Phuket Gazette,
when it bit off and ate the thumb of scuba diver Matt Butcher.
Matt was leading a dive group, and approached the eel with a sausage in his right hand.
The moray swam toward him, took the sausage, and then swam to Matt’s left side.
Unfortunately, the eel mistook Matt’s left thumb for another tasty sausage treat, and with one firm bite, took Matt’s thumb.
An experienced diver, Matt doesn’t seem to be afraid of the eel, but he said that he isn’t going to feed the eel anymore!
it’s certain in this case that there are consequences for all our actions.
