Dive· Khao Lak coast (mainland)· Thailand

Boonsung Wreck (Khao Lak)

8° 46.2′ N · 98° 11.2′ E

A tin dredger that sank in 1985 and was broken into four pieces by the 2004 tsunami. It is now a 'fish soup' artificial reef on open sand off Khao Lak, with clouds of snapper, fusiliers and batfish and a host of critters.

Phuket & Phang Nga BayKoh Lanta to Koh LipeKoh Samui & the Gulf of Thailand

Practical

Coordinate is an OSM-mapped dive-site node; a second OSM node sits about 450 m east (8.76838, 98.18989), so treat it as a search area and use a depth sounder. It lies about 7 nm offshore west of Bang Sak pier (Khao Lak Explorer). The wreck rests on flat sand at 18–20 m, with its roof at 13–16 m and the high point at 11–12 m; it is about 30 m long and 10 m wide. Visibility 5–15 m; current mild to moderate. Do not penetrate, because the broken structure is unstable. Nearby, the intact Premchai tin dredger lies at 16–20 m a few hundred metres off the southern end of Khao Na Yak near Thap Lamu (no published position). Not inside a national park.

Best for

A wreck dive on the way to or from Khao Lak

Season

Best mid-October to mid-May; off-season depends on sea state

Nearby