Diving Phuket

Anemone Reef Dive Site

Hin Jom, meaning submerged rock, derives its English name from the profusion of lime green and sky blue magnificent anemone's that cover this pinnacle. Anemonefish and clownfish use the anemone's for protection and provide this Phuket dive site with all the colours you could wish for.

A dive at Anemone Reef usually starts with a descent to the bottom of the pinnacle. You can then slowly circle your way up the reef until you reach your safety stop level at the end of your dive. Sometimes the currents make it difficult to circumnavigate the reef in which case your guide will lead you on a zigzag route up one side of the pinnacle to avoid heavy finning against the current. Which ever way Anemone Reef is dived, it's a spectacular diving spot.

On the eastern slope of the pinnacle you can find large examples of lemon sea fans. Barrel sponges dot the lower slopes, and you can often find big, well-fed bearded scorpionfish resting inside their open barrel rims. These creatures are masters of camouflage and adopt crazy patchwork markings of white and pale pink, to match the granite rocks of Anemone Reef. Common lionfish and spotfin lionfish are always in attendance, either floating freely or hiding around the barrel sponges to avoid the currents.

Large schools of fish are everywhere on Anemone Reef, including various families of snapper, grouper and fusiliers. Splendid soldierfish congregate together in the many cracks and crevices which are also a haven for smaller critters such as the yellow tiger-tail seahorses. These guys are normally found around the lower reaches of the pinnacle and you need a good eye or a skilled dive guide to spot them.

Look under the coral heads for Oriental sweetlips. Adult harlequin sweetlips can also be seen, and if you are lucky, the beautiful juvenile harlequin sweetlips performing its distinctive dance. Red-tail butterflyfish and schooling bannerfish are common at Phuket dive sites, as are Moorish idols, trumpet fish, cornetfish and parrotfish.

You will see plenty of giant morays, undulated morays and white-eyed moray eels too, and with a little searching you should also be able to spot honeycomb, yellow-edged and spot-faced moray eels.

At the end of the dive pay close attention in and around the anemones. You can find tomato, skunk, pink and Clark's anemonefish, to name but a few. And yes, the now famous western clownfish is everywhere, so you will find Nemo! Anemonefish are not the anemone's only residents though. Porcelain crabs can be seen on the outer edges of carpet anemones, shrimps hide in the middle of the anemones and damselfish such as the 3 spot dascyllus are ever present. The top of the rock at 6 metres is an ideal spot to finish off that roll of film; in fact many photographers choose to spend their whole dive here as the shallow depth provides great lighting conditions.

As Anemone Reef lies very close to Phuket Shark Point Marine Sanctuary, you are just as likely to see leopard sharks here as you are there, and there's also a pair of hawksbill turtles that make frequent appearances. They seem to share their time between Anemone Reef and the King Cruiser Wreck. Conditions can be adverse, especially in rainy season during the months from May to October, which makes diving Phuket at this site suitable for intermediate level divers only.

• Phuket tourist information

• Map of Phuket Island

Anemone Reef Basics: anemone-covered pinnacle
Depth: 6 - 25m
Visibility: 5 - 20m
Currents: Moderate
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate
Number of dive sites: 1
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: ~26 km east of Phuket (1¾ hours), 19 km west of Phi Phi (2 hours), 40 km southwest of Krabi (3 hours)
Access: Liveaboards and day tours from Phuket, Phi Phi Islands or Krabi

Use our short form to grab your best options:
Thailand scuba diving enquiries

• Back to Phuket diving sites index