Diving in Phuket

King Cruiser Wreck

The King Cruiser was originally a car and passenger ferry in Kobe, Japan before being purchased by a Thai company to be used as a passenger ferry between Phi Phi Islands and Phuket. In May 1997 the ferry struck Anemone Reef and sank nearby. There were over 500 people on board when she went down but no lives were lost and now the wreck remains as an underwater attraction in the Phuket dive industry.

The King Cruiser wreck is 85 metres long by 25 metres wide, and has 4 decks with large passages and window holes. The wreck is resting in an upright position on 32 metres, with the captain's cabin the shallowest area at 12 metres. This depth, together with the frequent strong currents and low season rough seas, makes the diving here unsuitable for beginners.

The Kingcruiser was a steel boat and the large cargo hold used to be considered safe for penetration. However, in August 2003 the floor of the stern top deck collapsed through onto the main deck and more recently both the midsection and the bow areas have deteriorated significantly, so penetration is no longer safe. As you dive around the wreck you will be aware of the constant sound of creaking joints, lending a sense of impending doom. Let's hope the wreck will survive and remain a source of enjoyment when scuba diving in Phuket for some years to come yet.

On 32 metres at the stern you can see the twin propellers with lionfish swimming around them and there is normally a nurse shark sleeping in the angle between the sea bed and the open cargo ramp. The toilet area at the rear of the main deck is home to the largest lionfish of any of the local sites. The wreck is home to literally thousands of scorpionfish which are perfectly camouflaged with the rusting steel and barnacles so, if you have to hold on to something, look closely before you touch. Towards the bow, near the wheel house there are 2 frequent visitors to the wreck who seem to delight in intimidating divers as they hang on the line for their safety stop. 1 is an enormous great barracuda and the other is a large and friendly hawksbill turtle, who will nibble your hoses given the chance.

There are huge schools of fish all over the wreck. In fact it's as if the more broken up the wreck becomes, the more fish it attracts. It seems odd that with beautiful homes like Anemone Reef and Shark Point so close by, these fish choose to take sanctuary in a rusting lump of metal, but they do and you'll find the biggest schools of trevally, mackerel and yellowtail barracuda here along with rabbitfish, surgeonfish, fusiliers and other schooling fish.

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Kingcruiser Wreck Reef Basics: Sunken car ferry wreck
Depth: 12 - 32m
Visibility: 5 - 20m
Currents: Can be strong
Surface Conditions: Can be rough
Water Temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience Level: Intermediate
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving Season: All year round
Distance: ~27 km east of Phuket (1¾ hours), 18 km west of Phi Phi (2 hours), 40 km southwest of Krabi (3 hours)
Access: Phi Phi Islands, Krabi and Phuket scuba diving day tours

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