HIN LUANG (KOH BON PINNACLE) – Similan Island
HIN LUANG (KOH BON PINNACLE) – Similan Island
Hin Luang which means Yellow Rock in Thai language is given this name due to the thousands of tiny beautiful yellow soft coral that dominate this site, and as you descend onto the pinnacle it looks like a little diamond reaching out from the sandy bottom. Located 200 meters north off Koh Bon’s north ridge not far to swim back to the reef when your deco time runs out! This impressive deep pinnacle is worth a liveaboard dive even if it’s just to stare in awe at the breath taking topography of this Thailand diving underwater mountain.
This is one of the Thailand diving sites where you will be asked to do a "negative entry". The top of the diving pinnacle starts at 18m, so during the descent you are completely exposed to the currents. The idea is to arrive on the top of the pinnacle as soon as possible, as to avoid being blown off the dive site. Without a mooring line to use for the descent, we are forced to jump in the water with the BCD completely empty, and descend straight away, finning to the top of the pinnacle, where your dive guide will ask the first “OK?” Don’t worry though! Erase your serious face! Your dive guide will give you all the information you need for the dive before jumping in the water.
Check the deeper area for Leopard Sharks, Marble Rays, and Spotted Eagle Rays. Careful with your buoyancy around the wall of the pinnacle, as it drops down to about 50 meters!
Keep an eye out for the really special Sponge Snail that, in theory, resides in the Maldives but is spotted in Thailand Andaman area and the Similan Islands as well.