Richelieu Rock is widely regarded as Thailand's premier dive site and it's the best place in Thailand to see whale sharks. Located 18 km east of Koh Surin and part of the Surin national marine park it is best dived by liveaboard boat. There are moorings in place but not enough to cope with the number of boats that visit each day (sometimes as many as 10 boats) so entry will often be a live boat entry or from your liveaboards tender.  Most liveaboards include at least two dives at Richelieu Rock as part of their itinerary and may add more dives here if guests wish. The most difficult decision for underwater photographers is which lens to dive Richelieu with. Of course a wide angle lens is best for whale sharks but there is so much good macro photography to do here too.
At low tide the rock is just visible above the surface and it goes down to a maximum depth of 35m. The rock is horseshoe shaped and although currents can be strong at times there is always shelter on one side of the dive site. There are also several smaller rocks out from the main rock. An ideal dive starts deep, then divers circle the pinnacle until they reach safety stop depth at the end of the dive. Richelieu is a lime stone rock and visibility is changeable. Some days it's excellent but on other days it can be rather green with a lot of suspended matter. Of course these plankton blooms are a whale sharks favourite food.
Although Richelieu Rock is promoted as one of the world's best places to see whale sharks sightings are by no means guaranteed. Up until 2000 it was a case not of "will I see a whale shark?" but more like "how many whale sharks will I see?".... Continued >>
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