Koh Bon is located at the north of the Similan islands. The dive site is on the southwestern point and consists of a 33 metre wall facing the small cove, and a step-down ridge that carries on to depths of over 45 metres. Leopard sharks are common on the ridge and on the sandy flats below the wall. White tip sharks can be seen roaming the depths off the edge of the reef. There are many different types of fish living on the reef. Sometimes you can see the Smalltooth Emperor, Big eyed Trevally/Jack, Trumpet fish and Snapper moving together in a big group to work for a living. The wall itself has plenty of critters to keep you interested including various types of moray eels. The soft corals are not as high-profile as they are in the Similans, there's mostly hard coral like Stag horn and Table coral. Koh Bon is one of the best places in Thailand to see manta rays, especially from April to May.
The manta ray (Manta birostris) is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than 7.6 metres across. If you see them, keep a little distance from them and the chances are good that they'll circle and swoop around, feeding on the plankton. Manta rays are harmless to divers, if the manta feels threatened by rapid or aggressive movements it will just glide off into the distance and find somewhere else to feed.
Khao Lak Scuba Adventures organize daytrip and live-aboard to Koh Bon from 15 Oct - 15 May. Join us www.khaolakscubaadventures.com
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