Ko Usen - Koh Lanta & Phi Phi
Ko Usen often gets overlooked for its flashy neighbours, but we’ve always had a soft spot for it. It’s not about huge pelagics here; it's about the small stuff, the details you often swim right past. We love spending time hovering over the coral bommies, spotting juvenile wrasse no bigger than your thumbnail flitting between the polyps. Look for the Adorned Dwarfgoby peeking out from its sandy burrow, or the Finespot Eviota, almost invisible against the rock. The site is pretty sheltered, usually calm, so it’s perfect for new divers getting comfortable or experienced photographers who want to really slow down. We’ve found the best light is usually mid-morning, when the sun isn't too harsh and filters down beautifully onto the reef. Keep an eye out for the singular bannerfish, they often hang out in small groups, their long dorsal fins waving in the gentle current. It’s a site for discovery, not adrenaline.
- Location
- Koh Lanta & Phi Phi, Thailand, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 6.484679, 99.314255
Marine Protected Area: Tarutao
Nearby Dive Sites in Koh Lanta & Phi Phi
- 7 Rocks - 17m
- 8 mile rock
- Adang corner - 15-30m (reef)
- ANG LEE - 2m (wreck)
- ANIAH - 13m (wreck)
- Aow Ta Lo Lancha - 14m (reef)
- CHO SIN SAYAM 6 (POSSIBLY) - 3m (wreck)
- GASLEO - 16m (wreck)
- GINA III - 4m (wreck)
- HAI SHIN - 17m (wreck)
- Hin Daeng
- Hin Daeng / Hin Muang
- Hin Muang
- Hin Muang
- Hin Ngam Koh Rok - 13m
Nearest Dive Centres to Ko Usen
Marine Life in Koh Lanta & Phi Phi
Home to 185 recorded species including 156 reef fish, 13 hard corals, 7 seagrass & algae, 3 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 other, 1 starfish.
Notable Species
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- seagrass (Halophila ovalis) - Seagrass & Algae
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- cymodocea (Cymodocea rotundata) - Seagrass & Algae
- Striped Triplefin (Helcogramma striata) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Actor Coral Goby (Gobiodon histrio) - Reef Fish
- Onelined wrasse (Labrichthys unilineatus) - Reef Fish
- Bicolor Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor) - Reef Fish
- Rock Cod (Cephalopholis boenak) - Reef Fish
- Herringbone butterflyfish (Chaetodon triangulum) - Reef Fish
- Brownbanded wrasse (Halichoeres scapularis) - Reef Fish
- Six-line wrasse (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia) - Reef Fish
- Horned Squirrelfish (Sargocentron cornutum) - Reef Fish
- Coral hind (Cephalopholis miniata) - Reef Fish
- Rainbowfish (Halichoeres hortulanus) - Reef Fish
- Telescopefish (Epibulus insidiator) - Reef Fish
- Crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) - Starfish
- Kihikihi (Zanclus cornutus) - Reef Fish