Bon Soong Wreck
Protected Area
Khao Lak - Lam Ru
Why dive here
With 173+ marine species recorded in the area - including blacktip reef sharks, eagle rays, giant moray eels, whale sharks and clownfish - Bon Soong Wreck offers some of Similan Islands's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 29-31°C, warmest April, May, June.
The Bon Soong Wreck is one of our favourite dives in the Similans, especially if you’re a fan of something a bit different from the usual granite boulder landscapes. This old tin dredger, sunk intentionally in 1984, sits upright and largely intact, inviting exploration. We love dropping down onto the main deck, often finding a leopard shark or two resting on the sand nearby, completely unbothered by divers. Inside, we’ve often seen schools of fusiliers so thick they block out the ambient light filtering through the open hatches. You can navigate through the holds and engine room, where the light changes dramatically as you move from one section to another. Look closely at the superstructure; it's colonised by soft corals, and we’ve spotted ornate ghost pipefish camouflaged amongst them more than once. The wreck typically sits in good visibility, but there can be a slight current, so it’s best for divers comfortable with basic wreck penetration and drift conditions. We'd suggest going in the morning; the light seems to hit it just right.
Safety Notes
Wreck site - avoid penetration without wreck diving certification. Watch for sharp metal and entanglement hazards.
Bon Soong Wreck Wreck History
Year Sunk
1984
Vessel Type
cargo ship
Cause
unknown
Before it was one of Thailand's most famous dive sites, the Bon Soong was a tin dredger, a hard-working vessel in the region's once-thriving mining industry. In 1984, its industrial life came to an end when it sank off the coast of Khao Lak. While the official cause is not widely known, local dive lore often suggests everything from a navigation error to more colourful, unconfirmed tales. Twenty years later, the powerful 2004 tsunami further impacted the site, breaking the vessel into several distinct sections and scattering its components across the sandy bottom.
For divers, the Bon Soong Wreck is legendary, often described as 'fish soup' due to the sheer density of marine life it attracts. Lying on a sandy bottom at around 18 metres, the wreckage acts as a magnet for vast, swirling schools of snapper, fusiliers, and trevally. The structure itself is an encrusted wonderland, providing a habitat for countless creatures. Divers can spend their entire dive exploring the nooks and crannies, searching for ornate ghost pipefish, colourful nudibranchs, stonefish, and moray eels of all sizes. It is an absolute must-do dive for anyone visiting the Khao Lak area, promising an unforgettable underwater spectacle.
Nearest Dive Centres to Bon Soong Wreck
Dive shops near Bon Soong Wreck
Andaman Scub
Funky Monkey
Similan Dive Center
Sea Turtle Divers
Dive In
Loma Diving Adventure
Reviews for Bon Soong Wreck
Conditions
Ocean conditions, forecast and tides for Bon Soong Wreck
Bon Soong Wreck Ocean Conditions
Monthly averages for Bon Soong Wreck, sourced from Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU) - nearest station: Open-Meteo marine grid (8.1, 98.3) (6km away)
October Averages
Sea Temperature
30°C
85°F · Range: 28.7–30.4°C
Current Speed
5.1 cm/s
Direction: S (191.3°)
Salinity
29.75 PSU
Based on 4 years of monitoring data · Data sources: Open-Meteo marine data + Copernicus Marine (EU)
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