Samae San Island
Island in Chonburi Province, Thailand
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samae San Island (Thai: เกาะแสมสาร, RTGS: Ko Samaesan, pronounced [kɔ̀ʔ sā.mɛ̌ː.sǎːn]) is a small island in Sattahip District, Chonburi Province of Thailand.
Ko Samaesan
เกาะแสมสาร | |
|---|---|
 Ko Samaesan | |
| Coordinates: 12°34′N 100°57′E | |
| Country | Thailand |
| Province | Chonburi Province |
| Amphoe | Sattahip |
| Elevation | 153 m (502 ft) |
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Geography
Samae San Island has a length of four kilometres and its maximum width is about one kilometre. The island is thickly wooded and uninhabited. Formerly there was a fishing village on Samae San Island, but it was vacated and the island now is under the control of the Royal Thai Navy. Some 1,240 families reside in the fishing village of Ban Samae San on the mainland. Administratively the islands belong to the Samae San Sub-district of Sattahip.
Islands
There are four main islands in the Samae San group. The northern cluster surrounds Samae San Island, while the southern subgroup is centered on Ko Chuang. Chuang Island has a small bay at its southern end. Hin Chalam (Shark Rock) is five kilometres to the south of the southern end of the group.[1]
| Name | Thai Name | Location | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ko Samaesan | เกาะแสมสาร | Main island of the group | 12.573°N 100.95°E |
| Ko Kham | เกาะขาม | West of Ko Samaesan | 12.573°N 100.934°E |
| Ko Raet | เกาะแรด | NE of Ko Samaesan | 12.585°N 100.964°E |
| Ko Chang Kluea | เกาะฉางเกลือ | Rock east of the group | 12.550°N 100.971°E |
| Ko Chuang | เกาะจวง | South of Ko Samaesan | 12.520°N 100.96°E |
| Ko Chan | เกาะจาน | East of Ko Chuang | 12.521°N 100.970°E |
| Ko Rong Nang | เกาะโรงหนัง | NE of Ko Chuang | 12.53437°N 100.95870°E |
| Ko Rong Khon | เกาะโรงโขน | NE of Ko Chuang | 12.53169°N 100.95972°E |
Preservation area
The Ko Kham Undersea Park is part of a royal project of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn that preserves the plants and animals of the sea and island. It is home to many kinds of fish, including bluespotted stingrays, moray eels, fusilier fish, angel fish and lionfish.[2]
Tourism
Visitors are restricted, although tourist attractions on the island include fishing, swimming, bicycle riding and hiking.[3] The islands are also well known for their diving areas.[4] [5] The area is particularly renowned for its technical diving with PADI referring to it as "Thailand's Hidden Gem for Tec Divers" due to the high number of easily accessible deep technical dives.[6] A number of local dive sites feature on the list of deepest dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand, including those that hold the top three rankings. The deepest among them being the Samaesan Hole.[7] [8] The Samaesan Hole is considered one of the most extreme dive sites in the world due to a number of hazards including: depth, poor visibility, darkness, unexploded ordinance, strong and unpredictable currents as well as it being situated in a commercial shipping lane. [9] [10] [11] Since the island is within a military area, off-limits for casual tourists, booking has to be done through local travel agents.
Technical Dive Sites
| Name | Max. depth | Coordinates | Level | First Recorded Dive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samaesan Hole [8] | 85m | 12°32.314′N 100°57.616′E | Trimix 90, CCR100 | Steve Burton, 1998 [8][11] |
| Sharkfin Deep Drop / Samaesan Cliff [8][7] | 85m | 12°31.705′N 100°56.020′E | Trimix 90, CCR100 | Steve Burton, 1998 [8] |
| 1/4 Mile Mouthpiece Drop [7] | 75m | 12°30.094′N 100°57.233′E | Trimix 90, CCR100 | Troy Jamieson & Ryland Cairns, 2026 [6] [12] |
| Thunder Bowl [7] | 65m | 12°32.807′N 100°55.655′E | Trimix 65+, CCR100 | Troy Jamieson & Ryland Cairns, 2026 [6] [13] |
| Narcosis Colosseum [7] | 50m | 12°30.128′N 100°57.191′E | Tec 50+ | Troy Jamieson & Ryland Cairns, 2026 [6] [14] |
| Koh Rong Nang Training Buoy [7] | 37m-50m | 12°32.968′N 100°57.298′E | Tec 40+ | No records found |
| Hardeep Wreck [7] | 36m | 12°31.556′N 100°57.196′E | Tec 40+ | No records found |
