Koh Rang Marine Park

Koh Rang sits at the heart of Mu Koh Chang National Marine Park in eastern Thailand's Trat Province, an uninhabited island surrounded by some of the healthiest coral reefs in the entire Gulf of Thailand. While neighboring Koh Chang draws the tourist crowds, Koh Rang remains pristine and undeveloped, its reefs benefiting from strict marine park protection and the absence of coastal runoff. The diving here centers on gentle sloping reefs that begin in waist-deep water and descend gradually to sandy bottoms at around 18-20 meters. What immediately strikes you upon descending is the coral coverage — dense fields of staghorn coral, massive boulder corals, and delicate table formations create a three-dimensional reef structure teeming with life. I counted more species of butterflyfish on a single dive here than at many supposedly premium Thai dive sites. Hawksbill and green turtles are the stars of Koh Rang. Protected from fishing pressure, these gentle creatures are remarkably relaxed around divers, often continuing to feed on sponges or resting on coral ledges as you drift past. Seeing two or three turtles per dive is typical, and patient photographers can capture intimate portraits without disturbing them. The reef fish community is extraordinarily dense. Schools of blue-green chromis hover above the corals in shimmering clouds, while parrotfish methodically crunch through hard coral. Pairs of regal angelfish patrol their territories, and blue-spotted stingrays shuffle across the sand between coral patches. The site offers excellent night diving, when cuttlefish emerge to hunt and octopuses prowl the reef. Although Koh Rang lacks the dramatic topography and big pelagics of Andaman Sea sites, it delivers something equally valuable: unspoiled reef diving in comfortable conditions that remind experienced divers why they fell in love with the underwater world in the first place.

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