King Cruiser Wreck Site

“Experienced dive wreck!”

Deep with impressionant species.

Max depth 32m - Visibility 10/20m
Open All Year
Experienced divers
Last dive within 6 months
At least 30m divers
Book Now

King Cruiser Wreck site, Old sunk ferry

On the 4th May 1997, the MS King Cruiser (a catamaran style car ferry) was travelling on its normal route transporting around 560 passengers from Phuket to Koh Phi Phi, as it had been doing since entering service in 1989. For unknown reasons, the captain veered off course and collided with the Anemone Reef, causing one of its twin hulls to rupture. King Cruiser Wreck site, the ferry slowly began to sink and finally came to rest on the sea cot less than one mile from the reef it had originally hit. Before sinking, all the passengers were safely evacuated with only a few injuries having been reported.

King Cruiser Wreck site, perfect inhabitat

The King Cruiser now lays in an upright position at approximately 33 meters deep waters, where it can be accessed via a descent down a buoy line attached to a winch at the stern of the boat. This marks the highest point of the dive at about 16 meters.

King Cruiser mapping

As the diver descends, the ship becomes visible beneath him, and upon reaching the winch, the first thing to see are the toilets! Taking a route down the port side of the boat, divers can enjoy a wall type dive where many nudibranchs can be found. There are also numerous large openings to look in for the chance to find groupers hiding in the darkness. Moving around the bow of the boat, a sizable gap makes up the bow loading area, although penetration is not allowed due to the fast deterioration of the ship. Two winches placed on either side of the ship at about 18-20 meters are home to various shrimps hiding within the mechanisms. Ornate ghost pipefish can be seen here as well.

Deep Dive life

If the diver has excellent air management skills, then he can enjoy in a second wall dive back down the starboard side. Alternatively, if shallowing up is required, then a trip down to the centre of the ship can be undertaken. At this point, the deterioration has reached such an extent that the top of the ship is nothing but a tangled mess of steel collapsing on itself. Hundreds of dark recesses have been formed there, providing a home to countless species of morays.

Wreck dive in

Regardless of the fact that the main cargo area is out of bounds, there are still numerous swim-troughs that divers can enjoy, particularly towards the end of the dive where large semi-enclosed expanses are filled with huge schools of snappers. The wreck is a huge attraction to predators such as rainbow runners, trevallies, barracudas, mackerels, and tunas occasionally, and large schools of these fish can be seen hunting all around the wreck.

WHAT PEOPLE SAYS

 

  • star ratingThe DC provides the best experience ever. I've been diving with Emir for fun dives in Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. The visibility is so clear, it can go up... read more

    avatar thumb AndreaEnos
    17 September 2023
  • star ratingDive with Blue Planet Divers Koh Lanta - Friendly budget price for diving 3 days.
    Dive Lead : Kabi is the best, he good at searching the big things and small things. I’m so happy.
    Boat is big... read more

    J5737EWkatec
    7 March 2023
  • star ratingConvenince for divers. Friendly vibe. - Friendly welcome. This dive center is international vibe. Good management on boat and also since preparation on shore (equipment). Staffs have good experience and skill. Espicially Kabi dive leader is... read more

    Coastal24272695621
    7 March 2023
  • star ratingGreat experience - Dive Shop
    Had a lovely experience with Blue Planet divers shop Koh Lanta - Thailand.Dive Shop deserve that 5 stars and the recommendations..
    because they do their job perfectly and... read more

    gunaseelan28
    3 March 2023
  • star ratingHope to dive with you again, great experience - I was unable to dive due to injury but I would go to the shop everyday and was greeted, they have a nice sitting area next to the water... read more

    Ccc34
    25 February 2023
  • star ratingI just did my open water diving licence there and the guys from the Diving Center are doing a very professional job (they are not overwhelmingly friendly or funny, I... read more

    avatar thumb Stay08598734055
    9 February 2023
  • One of the bests scuba diving centers in ko Lanta. They offer free transfer, and they have one of the biggest boats, which is very comfortable for long range diving... read more

    Mehrab Sadooghianzadeh Avatar Mehrab Sadooghianzadeh
    20 April 2024
  • I only had 3 days time in my vacation where I wanted to do my Open Water. All of that was connected to a lot of planning and compromising and... read more

    Lukas Hofmann Avatar Lukas Hofmann
    4 April 2024
  • I'm back to have the 2nd fun dive & take Deep Dive course with Raf again. Awesome experience and have learned good techniques in controlling body. Recommend to book him... read more

    Suwannee Homprasit Avatar Suwannee Homprasit
    25 March 2024
  • We had an absolutely amazing dive trip to Koh Haa with the Blue Planet Divers from Koh Lanta. The dive team is very professional, well organized, with attention to every... read more

    Karlis Mikelsons Avatar Karlis Mikelsons
    25 March 2024
  • had a 3 fantastic dives, the team was very helpful and well organized. Marina my instructor was incredibly helpful, guiding us through every step of the process. She patiently answered... read more

    Bilal Hijazi Avatar Bilal Hijazi
    25 March 2024
  • Amazing first dive and overall experience. The day was amazing, cool boat, lots of food and coffee, friendly staff. They speak a lot of different languages. We had 3 dives... read more

    leo floris Avatar leo floris
    25 March 2024