The Best Dive Site in Koh Lipe: Stonehenge

Off the southern end of Koh Talang, Thailand lies the dive site named Stonehenge of Koh Lipe. The site is just a short longtail or speedboat ride away from Sunrise Beach, which is one of the best dive sites around Koh Lipe.

The entire perimeter of Koh Talang is frequently dived by many of the dive shops on Koh Lipe. However, Stonehenge is the most popular due to its high density of nice soft corals and unique topography. The stones of Stonehenge Thailand are what really make this dive site what it is.

Stonehenge Thailand dive details: 

• Average Depth: 5-25 meters (A majority of the best corals were in late 2016 between 8-12 meters)
• Certification Level Required: Open Water (18 meters/60 feet)
• Difficulty: Easy Dive (current can be strong at times)
• Visibility: Highly dependent on tidal currents, generally best at half-moon periods

Where does the dive site get its name Stonehenge?

Located 6,196.1 miles (9971.7 km) away from the peculiarly placed stones in England, Koh Lipe’s Stonehenge in Thailand does bear some resemblance to the ancient monument.

Below the surface, hundreds of granite pinnacles protrude out of the seabed looking a bit like the ancient Stonehenge. There are several spots along the site where multiple stones are clustered together adding to the feeling and appeal.

Stunning Soft Coral Gardens at Stonehenge

Aside from the massive stones plunked down into the sand at Stonehenge the other major draw to the dive site is the beautiful soft corals. Colorful and bountiful, soft corals are everywhere on this dive site.

Many of the massive stones that make up the “Stonehenge” are also covered in nice purple and white soft corals. The deeper you go you’ll see more white colored soft corals compared to the purple corals you’ll see growing in shallower depths at Stonehenge.

The blend between the hard granite stones and the soft corals is what really made the dive special for me. Some stones were covered more than others, but it was a beautiful jeux de position 50ft below the surface.

Stonehenge’s School of Yellow Snappers

If you’re lucky, you’ll run into the “resident” massive school of yellowtail snappers that swirl their way around Koh Lipe’s Stonehenge dive site.

On our last trip to Koh Lipe, we ran into them which made the dive that much better. There could have easily been 10,000+ in this particular school we wandered into.

Definitely one of the largest schools I have encountered in all of my diving. They were a bit skittish, but some groups didn’t mind me joining the school for a minute. I say “resident” with quotation marks because I was told by multiple dive masters that “they are always there.”

However, I can’t say for sure, and if what every dive master said was true, I would have seen a lot more stuff in my diving career. So, hopefully, they are there when you dive Stonehenge Thailand, but if not it’s still a very nice dive while in Koh Lipe. I have also seen them on several other YouTube videos on Stonehenge Koh Lipe, too.

More Marine life at Stonehenge Koh Lipe

Besides the massive rocks, soft corals, and snappers there are lots of other details to take in while diving Stonehenge in Koh Lipe Thailand. We ran into at least three moray eels, a few inquisitive clownfish, and plenty of typical SE Asian tropical reef fish.

Other fish that are frequently seen, according to local Koh Lipe dive shops, frogfish, pipefish, nudibranchs, lionfish, batfish, seahorses, barracudas, and trevallies.

An entertaining safety stop

If your dive master plans the dive properly, you can finish your dive with a nice swim around a colorful portion of the site situated at 5 meters. We slowly worked our way around the dive site and finished at a nice plateau with plenty of life at the required 5 meters. I much prefer to have something to look at while safely ascending from a dive rather than staring at my dive computer waiting for my three minutes to be up.

Recommended Koh Lipe Dive Shops to Dive Stonehenge

Adang Sea Divers – This dive shop is located right on Sunrise Beach Koh Lipe and has daily dives planned for Stonehenge. Unlike most dive shops, Adang Sea Divers uses a speedboat to reach the dive sites and is much quicker and more environmentally friendly than the longtail boats.

A speedboat may be less important for this dive site since it is so close to Koh Lipe, but for further sites, this will save hours of transport time. I personally dove with Adang Sea Divers and found the dive masters to be friendly and knowledgeable about the sites.

Adang Sea Divers also has a resort with dive and accommodation packages, and they include rooms with certain dive courses. Koh Lipe dive shops we recommend.

Koh Lipe Diving Prices For Stonehenge

Prices at Adang Sea Divers 

• Discovery Dive: 1 Tank 2,500 baht; 2 Tank 4,000 baht
• Fun Dives: 1 Tank  1,600 baht, 2-5 tanks 1,500 baht per tank, 6-10 tanks 1400 baht per tank, 11+ tanks 1,300 baht per tank
• There is an additional 200 baht National Park fee for divers on top of 200 baht National Park ticket. This will be a one time fee, your name will be added to a list of divers that paid the fee so additional dives will not incur this fee.

Other Things to Do in Koh Lipe

If you need a day off from diving, consider taking a longtail boat over to Koh Adang for the day or even the night for some beach camping. The best view of Koh Lipe is up at the viewpoint hike. It’s only 100 baht per person ($3 USD) for the quick ten-minute ride over.

For less than $45 USD a day you can rent a private longboat for the day to explore the nearby islands. If you’re on a Thailand honeymoon this is a must, find yourself a private island for the day!

There are group trips that have a set island schedule, but it’ll be with 6-10 other tourists, and for only a few more dollars, you can have the whole boat to yourself, and you set the schedule. If you’re itching to get in the water, don’t worry. There are some great spots for snorkeling in Koh Lipe and the surrounding islands and Koh Lipe beaches.

After a few days diving in Koh Lipe consider doing some island hopping in Thailand and check out other great dive spots in Thailand.

Related: How to Get to Koh Lipe – 3 Easy Ways

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Have you gone diving in Thailand? What was your favorite Thailand dive site? Hopefully, I put Stonehenge Thailand on your diving bucket list!