Diving in Cambodia is not as popular as it is in Thailand or Indonesia. It is hard for Koh Rong & Koh Rong Sanloem dive sites to compete with other popular Cambodian attractions, such as Angkor Wat temples or Phnom Penh night life.
To be fair there are not so many dive sites nor dive centers in Cambodia. However, if you come to Cambodia to see the temples and then continue your vacation on the beautiful islands off the southern coast of the kingdom, including a couple of days of diving in your plan is definitely worth it. It doesn’t matter whether you are already a certified diver or not. You can simply try out diving if you don’t have a certificate yet. You might even think about taking a diving course. Small groups of students and professional attentive instructors offering quality guidance in a relaxed environment are guaranteed!
A few words about the diving centers of Cambodia
Currently there are less than 10 dive centers, mostly located on the islands of Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem. It is safe to say only real enthusiasts of scuba diving work in these dive centers. Others do not survive here, as working from a remote location comes with its own challenges.
All the routine work of the dive center which is quite difficult anywhere in the world, is even more complicated in our area. There is a simple reason for this: the development of the scuba industry is quite limited on the islands. There are no service centers, no workshops, no equipment stores… All of this means that the small multinational community of Cambodian professional divers are working in rather difficult conditions. Despite this, they provide high-quality services for organizing fun dives, experience programs for beginners or PADI and SSI courses. You can even take technical diving courses with some dive centers!
Taking this into account, it’s always disappointing to hear from some visitors on the island they won’t be diving here.
It’s wrong to say that our islands are not worth a dive. Believe me, there is also great underwater life to see here. Actually I’ve dived in quite a few areas in the world, and the reefs near Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem islands are hands down the best I dived on in terms of coral diversity. There are a lot of different types of soft and hard coral, as well as sponges. I have seen some really rare species, like the Neptune cup sponge (Cliona Patera), which scientists thought was extinct not so long ago.
Cambodian underwater world has more to offer than you think !
This blog will be dedicated to diving in Cambodia, as you might guess. In the 8 years I have spent here, I have learned quite a lot about this subject and I will love to share it with you. Soon you will find out about the whale sharks of Koh Prins Island, the historical past of Koh Tang Island, the hard-to-reach Koh Poulo Wai or the almost unknown Condor Reef.
You will find out how the Burma Maru, a Japanese cargo ship sunk by an American submarine Swordfish in 1942, was found, and by whom, or about the 15th century Portuguese ship known as “pot-wreck” discovered in 2006, and many other fascinating things. For example, following the development of scientific research on corals in the area, as some of the footage of the Cambodian underwater world we were lucky to capture in 2022 attracted the attention of a few marine biologists.
This blog will also address some common questions visitors to Cambodia may have, like where to dive in Cambodia, or what amazing sea life can you encounter?
We also write about important changes, such as how did we become an SSI Training Center.
Let’s take the plunge into what Cambodia underwater world has to offer. Stay tuned with us!
