With a coastline of 435 km and dozens of islands, Cambodia seems to offer a lot of opportunities for diving. However due to a combination of factors, most dive centers in Cambodia are located on just two islands – Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem. This is partly due to the fact that a lot of islands such as Koh Ta Kiev, Koh Puos (Snake island), Koh Russei, Koh Tass, Koh Kaoh Krobai, Koh Dek Koul are located really close to the mainland.
Even though some of these islands are touristic destinations, the water around them is shallow and the visibility quite poor most of the time, which doesn’t offer an ideal setting for diving.
Discover Koh Rong Archipelago, a famous area to dive in Cambodia
Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem, however are located further off the mainland and offer a lot of coral reefs to explore. Yes, they are different islands, even though the names are similar! Do not make the assumption that Koh Rong is just a shortened way of speaking about Koh Rong Sanloem as this mistake can land you on the (w)rong island!
It is also worth noting that Koh Rong Sanloem have different spellings as Latin spelling of the islands are merely a phonetic transcription of the Khmer names. Koh Rong Sanloem and Koh Rong Samloem are the most common, but I’ve also encountered Koh Rong Samloy, Koh Rong Samlem, Koh Rong Sanlem, Koh Rong Samlum, or event Koh Rong Salomon (thank you auto correct!) So if you are planning a trip there, it is worth remembering that just “Koh Rong” is one island, while Koh Rong Samething (pun intended) is Koh Rong’s sister island.
Koh Rong is the biggest one, while Koh Rong Sanloem is smaller in size. There are many other tiny islands surrounding these two bigger islands, which means a lot of coral reefs teeming with life in the area. Koh Rong and Koh Rong Sanloem being the most touristic islands in the country, it is only natural that they are the hot spot for scuba diving in Cambodia, where most dive shops are located. If you want to dive in Cambodia, the islands of Koh Rong or Koh Rong Sanloem are the place to be.
