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Koh Lanta Diving: Hin Daeng, Koh Haa and Prices

Last updated 2026-07-08

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TL;DR: Koh Lanta is the closest launch point for two of Thailand’s best-known dive sites: Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, a pair of soft-coral pinnacles about 1.5 hours south by speedboat where oceanic manta rays and the occasional whale shark cruise deep walls dropping past 60 metres, and Koh Haa, a cluster of limestone islets around 45 minutes out with an underwater cavern called the Cathedral. A two-dive day trip to Koh Haa runs about ฿3,150-3,800 (US$95-115); the deeper Hin Daeng and Hin Muang trip runs about ฿3,950-5,900 (US$120-179), both plus a ฿600 (US$18) marine park fee for foreign divers. A PADI Open Water course from a Koh Lanta shop costs roughly ฿14,200-15,000 (US$430-455) over three to four days, and a one-day Discover Scuba taster is ฿4,500-5,000 (US$136-152). The season is November to April; the national marine park that covers these sites closes for the monsoon from roughly mid-May to mid-October, so trips do not run then. All prices ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).

Koh Lanta gets overlooked as a dive base next to Phuket and the Similans, which is exactly why the diving is good: it is the nearest jumping-off point for Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, two of the most talked-about sites in the Andaman, and the reefs and cavern at Koh Haa are close enough for a relaxed half-day. This guide covers the main sites, the season, what a day trip and a PADI course actually cost in 2026, the dive shops on the island, and where snorkellers fit in. Every price and detail below comes from Koh Lanta dive-centre listings and dive-site pages, cited at the end.

Prices are in Thai baht (THB) with US dollars in parentheses, converted at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026). Diving is one strand of a wider island; for the full picture see outthailand.com’s things to do in Koh Lanta pillar guide, and to pick a base near the dive shops on the west coast, see where to stay in Koh Lanta.

Koh Lanta dive trips at a glance

TripBoat time from Koh LantaDivesPrice (per person)Marine park fee
Koh Haa~45 min (speedboat)2฿3,150-3,800 (~$95-115)+฿600 (~$18)
Hin Daeng & Hin Muang~1.5 hrs (speedboat)2฿3,950-5,900 (~$120-179)+฿600 (~$18)
Koh Haa snorkelling~45 min (speedboat)Snorkel฿2,500 ($76)+฿400 (~$12)
PADI Open Water courseLocal + park sitesOver 3-4 days฿14,200-15,000 (~$430-455)Park fees on park days
Discover Scuba (1 day)Local sites2฿4,500-5,000 (~$136-152)Park fee if applicable

Ranges compiled from Koh Lanta dive-centre price lists; see Sources. Marine park fee is a separate cash charge per day inside the park. Prices at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).

What are Hin Daeng and Hin Muang?

Hin Daeng (“red rock”) and Hin Muang (“purple rock”) are two submerged pinnacles about a kilometre apart, roughly 1.5 hours south of Koh Lanta by speedboat, and they are the reason serious divers come here. Hin Daeng breaks the surface as a small red-tinged rock and drops away in soft-coral walls; Hin Muang is fully submerged and forms what operators describe as one of the tallest vertical walls in Thai waters, falling from around 8 metres down past 60 metres. Both are draped in red and purple soft corals that give the sites their names.

The draw is the open water around them. Oceanic manta rays, up to around 4 metres across, visit the cleaning stations to feed, and whale sharks turn up occasionally, with the best odds from about February to April. You will also see reef sharks, barracuda, big schools of trevally and snapper, moray eels and plenty of macro life on the walls. Currents run moderate to strong and the diving is deep, so these are sites for experienced divers, not beginners.

What is diving Koh Haa like?

Koh Haa is a cluster of five small limestone islets about 45 minutes out, and it is the more relaxed, more forgiving counterpart to Hin Daeng. The signature dive is the Cathedral, a large underwater cavern at Koh Haa Yai with chambers where shafts of light angle in from above, reaching about 35 metres at its deepest. Elsewhere the site is shallower, generally 5-30 metres, with a chimney swim-through, a sheltered lagoon and reef slopes good for less experienced divers. Marine life includes turtles, seahorses, ghost pipefish, frogfish, moray eels and barracuda, with the occasional whale shark or eagle ray passing through.

Because it is closer, calmer and shallower, Koh Haa works for a wider range of divers than Hin Daeng, and it is where most Open Water divers and course students head. It is also the main snorkelling site of the two areas.

What does diving cost from Koh Lanta?

Budget about ฿3,150-3,800 (US$95-115) for a two-dive Koh Haa trip and ฿3,950-5,900 (US$120-179) for Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, plus a ฿600 (US$18) marine park fee per day. The dive-trip price usually includes tanks and weights, a dive guide, hotel transfer on the west coast, and breakfast and lunch on the boat, with the lower end of each range typically for booking online a few days in advance. Free equipment rental is often bundled into fun-dive prices; check whether it is included or extra when you book. The national marine park fee (฿600 for foreign divers, ฿400 for foreign snorkellers) is collected separately in cash on the day and is not part of the advertised trip price.

If you plan to dive several days, ask about multi-day fun-dive packages, which bring the per-dive cost down compared with booking single trips.

Which dive shops operate on Koh Lanta?

The island has a cluster of established dive centres, most based along the west coast near Long Beach and Saladan:

  • Lanta Diver is a long-running PADI 5-Star centre offering fun dives to Koh Haa, Koh Bida, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, plus the full range of PADI courses.
  • Phoenix Divers is a PADI 5-Star centre that runs speedboat trips to the same sites and offers courses from Discover Scuba up to instructor level.
  • Dive and Relax runs dive and snorkel trips and certifies on the SSI system rather than PADI, worth noting if you specifically need a PADI card.
  • Hidden Depths Diving and Andaman Dive Adventure are two more Koh Lanta-based operators covering Koh Haa, Koh Bida and the offshore pinnacles.

Prices and inclusions vary between shops, so it is worth comparing what is bundled (gear, transfers, meals, insurance) rather than just the headline number.

PADI courses and learning to dive

A PADI Open Water course from a Koh Lanta centre costs roughly ฿14,200-15,000 (US$430-455) over three to four days. That covers the theory, confined-water skills and open-water dives to certify you as an independent diver, and usually includes equipment, boat trips and meals on dive days. If you already dive and want to go deeper, an Advanced Open Water course runs around ฿13,000 (US$394) over two days and five dives, and it is the certification you need to dive Hin Daeng and Hin Muang.

If you are short on time or just want to try it, a one-day Discover Scuba Diving experience costs about ฿4,500-5,000 (US$136-152) for a couple of guided shallow dives with an instructor, no certification required. It is a good way to find out whether diving is for you before committing to a full course.

When should you dive Koh Lanta?

The season is November to April, and it matters more here than at many Thai dive bases because the marine park physically closes for the monsoon. From roughly mid-May to mid-October, the Department of National Parks shuts the protected area covering Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Haa and Koh Rok, so those trips do not run during the closure, not just on rough-weather days. Exact closure dates shift year to year, so check before planning a shoulder-season trip. Within the open season, water sits around 28-30C, visibility is best in the calm months, and February to April gives the strongest odds of manta and whale-shark sightings at the pinnacles.

Where do snorkellers fit in?

Snorkelling from Koh Lanta centres on Koh Haa and Koh Rok, not the deep pinnacles. A Koh Haa snorkelling day trip runs about ฿2,500 (US$76) including gear, guide and lunch, with a ฿400 (US$12) marine park fee on top, and Koh Rok trips run a little more. Both have clear, shallow water and reef fish suited to snorkellers. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, by contrast, are deep, exposed and current-swept, so they are dive-only and are not sold as snorkelling trips. For the broader set of Koh Lanta boat trips, including the Koh Rok and Koh Haa combination and the Emerald Cave day, see outthailand.com’s things to do in Koh Lanta guide.

Honest downsides

  • The best sites are seasonal and can close entirely. The mid-May to mid-October park closure takes Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Haa and Koh Rok off the table, so low-season divers are limited.
  • Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are not beginner dives. Deep water and current mean you need an Advanced certification, and even then the conditions can be demanding.
  • Big-animal sightings are never guaranteed. Mantas and whale sharks are wild and seasonal; some trips see them, plenty do not.
  • The long speedboat run out to the pinnacles is a full day and can be a rough ride in any chop, so it is worth taking seasickness precautions if you are prone to it.

Bottom line

If you dive and you are on Koh Lanta in high season, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are worth the early start and the two-hour round trip, provided you hold an Advanced card. If you are newer to diving, or want a shorter day, Koh Haa and its Cathedral cavern deliver a lot without the demands of the deep pinnacles. Snorkellers should aim for Koh Haa or Koh Rok rather than the offshore rocks. Compare a few of the island’s PADI centres on what is included, budget the ฿600 marine park fee separately, and check the park’s closure dates before locking in a shoulder-season trip. Plan the rest of your stay with outthailand.com’s things to do in Koh Lanta and where to stay in Koh Lanta guides, and see what’s on while you are on the island.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best dive sites near Koh Lanta?

The two headline sites are Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, a pair of offshore pinnacles about 1.5 hours south by speedboat, famous for deep soft-coral walls and big pelagics including oceanic manta rays and occasional whale sharks. The other standout is Koh Haa, around 45 minutes out, a group of limestone islets with an underwater cavern known as the Cathedral, plus easier reef diving good for less experienced divers. Between them they cover both ends of the spectrum, from adrenaline wall dives to relaxed reef and cavern dives.

How much does diving cost from Koh Lanta?

A two-dive day trip to Koh Haa runs about ฿3,150-3,800 (US$95-115) per person, and the deeper Hin Daeng and Hin Muang trip about ฿3,950-5,900 (US$120-179), both usually including gear, guide and lunch when you book online in advance. On top of that, budget a ฿600 (US$18) national marine park fee per day for foreign divers, which is collected separately. Multi-day dive packages and courses work out cheaper per dive than one-off trips.

Can you see manta rays and whale sharks at Hin Daeng?

Sometimes, but there is no guarantee. Oceanic manta rays visit the cleaning stations at Hin Daeng and Hin Muang fairly regularly, and whale sharks turn up occasionally, with the best odds from about February to April. These are wild encounters at an open-water site, so operators are careful not to promise them. Even without the big animals, the deep soft-coral walls, reef sharks, barracuda and trevally make the sites worth the trip.

Do you need to be a certified diver for Hin Daeng and Hin Muang?

Yes. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang are deep sites with moderate-to-strong currents and walls dropping past 60 metres, so operators require an Advanced Open Water certification, or an Open Water certification plus a Deep Adventure dive, before they will take you. They are not suitable for first-time or newly qualified divers. If you only hold basic Open Water, Koh Haa and the reefs around Koh Bida are the better, more forgiving choice.

How much is a PADI Open Water course on Koh Lanta?

About ฿14,200-15,000 (US$430-455) at the main Koh Lanta dive centres, run over three to four days and including equipment, boat trips, and usually breakfast and lunch on dive days. If you only want a taste rather than a full certification, a one-day Discover Scuba Diving experience costs roughly ฿4,500-5,000 (US$136-152) for a couple of shallow dives with an instructor. Marine park fees are charged separately on the days you dive inside the park.

When is the best time to dive Koh Lanta?

November to April, the dry-season window when seas are calm, visibility is best and water sits around 28-30C. Peak sightings of manta rays and whale sharks at Hin Daeng and Hin Muang fall roughly February to April. The national marine park covering Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Koh Haa and Koh Rok closes for the southwest monsoon from about mid-May to mid-October, so those specific trips do not run at all during the closure, not just on rough days.

Is there good snorkelling from Koh Lanta?

Yes, mainly at Koh Haa and Koh Rok, which have clear, shallow water and reef life suited to snorkellers. A snorkelling day trip to Koh Haa costs about ฿2,500 (US$76) including gear, guide and lunch, and Koh Rok trips run a little more. Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, however, are deep, exposed and current-swept, so they are dive-only sites and are not sold as snorkelling trips. For the wider set of Koh Lanta snorkelling day trips, see the things to do guide.

Out Thailand Team

Based in Chiang Mai

The Out Thailand team lives in and around Chiang Mai and writes practical, on-the-ground guides to events, cost of living, and daily life in Thailand.