Scuba Diving in Cambodia - More Fish & Less Divers

If there is a saying that would speak the loudest forislands, with a couple of notable exceptions being
Cambodia diving it would be More Fish & LessCondor Reef, 6 hours out from Sihanoukville, and
Divers. If you look at a map of South East Asia,Sponge Factory, which is between Koh Rung
Cambodia is surrounded by great scuba diving. YouSamleom and Koh Rung. Their use to be wrecks, but
have Vietnam known for its Nudibranch and softthey have been salvaged for the scrap metal. The
corals, and Thailand known for diving in two differentUS Army is still seeking "MIA's" believed to be on a
bodies of water, the Adman Sea, famous for itshelicopter off the Northwest side of Koh Tang, that
leopard sharks and lion fish, and the Gulf of Thailandis still missing, but local fisherman and dive operators
with its warm water where whale sharks can befigure that it to have been salvaged for the very
seen, as well as a large assortment of reef fish likeexpensive metals in a helicopter, namely aluminum,
wrasses, parrots and angel fish.titanium and magnesium. Recently an ancient Chinese
In Cambodia you have 2 PADI Dive Centers and ajunk wreck was found, but it is under the control of
few smaller dive shops with instructors from SSI,the government, and you need special permission to
CMAS, and NAUI. Go to Koh Toa in Thailand and youdive it.
have on just one small island 35 dive shops. KohThe islands in the Koh Rung Group is where the
Chiang has over 20 dive shops and is less than 100majority of the day diving takes place in Cambodia
miles away as the crow flies from Sihanoukville,and can be reached in under 2 hours. Most the dive
where all the diving takes place in Cambodia. The onlyoperators leave around 8 am and get back around 4
difference between Koh Chiang in Thailand andpm after doing 2 or 3 dives. At these islands, you
Cambodia is a political border, fish as you can guesscan find very large schools of snappers and fusiliers.
don't need visas, and can cross the border anytimeSchools of orbital batfish often times following the
that they want without going through passportdivers around the dive sites. As the sites are not so
control.deep, many dives will last over 1 hour for the divers
Cambodia reefs are relatively shallow and close tothat are better with air consumption.