Koh Chang island sport facilities

You can rent mountain bicycles on Koh Chang, and the island has everything you can look for in a mountain biking destination. Possible would it a bit more difficult to get your own bicycle to the island, and the rentals are not really serious equipment.

Diving around Koh Chang, while it could never be classified as one of Thailand’s prime diving destinations, Koh Chang Marine National Park does have some healthy fringing refs, an interesting wreck, and several snorkeling sites. In general, visibility is low (around 5 to 10 meters, 16 to 22 feet). Freshwater runoff from the mainland, swirling currents carting silt as well as tailings from the extensive gem mining operations on the mainland coastline all limit visibility. Marine life is far less prolific than elsewhere, and dynamite fishing has taken its toll on the reefs.

However, on the plus side there are numerous giant clams and plenty of colorful reef dwellers, and there is always the change of spotting whales or dolphins. Diving here has an exploratory feel to it. The best season for diving is here November to May.

There are a number of dive operators on Koh Chang, with another on the neighboring island of Koh Mak. Occasionally trips are charted from Pattaya, but there is no regular scheduled service; operators arrange trips on demand. Dive trips from Koh Chang Island are on a daily basis onboard a 14 meter converted fishing boat. The costs for a two dive trip include tanks, weights, lunch and soft drinks. Hire of other equipment is an extra.

There are 2 wrecks dive sides around Koh Chang, one Thai warship (the Thonburi) which was sunken on 17 January 1941 by the French Navy during WW II. The second is the LPG tanker Pak One which sank after hitting a coral reef in August 1996, it miracles resurfaced in 2002. The Thai navy sunk it again after taking 600 tones of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) between Koh Chang and Koh Samet.