Phi Phi Barakuda Diving Center Thailand

Wreck Diving

Sensational Wreck Diving at Phi Phi Island on the the King Cruiser Wreck

bkwreck2.gif (23945 bytes) An unexpected and dramatic event on the 4th. May 1997 made Phi Phi Island famous worldwide. The passenger cruiser "King Cruiser" sank and turned Phi Phi into a Mecca for wreck divers.

The "King Cruiser" was on its normal route from Phuket to Phi Phi Island. The weather was perfectly fine. It was a bright, partially cloudy day. The sea lay calm, there was no wind. Everything was business as usual… until the ship all of a sudden hit an undersea rock, gently shuddered to a halt and began to take water in through a hole in the port side hull of the catamaran's twin hulls. Slowly, the big ferry began to sink.

sinking.gif (27250 bytes) The sinking process took an hour or so. All passengers, there were more than 600, were brought to safety. There was plenty of time for the rescue operation and no panic at all, as the surprised travelers watched the big ferry sink to the bottom of the Andaman Sea, only 30 meters down under their life-boats. The Kings Cruiser sank with the portside forward, under a thundering delivery of bubbles.

There is nothing like the thrill of diving into a wreck. Nobody can free himself of the spell that haunts a sunken ship. Imagination runs wild, as you meander over the furniture and superstructure. The "King Cruiser" is an easy dive. The ship has large openings that grant the divers easy access to the spacey interior.

bkwreck1.gif (36344 bytes) For divers the "King Cruiser" is a sensational and wonderful opportunity to study the process of marine life-forms taking possession of a new part of their environment. Huge shoals of colorful fish are already occupying the ship. Groupers guard the holes and crevices. Even the sedentary settlers - shells and corals - have begun to move in. Conveniently, the "King Cruiser" has seated itself in upright position in fairly shallow waters. The steering house hovers just 10 meters under the surface. The propellers (deepest point) rest 30 meters deep. Therefore, Divers who have never dived a wreck before can enjoy the supreme fascination of wreck-exploring! The most interesting areas are the passenger decks between 10 and 20 meters.

About the "King Cruiser"

The ship was built in Japan 30 years ago and plowed the sea between Phuket and Phi Phi island until she sunk on the 4th.Mai 1997. She was a comfortable catamaran-hull passenger-cruiser with 4 decks.

bkwreck3.gif (15682 bytes)
Gross Tonnage: 3,000 tons
Length: 85 m
Breadth:25 m
Depth:8 m
Engine capacity:10,000 Hp
Max.Speed: 22 knots
Passenger Capacity: 888 passengers

Barakuda Diving Phi Phi Offers you the Opportunity to dive the King Cruiser Wreck for only:

3,200 Baht for two dives
3,900 Baht for three dives

Qualified Dive Masters or Instructors guide all Wreck Diving Tours. Tours to the King cruiser include one dive on King Cruiser & one dive on Shark Point Phuket we can also include a third dive at Anemone Reef or dive a local site upon your return.

Phi Phi Barakuda offers Divers the opportunity to complete there PADI Wreck Diver Specialty Course which will allow them to explore underwater wrecks on any dives that they make here or elsewhere in the world.