Similan Islands scuba diving — King Cruiser wreck and Shark Point day trip

Two legendary sites, one long day on the water

The King Cruiser car ferry sank in 1997 after striking a reef near Anemone Reef — and in the quarter-century since, the wreck has become one of the most compelling dive sites in the Andaman Sea. Combine it with Shark Point (Hin Musang), a reef regularly patrolled by resting leopard sharks, and you have the bones of a genuinely excellent day trip from Phuket. But the marketing around these dives is muddier than the water after a tropical squall, so let’s be precise about where these sites actually are before talking about what you’ll see.

Quick answer: This is a 2–3 dive day trip targeting the King Cruiser wreck (25–30 m, Advanced certification required) and Shark Point near Phi Phi Island, departing around 6 am from Chalong Pier. Expect to pay 3,000–4,500 THB (roughly 92–138 USD) all-in. Return to shore by 4–5 pm.

An important geography note (read before booking)

This trips up a lot of divers: Shark Point and King Cruiser are not part of the Similan Islands. The Similans are a national park archipelago 84 km northwest of Phuket, accessed from Khao Lak. They are widely considered Thailand’s best diving, but they require a separate full-day expedition and are closed to visitors from June through October.

Shark Point (Hin Musang) sits just east of Phi Phi Island in the Andaman Sea, around 30 km from Chalong. King Cruiser is nearby, between Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. Both sites are easy day-trip distance from Chalong Pier, which is why they’re often packaged together.

Some operators loosely use “Similan-style diving” in their marketing copy because the marine life quality can be comparable — but if you book expecting the Similan archipelago itself, you’ll be disappointed. If the Similans are your priority, the Khao Lak Similan diving day trip is the correct product. For the sites described here, read on.

About the King Cruiser wreck

The MV King Cruiser was a 85-metre car ferry that ran between Phuket and Phi Phi. On 4 May 1997, en route with several hundred passengers on board, the ship struck Anemone Reef. All passengers survived; the vessel did not. It sank within hours.

Today the King Cruiser lies on its side in 25–30 m of water. The wreck is large enough that you can spend a full dive exploring the exterior alone — the massive propeller, the listing hull, the bridge structure — without penetrating at all. More experienced divers with appropriate training swim through the cargo deck and into the lower sections, where the marine life is densest. The wreck is festooned with soft corals and sponges, and large schools of batfish, snapper, and barracuda hang permanently around the superstructure.

Certification requirement: Operators require Advanced Open Water certification as a minimum for King Cruiser. The depth and the enclosed spaces make it unsuitable for Open Water-only divers. Bring your certification card and log book.

Visibility ranges from 10 m in low season to 25+ m in peak season (January–March). Currents can be moderate, so listen carefully to the dive briefing about entry and exit timing.

About Shark Point (Hin Musang)

Shark Point is a protected marine sanctuary — no anchoring, no fishing — which partly explains why the marine life here is so abundant. The site consists of three submerged pinnacles rising from a sandy bottom at around 18–24 m. The top of the shallowest pinnacle is at about 5 m, making it accessible to Open Water divers.

The leopard sharks (also called zebra sharks — Stegostoma tigrinum) are the reason most people come. These are docile, bottom-resting sharks that typically lie motionless on the sandy patches between the pinnacles. On a good dive you might count five or six, photographable from close range without disturbing them. They’re not the fast-moving oceanic sharks of documentaries; they’re large, spotted, and very photogenic.

Beyond the sharks: the pinnacles are encrusted with sea fans and barrel sponges, and the surrounding sand hosts ghost pipefish, mantis shrimp, and an impressive variety of nudibranchs. Hard coral coverage on the upper pinnacles is decent, having recovered well since the 1998 bleaching event.

The site appears in our scuba diving Phuket guide as one of the top three sites accessible on a day trip. For non-divers in your group, the nearby Phi Phi Islands offer excellent snorkelling alternatives — though note this is a diving-focused day and not designed as a snorkel tour.

What the day actually looks like

Departure: Chalong Pier, typically between 5:45 and 6:30 am. The early start is non-negotiable — the boat needs to reach the sites before the day heats up and before stronger afternoon winds roll in from the southwest. Set your alarm.

Journey time: Around 45 minutes to Shark Point, slightly longer to King Cruiser, by speedboat. A handful of operators use slower dive boats; check before booking if this matters to you.

Dive structure: Most itineraries do three dives: one at Shark Point (shallow, good warm-up), one at King Cruiser (the main event for advanced divers), and a third at either Anemone Reef or a second Shark Point dive. Surface intervals are spent on the boat with snacks and water provided.

Return: Back at Chalong by 3:30–5 pm, depending on operator and conditions.

On the boat: Space is shared with other divers, typically 8–16 people. Groups are led by one or two dive guides. English-language briefings are standard at reputable operators; Thai-only briefings occasionally happen on budget boats — worth confirming in advance.

What’s included

• 2 or 3 guided boat dives (operator-dependent; confirm before booking)
• Full scuba equipment: BCD, regulator, wetsuit, mask, fins, tanks
• Dive guide in the water with you
• Lunch or snack box (usually simple: rice, fruit, water)
• National park entry fees where applicable
• Transfers from Chalong area may be included — check listing

What’s not included

• Tips for your dive guide (100–200 THB per guide is customary for good service)
• Camera or GoPro hire (usually 300–500 THB extra)
• Alcoholic drinks
• Hotel pickup if you’re staying far from Chalong (some operators charge extra)
• Nitrox, if you prefer it — ask and pay separately

Honest expectations: what to consider before booking

Crowds: Both sites are popular, and on a high-season weekend you may share King Cruiser with three or four other dive boats simultaneously. Underwater the wreck is big enough that this isn’t always a problem, but at the surface briefing/entry point it can feel busy. Weekday departures are noticeably quieter.

Conditions variability: The Andaman can kick up short-period chop even on otherwise calm days, and the 40-minute boat ride is exposed. If you’re prone to seasickness, take medication the night before. Conditions are generally best between November and April; May through October sees more variable weather, though the sites remain accessible unlike the Similans.

Depth of experience: This trip rewards divers who’ve already done 20+ dives. The King Cruiser’s layout is disorienting, the visibility can change quickly, and the currents are unpredictable. First-time advanced divers will be fine with an attentive guide, but don’t sign up expecting the equivalent of a beginner reef tour.

Value for money: At 3,000–4,500 THB (92–138 USD), this is solidly mid-range for a Phuket day dive with two or three dives included. Cheaper walk-in operators exist (some as low as 2,500 THB), but equipment quality varies significantly at the lower end. Spend a few minutes checking recent reviews for equipment condition specifically.

Photography: Both sites reward an underwater camera, but the leopard sharks at Shark Point are the more forgiving subject — they rest still, letting you compose a shot without a fast-moving target. King Cruiser’s low ambient light at depth is harder for casual point-and-shoot cameras; a dive light helps bring out the true colour of the soft corals on the wreck. GoPro rental is usually available on the boat if you don’t own one.

If budget is tight and you’re Open Water certified only, the Racha Yai / Racha Noi 3-dive trip offers similar value at slightly shallower, arguably more beginner-friendly sites.

Not certified yet? A more honest starting point

If you have never dived and want a taste before committing to a full certification course, King Cruiser and Shark Point are not the right first dives — the depth and the enclosed wreck spaces need experience. A better starting point is a discover-scuba session at Racha Yai, where the reef sits in a shallower, calmer profile and instructors can give you close, one-on-one supervision for your first breaths underwater.

If that first taste convinces you to go further, most Phuket dive shops run 2-day Advanced Open Water courses that build directly toward sites like King Cruiser — a natural next step rather than a wasted detour.

The sequencing matters more than most first-timers realise: a discover-scuba session at a shallow, forgiving site builds the comfort and buoyancy control that make the Advanced course click faster, and it means your first exposure to a real wreck comes with skills already in place rather than being learned under pressure at 25 metres. Rushing straight from zero experience to a wreck dive is possible with a private guide, but it is not the way to enjoy either the certification or the site.

How this compares to other Phuket dive options

The King Cruiser / Shark Point combination is the strongest day-dive option for advanced certified divers staying in Phuket who want wreck diving and macro life. For beginners or Open Water divers, Racha Yai and Racha Noi offer better-suited depth profiles. For the best overall diving in the region, nothing replaces the Similan Islands — but that means overnighting in Khao Lak or doing a liveaboard.

Divers planning multiple days of diving will want to look at the Phuket itinerary for divers which sequences site types, certification requirements, and logistics across a 5–7 day trip.

For non-diving companions, the best day trips from Phuket guide covers parallel options — Phang Nga Bay, Koh Yao Noi, and Coral Island are all reasonable choices for non-divers while you’re underwater.

Similan Islands diving: a clarification on the other product

If you’ve arrived here because you specifically want to dive the Similan Islands archipelago — the national park with 9 main islands, world-class visibility, and sites like Elephant Head Rock and Christmas Point — that’s a different trip. The Similans are only open from approximately November to May, and the standard route is a full-day departure from Tab Lamu pier near Khao Lak, 80 km north of Phuket.

The Similan Islands destination page covers the full logistics of getting there from Phuket. It’s a longer commitment — most serious divers combine it with 1–2 nights in Khao Lak rather than trying to day-trip from Phuket itself.

Practical booking tips

• Book in advance for high-season weekends (December–February). Walk-in is fine mid-week.
• Ask specifically: “Is this trip going to King Cruiser and Shark Point near Phi Phi, or to the Similan Islands?” This simple question will tell you immediately if the operator is clear about their product.
• Confirm dive count: Some listings advertise 3 dives but may drop to 2 if conditions deteriorate or time is short. Ask what triggers the change.
• Check the equipment: Wetsuits, BCDs, and regulators should be visually inspected at the pier before departure. A reputable operator will have no problem with you checking.
• Advance certification: If you’re not yet advanced certified, many operators in Phuket run 2-day Advanced Open Water courses that include dives at King Cruiser as part of the training. Worth considering if this is your planned highlight.

For broader context on choosing between speedboats and dive boats for island excursions, the ferry vs speedboat guide is useful reading.