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Koh Dok Mai

📍 Phuket, Thailand

African Giant Snail (Lissachatina fulica) — recorded at Koh Dok Mai

Koh Dok Mai is a dive site in Phuket, Thailand. The sea floor at the site position lies at about 18 meters. Currents typically run at 0.9 km/h and reach 1.9 km/h on the strongest days. Water temperatures range from 29°C in January to 31°C in May. The typical daily tidal range is about 1.8 m. Species recorded in the area include Banded-leg swimming crab, Long-spined Crown-of-Thorns, Chevron Butterflyfish, Indo-Pacific Rock-boring Urchin and Dana's Crab.

Dive Conditions

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Seabed Depth
18m
💨
Current
0.9 km/h (1.9)
🌡️
Water Temp
29–31 °C

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Typical Current 0.9 km/h (up to 1.9)
Seabed Depth 18 m
Water Temperature 29–31 °C
Tidal Range 1.8 m (typical daily)
GPS 7.7627°, 98.4663°

Data sources: currents and water temperature from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values 2024; seabed depth from the GEBCO 2020 Grid, sampled at the site coordinates (grid resolution about 450 m). Tidal range is the median daily range of modelled sea level from Open-Meteo Marine, hourly values 2024. Species observations from iNaturalist, checked against the World Register of Marine Species.

Conditions at Koh Dok Mai through the year

Sea surface temperature at the site coordinates, averaged per month from hourly model values for 2024. The water is warmest in May at about 31 °C and coolest in January at about 29 °C, a spread of 2.5 degrees across the year.

Monthly sea surface temperature at Koh Dok Mai (°C)
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
28.9 29.3 29.8 30.9 31.4 30.5 30.1 30.1 29.5 30.0 30.0 29.2

Ocean current at the site runs at a typical 0.9 km/h. In the strongest tenth of the hours modelled for 2024 it reaches 1.9 km/h, which is when entries are normally timed to slack water at the turn of the tide.

The tide moves the water level by a median 1.8 m over a day, and by up to 2.4 m on the largest days of the month. That range drives how much water is exchanged over the reef and when the current turns.

In the open sea off Koh Dok Mai, the highest wave of the day exceeded 1.5 m on 0.0 % of days between 2015 and 2024. In no month did this happen on more than 1 % of days.

The seabed directly under the site coordinates sits at about 18 m. This is a bathymetry grid value with a cell size of roughly 450 m, so it describes the depth of the area rather than the deepest point a dive can reach.

How Koh Dok Mai compares

These comparisons use only the measured values above, set against the 376 dive sites published on findadive.com. A percentage shows the share of other sites with a lower (or higher) value, so it reads the same way wherever the site is. Koh Dok Mai sits with its mean water temperature in the top tenth of all listed sites.

Koh Dok Mai compared with all listed sites and with Phuket
MeasureThis siteCompared with all sitesMedian in Phuket
Mean water temperature30.0 °Cwarmer than 95 % of the other 375 sites29.8 °C (27 sites)
Water temperature in the coolest month28.9 °Cwarmer than 87 % of the other 375 sites28.8 °C (27 sites)
Typical current0.9 km/hweaker than 62 % of the other 375 sites0.9 km/h (27 sites)
Current in the strongest 10 % of hours1.9 km/hweaker than 61 % of the other 375 sites2.0 km/h (27 sites)
Median daily tidal range1.8 mlarger than 78 % of the other 375 sites1.7 m (27 sites)

Water temperature, current and tide from Open-Meteo Marine (CC BY 4.0), hourly model values for 2024 at 7.7627°, 98.4663°. Seabed depth from the GEBCO 2020 Grid. Wave statistics from ERA5-Ocean via Open-Meteo Marine (contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2015–2024), daily maximum wave height on a 0.5° grid; land shelter tested against Natural Earth coastlines.

Marine life recorded at this site

Research-grade observations from iNaturalist within about 12 km of these coordinates.

Banded-leg swimming crab (Charybdis annulata)
Banded-leg swimming crab Charybdis annulata A swimming crab with distinct dark bands on its legs, often seen scuttling across sandy or rubble bottoms.carapace to 8 cm · 5-25 m · day and nightsandy and rubble substratesLook for its tracks and small burrows in the sand; it often hides when approached. (c) relew, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Long-spined Crown-of-Thorns (Acanthaster planci)
Long-spined Crown-of-Thorns Acanthaster planci A large starfish with many long, sharp spines, often seen feeding on coral polyps, leaving behind white feeding scars.to 80 cm diameter · 0-30 m · at nightcoral reefs, often on stony coralsLook for white patches on coral heads at night; the starfish is often found on or near them. (c) Jay Paroline, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Chevron Butterflyfish (Chaetodon trifascialis)
Chevron Butterflyfish Chaetodon trifascialis A butterflyfish with a chevron pattern of thin black lines on a white body, a black bar through the eye, and a yellow tail.to 18 cm · 1-30 m · by daycoral-rich areas, especially around tabular AcroporaOften seen in pairs, closely inspecting coral branches. It is shy and will retreat if approached directly. (c) Lisa Bennett, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Indo-Pacific Rock-boring Urchin (Echinometra mathaei)
Indo-Pacific Rock-boring Urchin Echinometra mathaei A dark purple to black sea urchin with short, stout spines, often found in clusters on reef rock.to 8 cm diameter · 0-15 m · day and nightexposed reef rock and limestone, often in eroded depressionsLook for circular holes in the reef; the urchin often occupies these bored-out shelters. (c) relew, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation
Dana's Crab (Thranita danae)
Dana's Crab Thranita danae A small, cryptic crab with a flattened, rounded carapace, often covered in algae and debris for camouflage.to 3 cm · 5-25 m · at nightcoral rubble and reef crevicesLook for subtle movement among rubble at night; a torch beam may reveal its eyeshine. (c) relew, some rights reserved (CC BY) · observation