Koh Bida Nok – amazing diving at Phi Phi

Phi Phi Bida Nok is one half of a pair with Phi Phi Bida Nai. The two small islands south of Phi Phi Ley are the most popular dive sites in the Phi Phi archipelago. You can dive Phi Phi all year round by day trip dive boat from Phuket. The diving is suitable for all levels of diver.

Max depth at Koh Bida Nok is about 35 metres at the bottom of the wall, but actually the dive can be enjoyed at any depth, the coral comes up almost to the surface.

You can dive all around Koh Bida Nok and in one dive you could circumnavigate the whole island. Sea conditions, currents and diver ability will determine where you drop in. Much of the dive site is a wall dive but there is a nice shallow bay on the south east side which makes a nice start point for less experienced divers. The bay is also great for snorkeling.

Bida Nok is a dive site that deserves more than one dive, in fact dive pros who lead dives here every week never get bored because there is so much to see and the reef is changing constantly. Conditions are also very changeable. Whereas some days have 30 metres visibility with clear blue water and zero current, other days have murky green water and a strong current.

What can you see on a dive at Koh Bida Nok?

You can see almost anything from a tiny hinge beak shrimp to a whale shark.

The limestone rocks are covered in a mix of hard and soft corals, sea whips, anemones, feather stars, sponges and clams. Giant orange gorgonian sea fans sway in the current. Barrel sponges are home to lionfish and bearded scorpionfish.

Critters to look out for include harlequin ghost pipefish, leaf fish and banded boxer shrimps. Dive slow and look in every crevice, every piece of coral and seafan.

Moray eels are all over the reef. It’s also quite common to see banded sea kraits.

Possible shark sightings include leopard sharks, bamboo sharks (hiding under rocks), black tip reef sharks (patrolling the shallow ledge north of the east bay) and whale sharks (if you’re lucky).

Turtles are also pretty common and octopus are there, doing their best to be invisible to passing divers.