Phi Phi Island Scuba Diving

Maya Wall

Maya Bay is located on the west side of Koh Phi Phi Leh and became famous as it was featured in the film "The Beach" that starred Leonardo DiCaprio. It is a popular snorkelling destination and attracts lots of tourists wanting to see the iconic deserted paradise depicted in the film. This means it is often crowded but despite the people and boats the natural beauty of this area of the Phi Phi Island is stunning and it's easy to see why Hollywood chose this setting.

The walls outside of the bay to the south and the north are good for diving and very pretty with the north wall offering a slightly more interesting experience. There are several buoys along the length of the wall and it drops to a maximum depth or about 30m. The site has some hard coral cover which is home to numerous reef fish such as bannerfish, Moorish idols, wrasse and snappers.

There are many places where the huge granite boulders are strewn together in such a way that they have formed exciting swim-throughs that are filled with blankets of glassfish. Other fish residents here are titan triggerfish, pufferfish, parrotfish, moray eels and octopus. Using a torch you may find shrimps and crabs hiding in the cracks.

Leopard sharks are common here along with plenty of rock groupers. Oriental sweetlips are also numerous. This is a great Phi Phi dive site for seeing hawksbill turtles too.

Around the northern most mooring buoy at the northern edge of the wall there are schools of circling blacktip reef sharks. Snorkelers can also see them from the surface as they congregate at a depth of just 10 metres.

Maya Wall Reef Basics: Wall diving and swim-throughs
Depth: 5 - 25m
Visibility: 5 - 20m
Currents: Gentle
Surface conditions: Can be choppy
Water temperature: 27 - 30°C
Experience level: Beginner
Number of dive sites: 2
Diving season: All year round
Distance: ~45 km east of Phuket (3 hours), 30 km southwest of Krabi (2½ hours)
Access: Phi Phi scuba daytrips and liveaboards

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