Hin Daeng and Hin Muang

The sole reason that diving has become popular in Trang are two pinnacles that lie approximately 25 km (15 miles) southwest of Koh Rok. Hin Daeng (red rock) and Hin Muang (purple rock) offer everything a diver could want, from dramatic walls and big fish action, to lush tropical underwater gardens.
Hin Daeng is easily found since it protrudes right out of the surface. Although not very impressive topside, underwater the rock is huge. The southern side descends straight down to over 60 metres (197 feet), forming the most radical vertical drop in Thailand's seas. The wall is dotted with a light growth of soft corals and a few sea fans, but is otherwise devoid of life. On the eastern side, where the slope is more gentle, two long ridges descend into the blueness and if the currents are favorable it is possible to swim along these ridges down to 40 metres (131 feet) or more. Here the soft coral becomes more lush and tall, and huge schools of jacks sweep past the ridge, surrounding the diver with a shimmering wall of silver. Ascending to the shallows we see needle fish, or long toms, skip along the surface. Barracudas stalk their prey through the clear water. Swimming between the three large rocks that form the surface view of Hin Daeng, large schools of fusiliers dart to and fro as if they are afraid of the water surging through the channels. Hin Muang, located a stone's throw away from Hin Daeng, lies completely submerged. What surprised us the first time we explored the rock was the incredible amount of marine life that clung to the rock. It is as if the rock were located in another ocean and not just a short distance away from the relatively barren Hin Daeng. The name derives itself from the thick purple growth of soft corals that are everywhere. The rock itself is approximately 200 metres (656 feet) long and less than 20 metres (65 feet) wide, and is shaped like an immense loaf of bread with steep, vertical sides and a rounded top. The walls are decorated with large sea fans of red, white and orange. Clouds of glass fish, or silver sides, school around the fans and rocky outcroppings. Carpets of anemones cover the shallower sections of the pinnacle.
One July, the water was so transparent and the sea so smooth that I could see clearly the splash of someone throwing the dregs of their coffee overboard - puffy white tropical clouds as a backdrop from the depths of the sea. Whale sharks are one animal that we see repeatedly around these pinnacles and in some years we've seen them on almost 70 percent of our trips there. We've even given a name to one small animal since he is sighted so often. Oscar doesn't seem to mind divers at all and will swim right up to you - an impressive sight to behold. Oscar especially seems to like to make dramatic entrances with beginning divers around and seems to know that this is an unnerving experience for most of them. There's nothing like a whale shark with a sense of humor. On many occasions we swim with gray reef sharks in the deep blue water off Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. This is the only place in Thailand where I have seen more than ten gray reef sharks together at one time. In fact, even at the Burma Banks this type of shark is rare. Gray reef sharks are full-bodied sharks, powerful and sleek, and are often confused with black tips because of their similar markings. However, unlike their cousins, these sharks are true pelagic animals, and swimming with them is a stirring, emotional experience. On one occasion, I managed to hover just off of a group of these sharks who ignored me in favour of a large school of jacks - apparently they were more mouth watering than I was.