Few people know their way around Vietnam’s underwater world like Jeremy Stein. In the mid-90s, he established the country’s first PADI dive centre under the banner of Rainbow Divers. He’s still exploring the depths for new experiences and his team of international dive instructors certifies more than 1,500 students every year.
Here’s Stein’s lowdown on the diving opportunities throughout Vietnam.
Phu Quoc
Diving in Phu Quoc caters to all levels and ages. Its shallow depths make it ideal for younger members of the family but there are also some unusual currents that keep it interesting for adults. The north offers amazing coral coverage and rock bommie formations, while the south has a small chain of islands around which there’s some spectacular diving.
The maximum depths are around 10 to 15 meters but there are a couple of deeper sites in the south. Because it’s situated near the outlet of the Mekong Delta, visibility rarely matches east coast conditions.
However, the waters are home to an abundance of marine life including blue spotted rays, volutes, nudibranches (sea slugs), cuttlefish, tall fin batfish, squid, giant blue spotted puffers and nocturnal bamboo sharks. You'll also see lots of crustacean life; in northern Phu Quoc, schools of fairy basslets are so thick it’s sometimes hard to see the coral bommies (outcrops).
When to go
The best time to visit is mid-September through early May, and particularly early or late in the season, when dive sites are less crowded and you stand to catch some of the bigger resorts’ rainy season rates. In early September the sea starts to clear and nutrients from the rainy season attract an abundance of new marine life.
There's a week or two of heavy winds and choppy waters during December and January but otherwise it’s clear sailing through May or June. Jellyfish come to the island around February but stings are mild and rarely pose a serious concern, provided you exercise a little awareness. Occasional dry spells during the June-August rainy season can reward lucky travelers with an almost deserted island paradise.
Top dive sites
Nudibranch Gardens: At the deeper parts (around 11 meters), you’ll find a range of large boulders, and in the shallows, a beautiful coral garden. Besides a large population of nudibranches, you'll also find bamboo sharks, giant puffers, crustaceans and blue spotted rays.
Turtle Island North: This site has fringing reef with fairy basslets, groupers and damselfish. Stretching away from the island is a string of large boulders where barracuda, blue spotted rays, nudibranches and batfish can be found. The maximum depth is 10 meters.
Bat Island: This is the furthest site in southern Phu Quoc's chain of islands. There's a shallow reef and large coral bommies in deeper parts (16 meters) and miniature walls with currents.
Dry Island (Hon Ko) dep reef: On the surface you'll see a small string of desolate rocks, but underneath is a stunning reef system that goes well beyond the surface. Volutes, rays, bamboo sharks, nudibranches, catfish and scorpionfish make up some of the marine life. The maximum depth is 12 meters.
Nha Trang
Nha Trang is the scuba diving capital of Vietnam. Hon Mun Marine Park, in the Bay of Nha Trang, is supposed to be the country’s flagship marine park. While certainly established, Nha Trang is not monitored or controlled as it should be and divers should exercise caution when choosing a dive operator. That said, scuba diving in Nha Trang is suitable for all levels of divers, including those who want to just give it a try.
When to go
Diving and PADI courses are available all year round but the best season is between March and October.
Top dive sites
Moray beach: An awesome dive site with more than 350 species of hard corals, Moray Beach is good for training in the shallows or for finding elusive and rare critters like nudibranches, devil scorpionfish, seamoths, pipefish and seahorses. The maximum depth is 20 meters.
Madonna rock: This site offers a fish-filled swim-thru at 12 meters and good muck-diving at 25 to 30 meters. There's also a resident school of yellow-tail barracudas.
Electric nose: Probably the best and most adventurous dive site in Nha Trang, it's only accessible by speedboat and intended for the advanced diver. There's a dramatic wall that descends to depths of 40 to 50 meters, as well as stunning underwater topography and lots of schooling fish.
Whale island
Two hours from Nha Trang, Whale Island is a quiet retreat with white sand beaches and lots to do, including diving, snorkeling and sailing. It's a great location for both inexperienced and experienced divers. Most dives start on a muck bottom and finish on a coral reef at 12 meters. Check out the many species of hard and soft corals including whip, encrusting, leather, purple and pink. Marine life includes nudibranches, anglerfish (clown, painted, giant), ghost pipefish, devil scorpionfish, leaf scorpionfish and giant gorgonians.
When to go
May to September is the best time to go but bear in mind that Whale Island is busiest from July until the end of August. Low season is from November to February.
Top dive sites
Three kings (Hon Trau Nam): Beautiful landscape, walls, a drop-off and a sun-lit garden of purple, pink and white cauliflower soft corals make this site great for experienced divers. There’s extraordinary diversity of nudibranches, as well as stingrays, groupers and tuna barracuda.
Hon tai: This small island outside of the channel is approximately 60 minutes from Whale Island, has good visibility all year and reaches depths of 18 to 20 meters. New divers can try diving at five meters on a coral reef full of fish, while experienced divers can descend 18 meters.
There are devil scorpionfish, lionfish, stonefish, anglerfish (clown, painted, giant), purple fire gobbies, blennies and pufferfish. Complete the dive on a reef of soft and hard corals. Sometimes there is a small current.
Whale island bay: First-timers can start on a sandy bottom in the middle of demoiselles, clownfish and anemones (you may even see moray eels). It’s also recommended for experienced divers who want to refresh their skills or practice their buoyancy in the sand. The maximum depth is 16 meters around big rocks where trevailles, snapper and grouper abound. Sea horses, scorpionfish, stonefish and flying gurnards can be found in the sand. It's also easy to night dive from the beach. See phosphorescent plankton, giant crabs, flatheads, sea mouth fish, pipefish, snakes, eels, spotted moray, squid and octopus.
Hoi an
The city of Hoi An dates back many centuries and is now a World Heritage centre. Surrounded by beaches and warm waters to the east and paddy fields and river systems to the north, south and west, it's a beautiful place to spend a week or two relaxing and having fun. There are 18 dive sites, including muck dives and rock dives.
When to go
Diving season is from June until August, although Rainbow Divers is open from March to October. The conditions are best at 20 to 30 meters visibility and 30 degrees Celsius water temperature.
Top dive sites
Signal point: When visibility is at its peak, this may be one of the best dive sites in Vietnam. There are three dives in one great site, with a maximum depth of 28 meters. Signal Point has a white, sandy bottom with tumbling granite rocks. Large table coral and masses of soft corals can be found from two meters down to 14 meters, and there are schools of yellow-tail fusiliers, bump head parrot fish, lionfish, grouper and barracuda.
Mr. Whippie (Hon Mo): The island is surrounded by whip corals at 16 to 18 meters, but maximum depths reach 30 meters. Mr. Whippie is home to giant black frogfish, ribbon eels, moray eels, anemonefish and Christmas tree worms.
Under sea island (Ran Man): As the name suggests, this is a sunken island surrounded by whip corals with lots of lionfish and lemon sharks. Good for drift diving to maximum depths of 30 meters, Under Sea Island is an advanced diver’s dream when visibility is high.
Con Dao Archipelago
A unique nest of 14 islands off the coast of Vietnam, just 200 kilometers south of Ho Chi Minh City, Con Dao is one of the few places in Vietnam with waters clear enough to take your breath away. At its best, water temperature wavers at 32 degrees with unlimited visibility. About 24 diverse dive sites to suit any level of recreational diver will hopefully be in place in 2010.
There's a full range of shallow reefs with awesome macro life, ranging from five to 15 meters, as well as 50-meter plus wall dives on the outer islands. See the turtles of Bay Canh Island or the mysterious sea cows (dugongs) in the shallow waters of the archipelago's southwestern fringes. On the Far Islands, there have been sightings of eagle and manta rays and small sharks.
When to go
The best diving with the most accessibility is from May to August. Con Dao has a unique weather system with two rainy seasons and (in general) a quarterly weather cycle. The windy season from December until late March is followed by rain from March until mid-May. May through August is the best time to go. Mekong rains return from August until late October.
Top dive sites
Rocher Blanc: Due to weather constraints, there are only a few windows of opportunity to dive this rock throughout the year, but it holds the mystery and allure that inspired many of us to take up diving in the first place. A seemingly never-ending rock wall in the middle of nowhere off the far north of Con Son, Rocher Blanc offers great conditions for the advanced diver. The currents have created an amazing array of soft corals and an abundance of nudibranches. The boat journey out to Rocher Blanc is full of those great feelings where you can truly center yourself, breathe and reflect on just how lucky you are.
Hon Cau: The largest of the Far Islands, Hon Cau offers the best range of hard corals on the archipelago and some of the biggest table corals I've ever seen. It provides fabulous shallow dives for the beginner and deeper dives for the advanced. There are big shoals of schooling fish, including barracuda and trigger. On the right day, there’s easy drift diving; just moor the boat at one point, and do six different dives.
Lighthouse reef: Near the lighthouse on the main island of Con Son lies the often overlooked Lighthouse Reef (Con Son is shaped like a bear—the reef is located on the tip of its leg). It's shallow, but gorgeous. Perfect for the novice who can make the 60-minute dive from five to 15 meters through a coral garden with layer upon layer of soft and hard corals. It's packed with eels, cuttlefish, sweetlips and nudibranch.
Dive right in
If you want to get your feet wet, but you’re not dive certified, no problem. You can get PADI dive certification in Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Whale Island or Hoi An. You can also gain advanced credentials or get certified as a dive instructor. You can even study in the comfort of your own home before getting into the water!
Scuba diver course: Introduces the basics of diving and certifies diving to 12 meters with a professional. Half day in the pool. One morning on the boat.
Open water course: Certificate to dive anywhere in the world. One full day in the pool. Two mornings on the boat.
National geographic open water course: Open water course plus extra training in buoyancy, navigation and discovery. One full day in the pool and three mornings on the boat. Exclusively at Rainbow Divers.
Advanced course: Training in specialized techniques such as deep diving, navigation and three other elected dives. Three days, or two days with night dive.
Nitrox specialty: Certification to use dive-extending nitrox. One morning on the boat.
Rebreather specialty: Certification to use compact, light-weight Drager rebreather unit. Half day in the pool. One to two mornings on the boat.
Rescue and EFR course: Emergency first response & rescue training for divers. One full day classroom and pool. Three to four mornings on the boat.
Divemaster: Certification to lead a group of recreational divers and assist divers to learn diving. The first professional PADI rating. Four to 12 weeks (consecutive or nonconsecutive weekends).
PADI instructor: Certification as a member of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Twelve-day residential course in Nha Trang, followed by a two-day examination. This course is exclusive at Rainbow Divers.
Jeremy Stein opened Rainbow Divers, Vietnam’s first PADI center, in the mid-1990s. They have achieved the world’s most prestigious accolades for diving and training standards. Rainbow is the only PADI CDC (Career Development Centre), IDC (Instructor Development Centre) and National Geographic dive centre in Vietnam. For more information visit www.divevietnam.com.
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