Beginner Thailand
Phi Phi
Limestone cliffs, leopard sharks, and a textbook case of tourist pressure
Two vertical limestone islands rising from the sea like walls, with postcard bays tucked between them. It's one of the most photographed sites on the planet, and also one of the clearest records of what too many visitors do to a reef.
In this profile you'll find what Phi Phi diving offers beyond the tourist fame, where to see leopard shark, what wreck lies nearby, when to go, and what Thai authorities did after closing one of its most famous bays so it could recover.
It's Southeast Asia's best-known example of a drastic conservation decision, closing a celebrated site entirely, taken once the damage was already undeniable.
Geography and access
The archipelago is made up of two main limestone islands and several islets in the Andaman Sea, between mainland Thailand's coast and the large island to the west.
The limestone walls continue underwater, forming drop-offs, shallow caves, and overhangs, with soft coral and sponges colonizing the rock. Depth is generally moderate.
The seabed alternates between these walls and hard coral gardens, sandy bottoms, and a few sandy patches where leopard sharks gather to rest.
A short distance away lies the wreck of a ferry that sank in the nineties, heavily colonized and at recreational depth, usually visited on the same trip.
Access is by domestic flight to Thailand's west coast, then ferry or speedboat to the islands, with short dive trips departing from the harbor.
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