The tropical weather in Sihanoukville allows diving all year long, but the official dive season is from October through June, before the rainy season hits and stirs up the waters. During prime season, there are few strong currents, and visibility ranges from 30 to 80 feet, giving divers a chance to explore relatively uncharted dive sites with ease and safety. The water temperature runs from around 81 to 88 F year-round, and dive depths range from 30 to 110 feet.
Several dive shops are available on the mainland and on the surrounding islands of Sihanoukville. The Dive Shop Cambodia offers liveaboard boat trips for up to three days and includes PADI underwater photography and specialty courses, as well as overnight island trips. At Island Divers Cambodia, beginners can start with a free indoor pool dive, while experienced divers can check out the retail shop. Eco Sea Dive offers boat dives, a multilingual staff and island bungalows. Scuba Nation Centre boasts modern dive boats with western-style showers and toilets, as well as European instructors and programs for children.
Undersea life awaiting your inspection includes clownfish, cuttlefish, octopi, colorful nudibranches, crustaceans, ascidians, sea cucumbers, anemones, sponges and a wide variety of seahorse species. Among the larger and more active marine creatures, you may spot rays, moray eels, cobia, whales, cat sharks, dugongs and dolphins.
Scuba diving is relatively new to Cambodia, and each dive operation claims to have its own secret spots. Koh Rong, Koh Rong Samloem, Koh Koun and Koh Tang -- the islands off the coast of the mainland of Sihanoukville -- are prime destinations for all the dive companies, and many of them are headquartered on one of the islands. The Corral on Koh Rong Samloem is a seahorse breeding ground and has a visibility of 15 to 150 feet, depending on conditions. Corner Bar on Koh Koun, with its diverse coral and fish populations, is one of the most popular sites with underwater photographers. KCs Reef is home to a field of gorgonian sea fans, said to be a hiding place for the elusive pygmy sea horse.
