Introduction

Nha Trang is located in the south of Vietnam, about 500 km north of Saigon. It is a famous seaside resort, the beach is marvelous and the water very warm (30 °C) several months a year! Although there were not a lot of diving possibilities a couple of years ago (the first diving center opened in 1995), there are today many diving centers in this town. Fish are less numerous than in other countries in Asia. However, corals are worth the visit. Many healthy hard and soft corals, and very few dead corals. Unfortunately, we saw several ancasters, which are killing the hard corals. Finally, visibility in the diving sites can change very quickly, depending on the weather.

Travel facts

Diving type

Destination

easily accessible

bargain destination

Diving level & type

for beginners

for advanced divers

shore diving

liveaboard

Diving Characteristics

pelagics

lots of fish

lots of corals

interesting underwater scenery

Other activities

attractive natural spots

gastronomy

night life

beach

snorkeling

Diving Sites

• 

  Caves

  rating : 4.0

  depth : 6-12 m

  visibility : 8 m
  description :
  
  One of the most beautiful dives around the M island (this strange name is due to the shape of the island), located next to Mun island. Underwater relief is rather impressive, made mainly of large stone, cavities and tunnels. It is easily possible to dive trough two of those tunnels, were schools of fish and a lion-fish are often seen. On this dive site, we also observed 3 morays, 3 lion fish as well as many butterfly-fish. Usually, the dive ends on a coral garden at a depth of 5 meters, were numerous and healthy corals can be seen.
  As there are small variations of temperature depending on the depth, visibility can be limited.
  
  
• 

  Coral Garden

  rating : 3.0

  depth : 10 m

  visibility : 10-12 m
  description :
  
  Coral garden on a flat bottom at 5-8 meters. Unfortunately, lots of corals are dead, presumably because of the presence of acanthaster (crown-of-thorns starfish - at least 7 have been seen during this dive). But it is still a very interesting dive for nudibranchs, as at least 6-7 of them have been observed. They exhibit different colors (violet-orange / black with blue spots / yellow-brown), and they are really interesting to see. 4 sea horses have also been found, but they all had a linear shape and not the famous S-shape that is usually seen on pictures.
  
  
• 

  South Beach

  rating : 3.0

  depth : 4-10 m

  visibility : 5 m
  description :
  
  The underwater landscape is quite monotonous, as this dive takes place on a flat, shallow area. However, there is not a single square meter which is not covered with soft or hard corals. 1 white moray, 1 huge box-fish, 1 lion-fish and a lot of anemones and their clown-fish. The visibility is reduced, and can change drastically during the dive.
  
  
• 

  Mun Island Deep Dive

  rating : 2.0

  depth : 35 m

  visibility : 15 m
  description :
  
  Deep dive in slightly colder water, with an interesting relief. Few fish and corals.
  
  
• 

  Behind the Caves

  rating : 1.0

  depth : 18 m

  visibility : 5-10 m
  description :
  
  Located on the opposite side of Caves, toward the open sea, this dive is made by swimming around the M island underwater, reaching at the end of the dive the Caves site. At a depth of 18 meters, in cooler water, large stones are forming cavities. However, the fauna is almost non-existent (1 lion-fish, some sea stars).