Tanks & Train-Carriages

General Info

This place is known as the largest artificial reef in Asia. This project began in 2001 when Queen Sirikit went to the southern region and received a letter from local fishermen who requested help from the problem of decreasing marine life.

Then, a project to restore coastal resources in Pattani and Narathiwat began. Part of it is to deploy artificial reefs. As a result, between 2002 and 2013, the Fisheries Department placed artificial reefs in 53 locations in Pattani and 46 locations in Narathiwat, which they received materials from many agencies such as

• State Railway of Thailand supported a total of 881 old locomotives and train carriages, distributed at 30 locations underwater.
• The Army supported 25 old tanks, which was the first time the tanks have been deployed as artificial reefs in Thailand.
• Bangkok City supported a total of 590 old water trucks, old garbage trucks, and old cars.
• The Department of Highways supported concrete pipes.

Precautions

• The train carriages and garbage trucks are quite decayed, please be careful and do not touch anything.
• Most dive sites are at a depth of 22 meters, diving with nitrox is recommended and beware of decompression time.

Dive Site (Detail)

Tank: It sits at a depth of 22 meters. The rope from the buoy is tied to the gun barrel of tank number 12, which was the first tank to be deployed into the sea.

Garbage Trucks: It’s located north of the tank area at a depth of 22 meters. The parts that were deployed were only the body of the vehicle. With many holes and crevices, it is home to many fishes such as fusiliers, trevallies, etc.

Train Carriages: It’s located at a depth of 18-22 meters near the garbage trucks and covered in dense red whip corals.