Phu Quoc

Phu Quoc lies in the Gulf of Thailand off Vietnam's southwest coast and is best dived from November to April. Most trips are two-dive day boats, either to shallow northern sites or the An Thoi islands south of the main island.

Best time
Nov–Apr
Certification
Open water
Budget
$ · under $2,000
Trip length
13 days
Trip style
Land based, Day trip
Access
Easy

The short version

Known forTwo distinct day-boat zones.

Main tradeoffVisibility is often moderate and can fall to 3–5m after rain or in silty inshore water; do not plan around 20m-plus visibility.

A large plate-like Pavona coral colony on a shallow reef in Phu Quoc

Photo: OnBird Phu Quoc / Unsplash

Plan within this destination

What works for your trip?

When are you going? (optional)

What do you want to see? (optional)

Your outlook

Explore 6 dive sites

Browse the map and wildlife below, or add an optional preference to narrow Phu Quoc.

Most relevant wildlife

  • AnemonefishJan–Apr, Oct–Dec
  • NudibranchJan–Apr, Oct–Dec
  • Giant morayJan–Apr, Oct–Dec
  • LionfishJan–Apr, Oct–Dec

Plan the trip

Links coming soon

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6 sites shown.

Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Nov–Apr · Mild current · 27–31°C (coldest Jan, warmest Apr)
Best months Operating Closed / no trips
Current
Mild
Water temperature
27–31°C (coldest Jan, warmest Apr)
Visibility
318m: Around 8–15m is a more realistic dry-season expectation than the 20m-plus claims in some tourism copy.
Experience
Most sites are shallow, warm and suitable for new divers or training.

01 · Marine life

What you may see

rareoccasionalcommonly seenpeak seasondestination closed

Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.

AnemonefishAmphiprion spp.
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarycommonly seen
Februarycommonly seen
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maydestination closed
Junedestination closed
Julydestination closed
Augustdestination closed
Septemberdestination closed
Octobercommonly seen
Novembercommonly seen
Decembercommonly seen

Anemonefish are a realistic year-round reef sighting where host anemones persist; no monthly peak is documented.

NudibranchNudibranchia (order; multiple species)
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januarycommonly seen
Februarycommonly seen
Marchcommonly seen
Aprilcommonly seen
Maydestination closed
Junedestination closed
Julydestination closed
Augustdestination closed
Septemberdestination closed
Octobercommonly seen
Novembercommonly seen
Decembercommonly seen

Nudibranchs are one of Phu Quoc's more credible draws, especially on northern macro sites.

Giant morayGymnothorax javanicus
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Maydestination closed
Junedestination closed
Julydestination closed
Augustdestination closed
Septemberdestination closed
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Moray eels are reported from the reef system, but species-level local records and sighting frequency are thin; this is coded conservatively.

LionfishPterois volitans
Sighting likelihood by month
MonthLikelihood
Januaryoccasional
Februaryoccasional
Marchoccasional
Apriloccasional
Maydestination closed
Junedestination closed
Julydestination closed
Augustdestination closed
Septemberdestination closed
Octoberoccasional
Novemberoccasional
Decemberoccasional

Lionfish occur on Phu Quoc reefs but should be treated as a possible small-reef sighting, not a trip-defining animal.

See all 11 species

02 · Dive sites

Dive sites worth knowing

A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.

See all 6 dive sites
03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsEasy. Fly to PQC. Typical trip $.

Route overview

Easy

Day trips from a coastal base, about 0.5h from the airport, then a short boat.

Airport options

PQC

Phu Quoc International Airport

Direct domestic flights from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, plus a changing selection of regional international services; dive operators normally collect from hotels around Duong Dong

Typical trip cost

$

under $2,000

Per person, excluding international flights.

  • Current operator lists put a two-dive day trip for certified divers around $80–90, normally including equipment, lunch and hotel transfer.
  • Open Water courses are roughly $400–465.
  • A week on the island remains under the $2,000 tier excluding flights; accommodation choice drives most of the range.
  • Phu Quoc Marine Protected Area charges a 30,000 VND per-person sightseeing fee, including insurance, under Resolution 22/2026/NQ-HDND effective 9 July 2026; confirm whether the operator includes it.

Sources & last checked

Checked August 2026

Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.

View 9 sources and checking notes

Note on the data: Dry-season timing is supported by JICA climate data and current dive sources, but exact operating months vary by operator; one established operator advertises reopening only in September 2026. Visibility, site coordinates and underwater temperatures are approximate because operator accounts dominate current site-level information. The newly published 2014–2023 monitoring study reports live coral cover recovery from 38.6% to 58.0%, while other work documents low large-fish abundance and ineffective protection; both can be true, so the brief avoids a single island-wide reef-health label. Current MPA boundaries were expanded in 2026, but no authoritative current diver fee schedule was found. Dugongs are genuinely documented around Phu Quoc but average only about two recorded sightings per year across all survey and report sources, mostly away from routine coral dives. Water temperature: The 27–31°C monthly bands are interpolated from published multi-year sea-surface ranges and local seasonal air-temperature normals, not a diver-logged monthly series. Access: PQC is on the island; allow roughly 20–30 minutes to Duong Dong hotels, then about 45–60 minutes by road to An Thoi and commonly 30–60 minutes by day boat to southern sites. Northern sites usually involve a shorter road-and-boat day.