Con Dao

Vietnam

Cao Dao is the best diving in Vietnam

John Cahil-Rom

Con Dao is a small group of 14 islands situated south from Ho Chi Minh City in the South China Sea.

While the south of Vietnam is part of the Mekong Delta and subject to a lot of run-off, the Con Dao islands are far enough away to be blessed with very good visibility and possibly Vietnam’s best diving.

Until 1975, the islands were used as a prison colony for poilitical prisoners. Fortunately, the archipelago is now more famous as an idyllic eco-tourist destination and is beginning to gain a reputation for its diving.


Highlights

» Vietnam's best diving
» Enjoyable coral reefs
» Good dive spot for beginners

Con Dao
Liveaboard diving asia
Liveaboard diving asia

Best diving spots

Sask Wall has a small wall down to around 16m, then a slope dotted with boulders and beautiful seafans. Large schools of Barracuda tend to gather off the wall and the boulders and seafans protect many smaller animals.

Canada’s Reef, Celtic Circuit & Remoras Romance are also nice sites with lovely corals and a wide variety of life.

For more experienced divers, Hun Trung is a must. This exposed site to the north of the main island group receives more current that other sites, which is why it is only suitable for more experienced divers. More current means bigger marine life though. Sharks are often spotted on this spectacular site and the channel between here and the main islands is a good place to spot Dolphins.

The area also has some wreck diving. Fish Highway is a Steel Boat sitting in 28m that is now a haven for a large amount of marine life. Grouper’s Grotto is a large fishing trawler that now rests in 35m of water. While fish life is not as abundant as at Fish Highway, the wreck is of more interest, with many artifacts scattered around. There is also a very large Grouper that has made his home here.

When to dive

The best months for diving are between March & August.Outside of these months, high winds make diving conditions difficult.

Getting there

There are regular flights connecting Con Dao with Saigon on mainland Vietnam. Alternatively, you can take a boat from Vung Tua, arriving in Con Dao around 10 hours later.

Activities

Con Dao is most famous as an eco-tourist get-away. It one of only a couple of National Parks in Vietnam and has plenty of wildlife for nature lovers to enjoy.

Resort and liveaboard options

There are a number of accommodation options available on Con Dao to suit the majority of budgets, along with a handful of dive centres.


You might also enjoy...

Scuba Diving Terms - A Dummies Guide

Frans Daniels

Scuba-diving, like many activities seems to have a language all of its own, with confusing concepts, technical terminology and an ocean of jargon to decipher.

To help newcomers break through this barrier we've developed a dummies guide to scuba diving, so that you can get to grips with what divers are talking about. Find out what SCUBA stands for, what PADI is, what it is to be narked, and so much more.

Koh Tao

Koh Tao (sometimes spelt Ko Tao) is Thailand's original island diving destination and now the most popular place in the country to learn to dive.

The diving on Koh Tao is known for its colourful reefs that are ideal for beginners, plus some deeper pinnacles with the chance of big fish encounters for more advanced divers.

There is a wide choice of dive centres to enjoy and plenty of accommodation options to choose from.

Southern Andaman

Thailand's southern Andaman sea boasts numerous beautiful islands & beaches, plus some great diving opportunities.

The southern Andaman region of Thailand is less developed than further north, offering a refreshingly relaxing alternative to the hustle & bustle of Phuket & even Ko Phi Phi.

Langkawi

Situated on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, close to the Thai border, is the island of Langkawi. 

The island is one of Malaysia’s most popular tourist spots, with great beaches, beautiful scenery, great shopping and plenty to do.

Nha Trang

Nha Trang, just south of Vietnam’s most easterly point, is the country’s main diving mecca & its most popular tourist spot.

Just off the coast of this bustling tourist destination is the Hon Mun Marine Park, a beautiful group of islands with very good diving, especially for fans of smaller life.

Nha Trang is the most popular spot in Vietnam to learn to dive.

Boracay

Just off the northern tip of Panay Island, south of Mindoro is the small island of Boracay.

Famed for its white, powder sand beaches - reputed to be some of the world’s best - Boracay is one of the Philippines’ most famous tourist spots and is now open to visitors once again.

The island is also one of the most popular places to learn to dive in the Philippines, with a wide range of dive sites to suit all levels.