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
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.
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Dive equipment guide
Enshadi