// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Thunder Bowl say? I'm a real strike-ing dish.
| Thunder Bowl | |
|---|---|
 Thunder Bowl from the surface. Looking towards Samae San Island with ship passing overhead | |
  Location within Thailand | |
| Location | Samae San Island, Thailand |
| Waterbody | Gulf of Thailand |
| Coordinates | 12°32.807′N 100°55.655′E / 12.546783°N 100.927583°E |
| Dive type | Technical |
| Depth range | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Entry type | Boat |
Bottom composition | Sandy Bottom |
| Water | Salt |
| Nearby sites | Samaesan Hole (100m), Sharkfin Deep Drop (85m), 1/4 Mile Mouthpiece Drop (75m), Narcosis Colosseum (50m), Koh Rong Nang Training Buoy (50m), Hardeep Wreck (36m)[1] |
Thunder Bowl is a technical diving site located in the Gulf of Thailand, Samae San Island, in Sattahip District, Chonburi Province. The vicinity is renowned for its technical diving due to the high concentration of deep and easily accessible dive sites, with PADI referring to it as "Thailand's Hidden Gem for Tec Divers".[2] The area has numerous entries on the List of deepest dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand, with Thunder Bowl being recognised as the seventh deepest, with a depth of 65m.[1][2] It lies in a major shipping lane to the west of the southern most tip of Koh Samaesan. The site has a sandy bottom containing soft corals and barrel corals. Despite being in close proximity to the Samaesan Hole, conditions tend to be milder. This makes it an ideal training site for Trimix Divers.[3][4]
Diving history
[edit]The first recorded dive of Thunder Bowl, was in early 2026 by Technical Dive Instructors Ryland Cairns and Troy Jamieson.[2] The dive site’s name comes from the bowl shape topography of the site combined with the thunder caused by the commercial ships passing overhead.[3]
Diving site hazards
[edit]
Despite its close proximity to the Samaesan Hole, which is reported as one of the most extreme dive sites in the world,[5] Thunder Bowl is recognised as having notably fewer hazards associated with it, including no unexploded ordnance.[2] Thunder Bowl descends to 65m, so air is not advised. Diver should consider the use of trimix to prevent nitrogen narcosis and CNS Toxicity. Strong currents are caused by a large tidal range, whilst poor visibility and darkness are common. As dive site is in the middle of a commercial shipping lane so strong surface support is required .[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Diving in Pattaya - Gulf of Thailand's best tec sites". Thai Tec Diver. 14 February 2026. Archived from the original on 19 February 2026. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "Thailand's Hidden Gem for Tec Divers: Samae San Islands". PADI Blog. PADI. Archived from the original on 4 April 2026. Retrieved 4 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Thunder Bowl Tecnical Dive Site". Thai Tec Diver. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
- ↑ "Thunder Bowl Dive Site". PADI Travel. PADI. Retrieved 6 May 2026.
- ↑ "9 of The Worlds Most Extreme Scuba Diving Locations,". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 21 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.