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Racha Yai is a granite island which means the water is always clear and the many shallow, protected bays all around the island make it an ideal diving day trip at any time of the year. It is a favorite of Phuket dive boats due to its close proximity and Racha Yai is the perfect place to learn scuba diving in Phuket, for snorkeling, and for divers who have not been in the water for a while. Local residents in the coral gardens and staghorn reef include titan triggerfish, moray eels, cuttlefish, octopus and giant puffer fish. Racha Yai island, around 12km south of Phuket, generally offers easy diving in good conditions and so is a popular destination for those taking diving courses or for divers with family/friends who would like to snorkel on the same trip. During the green season (usually May to October) most of the diving takes place around the handful of hard coral bays or rocky reefs that run the length of the eastern coastline. In high season, diving tends to move to the reefs bordering Bungalow Bay or Siam Bay on the North East of the island, although the east coastline is still preferred if prevailing wind/waves permit. At peak tides currents can be strong and so provide an excellent but still relatively easy drift (boat pickup). Racha Yai is either done as a 2-dive day trip or in combination with Racha Noi on a 3-dive day trip.