Koh Touch East

Koh Touch East is a gentle shallow reef dive on the eastern side of Koh Rong's main village area in Cambodia. At just 8 metres maximum depth, this site provides a relaxed, accessible diving experience in the warm tropical waters of the Gulf of Thailand, making it a popular choice for beginners and discover scuba diving participants. Located a short boat ride from the Koh Touch pier, this site benefits from the eastern coastline's natural protection against the prevailing southwest monsoon. The sheltered position means calm surface conditions for most of the year, with only the northeast monsoon period from November to February occasionally generating choppier seas on this side of the island. The reef at Koh Touch East is characterised by scattered coral bommies rising from a sandy seabed, creating an archipelago of miniature reef islands that each host their own community of marine life. These isolated formations are perfect for the explore-and-discover approach to diving, with divers moving from one bommie to the next, each revealing different inhabitants. Branching corals in the shallows give way to more robust massive coral species as the depth increases toward the site's maximum. Anemones are plentiful here, many hosting pairs of Clark's anemonefish that defend their homes with characteristic boldness. Juvenile fish of numerous species shelter within the coral branches, using the reef as a nursery before venturing out to deeper waters. The sandy areas between bommies are worth investigating, as they often harbour camouflaged flatfish, burrowing gobies, and the occasional octopus. Moray eels emerge from crevices in the coral heads as evening approaches, and night dives at Koh Touch East reveal an entirely different cast of characters including hunting squid and prowling crabs. With warm water temperatures year-round and a wealth of marine life concentrated at shallow depths, Koh Touch East is an ideal site for building confidence underwater and appreciating the biodiversity of Cambodia's developing dive destination.