Diving Hon Dai in the Cham Islands, Vietnam

In August of 2026, I dove Hon Dai with Cham Island Diving Center, by boat out of Hoi An, Vietnam.

I was staying up in Da Nang, so it was about a 40 minute drive down to Hoi An to meet them.

Hon Dai sits off Cu Lao Cham, a UNESCO listed marine park.

This was the best dive I did in Vietnam.

The Coral

The coral cover is the reason this site beats everything else I dove in Vietnam. Not the visibility, which was bad, and not the depth, which is shallow.

The Dive

Visibility was the problem here. Recent storms had stirred everything up and there's dredging at the river nearby, so I had maybe 16 to 20 ft (5 to 6 m) for most of the dive.

It was tough to keep up with the guide and the rest of the group while also trying to film.

Visibility was no better than Dam Bay or Madonna Rock, sites I visited out of Nha Trang.

However, the coral reef and marine life is what made this site stand out to me.

What Marine Life I Saw

Logistics

The day ran $100, which covered gear, a guide, and lunch on Bai Chong beach.

There were also tons of monkeys on the island.

Dive Conditions

Visibility on my dive was 16 to 20 ft (5 to 6 m), down from recent storms and dredging at the nearby river mouth.

Water temp sat at 86°F (30°C), the warmest water I dove in Vietnam.