Racha Yai Island is 1.5 hours boat ride south of Chalong Bay which is situated at the far south of Phuket Island. It is a part of two Racha Islands. Racha means “King” in Thai. Yai is Thai for “big” so Racha Yai effectively means big king island. This island is a great place to start your scuba diving life. It has relatively calm and clear waters and enough marine life to keep a novice diver happy. It is home to most of the common reef fish and throws up some surprises from time to time with both the majestic manta rays and whale sharks sometimes making an appearance.