Rating: 4-star: Depth 25-28m:Visibility: 5-15m

The Hardeep was sunk by the RAF operating out of India in the latter part of World War 2. She was an Indonesian cargo ship which had been commandeered by the Japanese army to run supplies to Thailand where they were building the railway linking the country to Burma.

The Hardeep is 64-metres long and lies on her starboard side, just a few hundred metres from the coral island Koh Chuang, where the skipper made a vain effort to beach her.

Her hull is largely intact and there is access to the engine room where you can see the huge crankshaft. There are still some fire bricks in place near the boilers.

Time has taken it's toll on the superstructure and penetration is risky, but it is possible to swim along the deck, for about half the length of the ship.

The remnants of the funnel are resting on the seafloor, one end lying in 28 meters of water. The foremast rests nearby. A short swim, following the line of the funnel, will bring you to an unexploded 1000lb bomb sitting upright in the sand.

Try tapping it for luck with the handle of your dive knife. If it starts to tick, you are definitely not lucky. Place your fingers in your ears and swim like hell ! Just joking - just look and definitely don't touch!

Although the Hardeep is well illuminated by natural light, it is handy to carry a torch for examining dark corners as well as for enjoying the marine life in it true colours.

After nearly 70 years nature has worked her magic on the wreck and it is home to angelfish, batfish, groupers, stingrays, barracuda, wrasse, butterflyfish, crabs, and nudibranchs.

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