Tip of the rock

Scuba Divers and The Naming of Richelieu Rock

There are many stories about the naming of Richelieu Rock, mainly propagated by eager scuba divers- many of which are demonstrably false. 

One such story is Richelieu Rock was discovered as a recreational scuba dive site by diving pioneer, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, with the help of local fishermen. The problem with this however is Cousteau never came far enough north during his visit to Thailand. On his Andaman expedition he came as far north as Koh Bon island whilst waiting a permit for Myanmar (which was never granted) and no further!

It’s more likely that it was named after Anders du Plessis de Richelieu, (Not a Scuba Diver)

A commander in the Royal Thai Navy of Danish descent. This theory is supported by the existence of official Navy maps mentioning Richelieu Rock from the early 1900s, predating Cousteau’s first visit to Thailand, in 1989.  Other evidence supporting this story are the fact that Richelieu was the first person to complete a hydrographic survey of the Andaman Sea including the area in question.

He commanded forces at the Phra Chulachomklao Fortress in the Phaknam Incident of 13 July 1893, that ended the French Siamese War, and went on to become the first and only foreign-born Commander in Cihef of the Royal Thai Navy, from 16 January 1900 to 29 January 1901.

When he returned to Denmark in 1902, suffering from malaria. He died at Kokkedal House  in Horsholm and is buried inHomes Cemetery in Copenhagen.

Richelieu Rock is now a Mecca for Scuba Divers. When will you visit?

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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