Conditions are mixed today. Seaweed is low, but there are other factors worth checking. See the live conditions card above for today's full picture.
November through May (dry season). June through October is monsoon season: rough seas, heavy rain, and many boat services suspended. Water is warmest and clearest November–April.
Crystal-clear warm water (85°F+), white sand beaches, bioluminescent plankton at night, and a growing but still relatively undeveloped resort scene. Long Beach (4km) is the showpiece: no vehicles, just beach. No sargassum.
Koh Rong's waters have been fished by Khmer coastal communities for centuries, though the island remained sparsely inhabited due to its remoteness from the mainland. Cambodia's coastline was largely closed to the outside world during the Khmer Rouge regime (1975–1979) and the decades of civil conflict that followed: Koh Rong's isolation during this era paradoxically preserved its ecosystems. The island was used as a Khmer Rouge supply point and later as a refuge for displaced coastal populations. Large-scale foreign tourism development only began after 2010. The bioluminescent plankton (Noctiluca scintillans) that illuminates Koh Rong's shallows at night has been part of local folklore for generations, described in Khmer oral tradition as 'the sea that lights itself.'
"Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.": Psalm 148:3-4Live seaweed levels, surf, water quality and hotel deals — updated daily. Free.
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