Chartering in the Surin & Similan Islands

Charts supplied courtesy of Image Asia Events Co., Ltd, Thailand. Extracted from Andaman Sea Pilot – www.andamanseapilot.com

Similan Islands

The Similan Islands, located about 45 miles northwest of Phuket in the Andaman Sea, are composed of 9 granite islands surrounded by a clear tropical ocean and blessed with some of the world’s finest beaches. It takes 3 hours.  Their name was given by the Malay fishermen, and means “The Nine Islands” (Sembilan is “nine” in Malay).

Island No. 1 is a turtle sanctuary where wild turtles lay their nest of eggs in the beach and park rangers guard the nests until the baby turtles hatch and return to the sea.

Two of the islands have a small resort and a restaurant on them otherwise the islands are uninhabited. Island no. 8 has a jungle walk that climbs 200 metres upto the ridge that forms a spine down the centre of the island. The walk takes you through the jungle to look out point where you enjoy magnificent views over the Andaman Sea. Start the walk at the north end of the island and have Kemana IV meet you an hour later at the end of the trail.

The Similan Islands host the most beautiful group of diving sites in Thailand and are one of the best areas for diving in the world. Water clarity is excellent and the scenery varies with each island. One of the most fantastic characteristics of the islands is that they have two entirely different types of environments in one single destination.

The east coast, with it's powdery coral beaches, features hard coral gardens that slope dramatically from the surface down to approximately 30-40 meters. Here, the most popular activity is drifting diving along hard coral gardens while watching the reef inhabitants go about their business. At several sites, large coral bommies covered with soft coral and sea fans rise dramatically from the bottom. Here the diving is easy and navigation simple, allowing each buddy pair to explore at his or her own pace.

The west coast site of the Similan Islands is slightly more challenging due to their depths and variable currents.  Here you find the most incredible submarine rock formations, with huge boulders, swimthroughs and giant fan corals.

Typically, the high season in the Similan is from October until May. The water tends to be the clearest in the summer and in the fall, but then again, the visibility is usually good in the Similan, averaging approximately 18-25 meters and at times exceeding 40 meters. There are well over 50 charted dive sites in the Similan chain.

In Similan Islands you can see, whale sharks, and large cow tail rays and leopard sharks are reasonably common too. Don’t expect big fish action every dive, enjoy the Similan for what they are famous for: wild, unspoiled beaches, magnificent coral growth, prolific fish life, crystalline blue water and sensational underwater rock formations.

All this has made Similan islands dive sites like "Elephant Head", "East of Eden" and "Christmas Point" justly famous.

Elephant Head (Hin Pusar)

Often rated as the most spectacular dive site in the Similan Islands, Elephant Head is composed of giant granite boulders which form a complex maze of swimthroughs, channels and gorges reaching depths of over 40m. From the surface, one rock resembles an elephant (if you have a vivid imagination). Currents can be quite strong, but shelter behind the rocks and the dive is not difficult. Located just south of Island No. 8 (Ko Similan).

East of Eden

Probably the best reefs and most variety of any site in the Similan Islands. This is a typical east coast site featuring a healthy hard coral reef mixed with soft corals. There is often a gentle current here, making it a great slow drift dive. East of Eden is true "aquarium" diving. Many divers rate is as their favourite site. Turtles are commonly seen on the shallow reef top.

Christmas Point

Another of the Similan's best sites with boulders, soft corals, arches and passages spread out over a huge area on the west side of island no. 9. More than one dive is needed to see it all.  Depth from 35m to the surface. A great site to explore and get lost! White tip sharks are often seen in deeper sandy areas. Beautiful soft coral gardens hide between the rocks, and the sand rubble bottom is great for critters like nudibranchs and ribbon eels.

Boulder City / Shark Fin Reef

These two sites are part of a rocky ridge that runs away from Similan island No. 3. Both are great sites for spotting larger fish such as bumphead parrotfish, napoleon wrasse and leopard sharks. Beautiful fan coral gardens decorate the passages between the enormous granite boulders. Both sites cover a wide area, with depths from 5-35m - too much to see in one dive.

Beacon Point / Beacon Beach

The Southern Tip of Similan island No. 8 is wild and rocky. A rock on the surface resembles a face (the Thai name is Na Ling - monkey face), and if you descend here, you find huge boulders from 20-35m on a white sandy bottom. Heading north, you reach the reef that continues for several kilometers along the East of the island. Depending on your drop off point, a dive can be rocks or reef or a mixture of both.

Breakfast Bend

Along the Eastern side of Similan Island No. 9 is yet more healthy and beautiful hard coral. The fish life here is abundant, especially bannerfish, damsels, groupers and hunting trevallies who dart into clouds of tiny baitfish. The reef depth drops to 25m, making a great multilevel dive. Your safety stop can continue in the shallows where you should keep an eye out for turtles. This is also a great night dive site.

Fantasea Reef

Many people would agree that Fantasea Reef is the best site in the Similan Islands. The variety and abundance of fish life is astounding, and the fish seem very curious. There are also some great rock formations, swimthroughs and soft corals that cover a wide area.

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