All about diving the Similan islands, Ko bon, Ko Tatchai and Richelieu rock

Best travel time: November to April Level of diving: beginner to very experienced Water temperature: 27 C° Visibility: 10 meters to 40 meters Park entry fee: 400 Thai Baht + 200 Thai Baht per day What do they say in the forums? Hotels review with Trip Advisor - Divers reports with Scuba board

Diving the Similan islands has a lot to offer to all divers, from beginner to experienced. This is probably why the dive sites there are ranked in the top 15 dive sites in the world. On the numerous reefs in a pristine water, you will encounter manta rays, leopard sharks, turtles, and if you are lucky, a whale shark. But the big fish are not the main attraction of the Similan Islands. There are gentle drop off covered with life, boulders where tunas hunt around; in fact, each individual coral is another world for hundreds of colourful inhabitants. To explore this beautiful national marine park, we have selected some liveaboard boats for all budgets, with interesting value for money.

The duration of a Similan liveaboard diving itinerary varies from 4 days 4 nights 14 dives including night dives to 7 days 6 nights. The boats are living from Kao Lack and from Phuket. If you begin your liveaboard from Kao lack, the boat transfer will pick you up in Phuket or at the airport, and you will board in a mini van for 1h30 driving along the coast of the Andaman sea. It's also cheaper this way. On board, water, tea, coffee and snacks are complimented, soft drinks and beers are for sale; all boats offer full broad accommodation.

The dive itinerary of a Similan liveaboard diving trip includes KO Bon, KO tatchai, Richelieu Rock and sometime the Surin islands. There are also some options to combine with a 2 days 3 nights south tour: Hin Daeng Hin Muang, KO Ha, KO Phi Phi, which is an excellent opportunity to see mantas and whale sharks.

What to see ? This web site will not be enough to describe all the marine creatures you can encounter in the Andaman sea. To make it faster, you are welcome to visit our royalty free photo gallery. Basically, macro lovers will spend their diving cruise the eyes in the coral to spot all kinds of nudibranches, sea horses, ghost pipe fish, crabs, translucent shrimps (yes yes, translucent shrimps!). The Photographers and the videographers will have to take several lenses with them, as it is common to see a ornate ghost pipe fish beside a Turtle, when a hunt is happening in front of your mask. Glass fish are moving in a perfect coordinated ballet to escape the jack fish, the barracudas and the trevallies chasing them above the coral reefs. A scene not to miss. And of course, manta rays and whale sharks are showing up quite often. Richelieu rock, Ko Tatchai and hin daeng / Hin Muang are the dive sites where you have more chances to see whale sharks. Mantas will be also in these sites, but more in Ko Bon. The white tip reef sharks and black tips are waiting for you (don't worry, they are friendly) in Ko Phi Phi and the Similan islands.

The dive sites of the Similan islands are numerous, here is a short description of some of them.

South Rock: Boulders from 30m to the surface, very interesting in the current.

Coral garden: a Shallow dive above a garden that displays all the madrepore coral that you can find in the Andaman sea. Turtles, sand sharks, etc...

Boulder city: preferably with nitrox, as the average depth is about 18 m or more. Some pelagic, some leopard sharks, some mantas, huge fan coral... Superb!

Shark fin reef: a long submerge reef where napoleons, hump head parrot fish, manta ray, turtles and many others will dive with you.

Honey moon bay: interesting sloppy reef full of life.

Barracuda point: a sloppy reef with extravagant coral formation, plenty of colours and fish; a dive for all levels. One of the best in the area.

East of Eden: whoa! Drift during an hour between millions of fish, fly above an explosion of colourful alcyonaries. It's forbidden to miss this dive.

Stonehenge: the advanced divers will take some nitrox and do a deep dive with the white tip sharks, guitar sharks, tunas The beginners will drift on the other side above a splendid coral garden.

Beacon rock: giant boulders are home to huge fan corals, around the ones tunas and jack fish are hunting. Sand sharks rest on the sand.

Beacon reef: turtles are living in this coral garden, soft coral is showing its flashy colours. Another top one.

Elephant head: the preferred place for pelagic. Not many colours, but so many trevallies, jack fish, tunas, and sometime sharks.

Turtle rock: and not only turtles live there. Moray eels, leopard sharks as well.

Donald duck bay: begin in the coral garden, then follow the rocks, you will encounter all species that live in the Similan islands.


Snapper alley: so many fish are flying above this healthy reef. Turtles are sleeping under the coral blocks, hidden by huge shoals of snappers and sweet lips. Another good one.

Christmas point: named after the Christmas worms that cover the coral formation here. This is a top site for macro dive.

Ko Bon: you dive there for Mantas. There are Different spots, the manta simply travel from one to another. The reef is better from 5m to 15m, you will find a lot of life there, including turtles and leopard sharks, but the goal of the dive is manta watching.. There is always a sheltered place, so the boat can stop for the night. Sometime, the dive guide will use this site as an adaptation dive.

Richelieu Rock: you will dive at least twice here. And 2 dives is really the minimum that it takes to visit the Richelieu rock. The groupers are giants, hidden behind a horde of jack fish; barracudas are missile size, the soft coral is red flashing; all sorts of crustaceans and nudibranches live there. And of course, the guests star is the Whale shark. It takes a bit of luck to spot one, but even if you don't, you won't regret the dive. It's a must do in a diver's life.

Ko Tatchai: the best spot is the pinnacle, which is a reef that begins at 12m. Not easy for beginners in case of current, but what a dive ! Barracudas are circling above you, tunas are hunting, in the blue, sweet lips are hiding behind the fan corals, bat fish are waiting in a row for the photographers, leopard sharks are sleeping on the bottom. The reef closer to the island is easier to dive, and most of the fauna that lives around the pinnacle show up just to see what is going on. Don't miss this one.