Similan Liveaboard Diving

SIMILAN LIVEABOARD DIVING

Similan liveaboard trips provide scuba divers with fantastic diving around the 9 Granite islands in the Andaman sea. The Similan Islands are one of the most popular dive destinations in the world.

The Similan island national park provides scuba divers with over 500 species of corals and amazing marine life. The variation of dive sites with reefs, massive boulders, caverns in the Andaman Sea’s clear blue water makes this a perfect liveaboard getaway.

SIMILAN LIVEABOARD  ROUTES

Thailand liveaboards offer 4-6 night trips to the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, and Richelieu Rock. Premier dive liveaboard boats also have selected trips at the Similan and continue to the Surin Islands and Myanmar. Another option for Similan Islands diving trips is the South Andaman.

South Andaman

Mergui Archipelago

TOP SIMILAN DIVE SITES

Elephant head Rock

located between Similan islands 7 and 8 is Elephant head rock, consisting of enormous granite boulders where you can have some great swim-troughs and channels. You have a fun photographic moment at one channel where there is a small porthole size opening in the Rock where you can get your photo taken by your dive buddy.

The early morning dives provide you with the best chance to see white tip reef sharks and leopard sharks that hang out around the dive site’s deeper areas. For other larges marine life, you can see turtles, napoleon wrasse, and barracuda. Those who prefer the smaller critters can closely look at the rocks where many nudibranchs and shrimps are often found. Another macro life that you can find here is pygmy pipehorse, ribbon eels, and ghost pipefish.

Anita’s Reef

The Check dive for many dive safaris in the Similan is at Anita’s Reef. This lovely dive site starts in the shallows with a sloping hard coral reef where you can see schools of snappers, lionfish, scorpionfish, and moray eels. At 20 meters, the reef ends, and the sandy seafloor appears. This is where partner shrimps, blue-spotted stingrays, and lots of garden eels like to stay.

There are limestone bommies covered with beautiful purple and pink soft corals and large gorgonian sea fans in the dive site’s deeper areas. For the majority of your dive, you can hang around here with large schools of glassfish that hang around and get hunted by rainbow runners and trevallies. Look closely at the bommie, and plenty of macro life will appear, such as cleaner shrimps, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, longnose hawkfish, and frogfishes.

Christmas Point

Another dive site that consists of massive boulders is Christmas Point and is located on the island nr. 9. The Granite boulder makes some fun swim troughs and channels where you can see plenty of marine life, such as nudibranchs, clown triggerfish, angelfish, and cowries.

On the other side, in the sandy areas, look for leopard sharks and reef sharks common to see here. Under the overhangs and sandy patches near the boulders, look for ribbon eels, pygmy pipehorses, and fire gobies. Also, keep an eye out for manta rays and whale sharks are seen here on occasion.

Christmas point can be a challenging dive when the currents are strong.

Donald Duck Bay

Donald duck bay is an excellent dive site for night diving with a shallow hard coral reef and protected from strong currents; you can explore all corals for small shrimps and crabs. While scuba diving at night, many critters appear from the hiding place, making it a fascinating dive. Look for hunting moray eels and lionfish, and barracuda that might follow you to look over your shoulder for a tasty meal that will swim away from their hiding place.

Shark fin Reef

The top of the dive site submerges out of the water and looks like a shark fin that disappears into the depth of 40 meters. The granite boulders form a gigantic ridge with some fun swim-throughs, and parts of the ridge are covered in hard corals. You can see here humb head parrotfish, leopard sharks, reef sharks, and on occasion, manta rays will appear out of the blue.

DIVING SEASON

The Similan diving season is from half October until April/May. The reason is that the Monsoon in the other months of the year gives the reefs a chance to recover during these months. Whenever you find agents or liveaboard operators trying to sell you trips to the Similan from June to September, do not book with them because the park is not open during this period.

HOW TO GET TO THERE

A Similan diving safari leaves from either Chalong in Phuket or Tab Lamu near Khoa lak. Including in the price is the transfer from your hotel to the liveaboard and back. A transfer from and to the airport also consists of the cost as long as it is the same schedule as the liveaboard. Just keep in mind that you can not fly within 24 hours of your last dive.