Similan Islands

Some time ago I went on my first diving liveaboard safari to the Similan Islands. It’s time to tell how it was.

What is a diving safari?

A diving safari (liveaboard) is a sea trip on a comfortable boat with an intensive dive schedule that helps you see the best underwater places in one region. The boat is equipped for diving: tanks, compressors, gear area, and usually several dive guides who know local conditions and the most interesting sites.

During a safari you can dive places that are hard (or impossible) to reach on a one-day trip.

About the Similan Islands

The Similan Islands are an archipelago in the Andaman Sea, west of southern Thailand. They are often listed among the top dive destinations in the world: great visibility, a lot of marine life, healthy reefs, and many sites with depths of 30 m and more. Everything you need for good diving. You can join this liveaboard only with Advanced certification (or higher).

The archipelago is a Thai National Marine Park, which means protection of nature and rules for tourists. The islands are open only 6 months per year: from mid-October to mid-March.

The name “Similan” comes from Malay and means “nine islands”. The archipelago has nine main islands and a few smaller ones. In local tradition the islands are often called “Koh” (meaning “island”) plus a number. (There is a funny detail about the numbering traditions, but in practice divers simply use the common site names.)

Dive 1. Three Tree

The first dive was at Three Tree, on Island #9. It is a sloping reef that goes down to a flat sandy bottom. On the sand there are several rocks and coral bommies with beautiful sea fans (gorgonians) and soft corals. Around these rocks you can see rays, barracudas, trevallies, and sometimes sharks. On the reef itself turtles are common.

As the divemaster said, the first dive is a check dive. “You can have 1000 dives, but we still watch how you swim and what you can do.” When I heard that, I thought: “What nonsense.” But later I understood what he meant.

We dived as a group of three: a local divemaster and a guy from Germany (Frank) who said he had 500+ dives. But he didn’t mention that his last dive was a year ago, and he was using rental equipment. As a result, he had a hard time descending, didn’t control buoyancy well, and breathed a lot of air. We swam for 40 minutes, but the divemaster was nervous because of him, and at the end Frank even had to breathe from the divemaster’s octopus.

Still, it was fun — and the underwater world started to impress me from the very first dive in a new place.

Dive 2. North Point

The second dive was also on Island #9, at North Point.

North Point (also known as Rocky Point) is located on the north-east side of Similan #9. It is a mix of underwater rocks and a fringing reef closer to the island, so it can be interesting for many diver levels. The boulders create holes and swim-throughs. Deeper there is a small pinnacle where, if you are lucky, you can see sharks in the sandy channel. Deep rocks are covered with giant sea fans.

On the south side, closer to the island, there are two channels formed by boulders standing side by side. Nearby there is a shallow reef with staghorn and hard corals.

This time they regrouped us, and I joined a team that (in theory) breathes less and should swim at a similar pace.

And yes, it worked — but with a one thing.

Visibility on this dive was bad: very murky water and strong current. Also постоянные thermoclines. At some moments the temperature felt below 25°C. Brrr. Strong current + cold water = air goes down very fast.

After about 20 minutes, when I still had 120 bar, I suddenly felt something was wrong with my weights. I was being pulled upward. Currents between the rocks also played a role, but when I checked my pockets, I realized I forgot to put one weight in. Not critical, but I had to work more to stay stable.

Even though we were fighting the current, we still consumed air pretty evenly (and a lot). We managed 45 minutes. I didn’t see as much as I wanted, but I got a good current experience. It has its own charm — but physically it’s hard.

After the dive we moved into cabins. Small double rooms. But with windows 🙂

I was lucky to go early in the season: the boat was only half full. There is also a lower deck below the waterline — in those cabins you live only with artificial light and кондиционер. Not comfortable. So it wasn’t too scary to share a cabin with Frank. In any case, you only sleep there. Between dives you can relax in different areas of the boat.

Dive 3. Koh Bon

The third dive was at Koh Bon, located north of the Similan Islands, but still considered part of the Similan National Marine Park. The most popular area is the west ridge, which drops steeply into the deep.

The reef slopes from about 10 m down to a sandy bottom at 25–30 m. Most corals here are hard corals, including staghorn and brain corals. The ridge is covered with tiny yellow soft corals and full of life because currents are often medium to strong. And that’s exactly why big fish come here. It is considered the #1 place in Thailand to see manta rays (but not this time).

After this dive I started to understand why the Similans are in the top of the most beautiful dive places.

At the beginning the site looked like something between Phi Phi and Racha Noi: sandy bottom going down into the blue. Very nice — especially because there was no current, so you could feel like flying.

And then we reached the corner of the island and it started… A cold thermocline and strong current. I remembered how tired I was after the previous dive and even thought: “Not again?!” But two minutes later we went behind the corner, the current became warm and not too strong — and I saw them: a huge school of barracudas and slightly less huge trevallies. There were so many.

All of this mixed with small fish that fearlessly swam right in front of my mask. Big fish above and below, small fish everywhere, blue water on the left, an untouched coral wall on the right. Pure кайф.

We surfaced almost at sunset, full of joy and with a light pleasant tiredness.

And the next dive was a night dive. At 19:00 🙂 Technically the sun was already down, so yes — night.

Dive 4. Koh Tachai Reef (Night)

Koh Tachai Island is located after Koh Bon. There are two main dive areas: the reef and the pinnacle.

Koh Tachai Pinnacle is a huge granite plateau covered with soft corals, sea fans, and anemones. Strong currents bring food from the deep and attract big schools of fish: trevallies, mackerel, tuna, sharks, and sometimes manta rays and whale sharks.

The reef consists of coral blocks lying on sand. Maximum depth is about 20 meters. It’s home to reef sharks, spotted rays, and sea turtles. The reef is filled with all kinds of reef fish: parrotfish, triggerfish, groupers, wrasses, and many others.

This was my first night dive in my life. And again I was in полный восторг.

First, before the dive, I watched the sunset and enjoyed the feeling that everything looks like a good movie — and I’m the main character. Then you put on the gear, turn on the torches, and go underwater.

It feels like space. Everything is dark, and only torch beams “cut out” underwater creatures that appear from nowhere and disappear the same way. Fish, corals, barracudas — and even a turtle! It was clearly surprised to be disturbed, but we were careful and quick.

This was the shortest dive of the whole safari: we agreed to dive 30 minutes and surface. But by впечатления it is definitely in my top-3. First night dive, new feelings.

We surfaced far from the main boat. A rubber boat (zodiac) was supposed to pick us up. I thought it would be like usual: they throw a rope and tow us. But no — this time they put a ladder down, and we had to climb it. It was a bit tricky, especially when another group was boarding: when a diver climbed not very smoothly, the boat started to качаться so much it felt like it could flip. But everything ended fine.

After everyone was on board, they asked us to switch off the torches, and we went back to the big boat in complete darkness. Cinematic. We boarded the main boat like pirates 🙂

Then dinner, sleep — and the boat traveled for about 4 more hours to the next main place: Richelieu Rock.

Dive 5. Sunrise at Richelieu Rock

I woke up in the middle of nowhere. On the horizons you could see islands, but we were остановились in open sea. Today we had three dives on the most beautiful site: Richelieu Rock.

Richelieu Rock is a standalone rock in a horseshoe shape near Koh Tachai, and geographically it belongs to the Surin Islands area. Only the top of the rock is visible above the water (less than 1 meter at low tide). At high tide, Richelieu Rock is completely underwater.

On a clear day, visibility can reach 35 meters, but on other days it may be only 10–15. Usually плохая visibility is caused by a lot of plankton — and plankton is also the reason why whale sharks sometimes visit this place.

Richelieu Rock is often listed among the top-10 dive sites in the world and is considered the best dive site in Thailand by many divers.

The first dive was before breakfast. At 6:50 we went underwater. Unlike us, the fish were already having breakfast — and it was amazing. The amount of fish here is hypnotizing. Morning Richelieu feels like a huge cafeteria. Fish of all sizes and colors hunt each other, totally ignoring divers.

Thousands of fish. An unreal place.

Dive 6. Richelieu Rock

Richelieu Rock is full of life. Several species of always-hungry barracudas and trevallies patrol the area, hunting among countless reef fish. Their main targets are big schools of snappers and fusiliers feeding in mid-water.

The rock itself is a shelter for hundreds of species: lionfish, mantis shrimps, lobsters, octopuses, pipefish, colorful nudibranchs, mating cuttlefish, and giant groupers — just to name a few. In the sea fans and big soft coral gardens you can also find ghost pipefish and even a yellow tiger-tail seahorse (but it is hard to spot). Cracks and crevices are great hiding places for morays and scorpionfish.

This place has everything: big pelagics, predators, schooling fish, and also macro life — and if you are very lucky, a whale shark. Whale sharks can grow up to 16 meters and may live more than 100 years. This time we didn’t see one. But I will come back here, and maybe next time…

After breakfast and a short rest, we dived Richelieu again. Two hours after the sunrise dive, the sun started to go deeper, and underwater life looked even more colorful.

Corals here look familiar, but still a bit different. This time I also paid more attention to smaller creatures. We found little crabs hiding in corals near clownfish.

More than once I caught myself thinking: it’s good I didn’t come here a year earlier, when I was not confident underwater. I would have missed a lot. Now I can спокойно control several things at once, enjoy the views, and even think what I should write in my notes later.

Dive 7. Last dive at Richelieu Rock

There are many stories and myths about the name “Richelieu Rock.” One says Jacques Cousteau gave the name because the rock’s shape and colors reminded him of Cardinal Richelieu’s cloak from “The Three Musketeers” (the outside is covered with purple soft corals).

Another version — our captain’s favorite — says the rock was named after Admiral Richelieu, who commanded the Royal Thai Navy. Some official navy maps from the early 1900s mention Richelieu Rock. The admiral was one of the first people who did hydrographic surveys of the Andaman Sea, including this area.

For the last Richelieu dive we agreed not to go deeper than 20 meters. But five minutes after the start, I noticed a big octopus on the bottom. I quickly exchanged signals with the divemaster and went down to film it. It was more than half a meter long. Beautiful — but also a bit scary. It tried to hide in corals at 27 meters.

We broke the agreement a little, but at the debriefing we both agreed it was okay: we stayed at that depth for less than a minute, and the rest of the dive was, as planned, at 18–20 meters.

Richelieu Rock is truly an incredible dive site. It’s a pity we didn’t see a manta or sharks, but there were still so many beautiful and new creatures. I really want to return — maybe in spring season. Around the end of February big animals are seen here more often.

Dive 8. Koh Tachai Pinnacle

Koh Tachai Pinnacle is a submerged group of giant granite boulders. Currents here are often специфические (and can be strong), and they attract a crazy number of hunting fish. The top is around 10 m and there is usually a mooring line / buoy to help divers descend.

Actually there are two pinnacles. The main one in the south is bigger and most dives happen there. It’s a huge dome-shaped boulder surrounded by many smaller ones. The scenery is diverse: on the south side you have big boulders with interesting shapes, and on the north side one of the most beautiful and untouched coral gardens in Thailand.

The main pinnacle connects to a smaller one in the north via a sandy patch at about 24 m. The swim between them is around 50 m. The smaller pinnacle’s top is around 18 m and it has beautiful sea fans and soft corals in great condition.

But even the relief and corals are not the main point here. The main show is the fish and marine life: big groups of giant trevallies, blue trevallies, dogtooth tuna, and rainbow runners often hunt around the boulders. Sometimes you also see massive schools of chevron barracudas.

The last dive today was at this new spot. We did a night dive on the reef before, and now we came to the main pinnacle. The briefing warned about possibly very strong current, but we were lucky — we felt it only near the end.

We spent a lot of time in the blue, swimming among schools of big barracudas and huge tuna. Huge = about 1.5 meters long and almost half a meter wide.

It was fun to watch them hunting smaller fish. Another cool thing: I noticed fish swimming in pairs — one silver and one black (trevallies). Unusual, but I couldn’t capture it well on photo/video.

Also: cartoon-like sea stars and big lobsters 🙂

Overall it was a great day. After the dive I went to watch the sunset, and the boat moved to the next morning dive site.

Dive 9. Shark Fin Reef

Shark Fin Reef is a very long line of huge granite boulders that stretches south and east from Similan Island #3 (Koh Payan). In the middle part, some boulders come close to the surface and look like shark fins — that’s where the name comes from.

On the south side, the pinnacle has a steep slope going down to sand at around 25 meters. Along the slope there are several large boulders where moray eels, lionfish, and scorpionfish hide. On sandy patches you often see blue-spotted rays, and on a lucky day — leopard sharks.

On the north-west side there is a flat plateau with several rocks and small coral bommies. Most fish gather there because this part is more affected by currents.

Another morning dive. Underwater it was quite dark, and as always it was mesmerizing. Sometimes it feels like the world after a global disaster: empty, gloomy, and calm.

Sadly, we didn’t find a shark. But I watched how Sean “controlled” fish schools using an SMB. Funny magic. I will remember that trick.

During the dive I felt a bit sad. Maybe I was tired, but most likely because today everything was ending and we had to return to land.

Dive 10. Stonehenge Pinnacle

The dive site known as Stonehenge in the Similan Islands got its name for obvious reasons. It’s a deeper dive in the center of the Similan area, with a group of huge granite boulders lying on sandy bottom. It is located at the north-west tip of Koh Miang (Island #4). It’s not ideal for inexperienced divers or for those who расходуют air quickly.

The challenge here is medium to strong currents and the minimum dive depth — around 24 m. For experienced divers who like depth, swim-throughs, canyons, caves, and can handle current, it’s a great site right in the heart of the Similan Islands.

Because of its depth and conditions (and no snorkeling), Stonehenge is usually visited less than many other Similan sites. That means you can enjoy it more and see a lot.

This dive was mixed. We started with good visibility, then went deeper to look for something big. But deeper there was a cold, мутный current. We swam in even more “gloom” than on the previous dive. After about 10 minutes we decided it was enough — luck wasn’t with us — and we went shallower.

And there the name really made sense. Huge boulders looked unnatural, forgotten, like something from another world. Between them — big fish schools. A pleasant feeling of flight and one clear thought: “It’s so cool that you can move in any direction. That’s why I love diving.”

Dive 11. Tsunami Monument (Hideaway Bay)

The 2004 tsunami had a truly devastating impact on Khao Lak, Thailand, which is the main departure point for Similan liveaboards. At the dive site Hideaway Bay in the Similan Islands, a permanent underwater memorial was installed, showing the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac.

The last dive was private. I went with Sean as a buddy. The guys who had been diving with us before had a flight in 24 hours, so they skipped the last dive to reduce the risk of DCS.

The dive was easy and we stayed mostly shallower than 10 meters. Clean water, sandy bottom, sun rays — a very pleasant final dive. We посмотрели the monuments installed underwater after the 2004 tsunami.

But the best moment was at the very end. We were already surfacing, and near the boat we met a huge turtle. As one instructor once said: “If you see a turtle, you have good karma.” A cinematic moment — and a sign to come back again.

The End

After the last dive, we packed our things, got on a speedboat, and went back to the mainland.

It was funny to watch people on the way back. When we were going to the boat at the start, everyone was tense and focused. I was the same. On the way back, everyone was in a good mood — smiling and talking.

It was a great adventure that I will definitely repeat one day.