Dive Location
Your Complete Guide to Diving in Similan Islands in 2024
By Sorrasek Phiboonthammasak Date 24 Jul 2024
You may have heard about Similan Islands, its beautiful white sandy beaches, and turquoise waters. You may have known its fame for the abundance of life underwater with perfect water conditions for scuba diving. You may now start to think about what it is like to dive in one of the world's most famous diving locations.
And, you still have many questions unanswered about its season, accommodation, weather, and marine life. This Similan Islands Diving guide will give you an overview and in depth from when to dive, where to stay and what are the best dive sites. Now let’s get those questions answered to prepare for your perfect trip to dive Similan Islands!
Why should you dive in Similan in 2024?
Similan National Park is an Island Archipelago in the Andaman Sea. The Island is located 60 kilometers (2 hours boat drive) from the nearest shore, which makes the Island remote and protected from a crazy amount of tourists. Being a national park, Similan is closed for five months during monsoon season, and well protected from the fishing industry. Yearly, it has time to recover and is still in pristine condition for all the divers to see its amazing underwater scene. That is the reason that you can dive and still experience the amazing adventure on this list.
Diverse Marine Animal
Similan is located in tropical water and connected to the Indian oceans, making it the home of tropical reefs and migration routes for big marine animals.
Diving in Similan Islands, divers will experience the small unique animals from harlequin shrimp, nudibranch, seahorse, frogfish, ghost pipefish, and much more. If you are a macro photographer, this is your heaven to bring your camera.
Divers without cameras will enjoy the large action underwater from the school of barracuda, batfish, or fusilier or giant trevally swim around and across you. Large animals can be expected in Similan. Every year, there is a report of numerous sightings of manta rays and whale sharks in Similan Islands. Both use underwater rock pinnacles as their guide for their migration and as a cleaning station.
If you are lucky enough, you will find other rare marine animals like marble rays, leopard sharks, guitar sharks, and bowmouth sharks in the area.
White Sand Beach and Sail Rock
You might have seen the photo of Sail Rock on the white sand beach over the turquoise water. And yes, that photo is on Similan Islands and it is located on island number 8.
All the liveaboard or scuba diving day trips to Similan Islands will visit this island for land exploration, lunch, and sun tanning. It is the perfect location for you, your family, and your friends to take a picture to capture the memory of a lifetime.
Perfect Diving Conditions in Similan
Diving in Similan offers one of the best conditions for all levels of scuba divers. During the dry season (Nov-April), the sea is calm, the sun is shining, and the water is clear.
In this period, divers can expect little to low underwater current, warm water (25-27 degrees Celsius), and good visibility (from 10-30 meters underwater).
Without much cloud, the sun will shine through the water, which makes the underwater scene shine as bright color as it can be. Divers will enjoy a slow breeze and sunshine during their surface interval.
Options for Accommodation to Choose From
Similan in 2024 is the best year for divers to choose their accommodation. When diving in Similan, divers have two diving options to choose from.
One is Similan liveaboard service, where you will dive from the boat, stay on the boat, and dine on the boat. Another option is a scuba diving day trip, where you will take a speed boat to Similan, dive, and back to the mainland in one day.
With Similan Liveaboard, divers will get more time for diving, less hassle in transportation, and better rest during the dive. Divers will go to further remote dive sites, which are more protected and have a better chance to see rare marine animals. However, the Liveaboard option is for divers who have time to explore Similan Islands Diving for 3 or more days.
For a scuba diving day trip, the trip is perfect for scuba divers who want a taste of Similan but are short on time or divers who want to do other activities beyond just diving.
In 2024, Thailand's diving industry is at its peak in terms of number and variety of dive service operators. Hence, divers will have many options of Similan liveaboard from luxury options to budget options to choose from. For day trips, divers can choose to go with the newly renovated boat with maximum speed and safety.
Diverse Marine Life in Similan Islands
Similan, being a national marine park, is well protected from the fishing industry and over-tourism. The archipelago underwater ecosystem is thriving with intricate life from small to large animals. When diving in Similan, scuba divers can expect
Pristine Coral Reef
Soft and hard coral are still abundant in Similan. Divers can expect to see soft corals like giant orange sea fans, tree coral, leather coral, and Dendronephthya giving the underwater purple, pink, and red color. Hard coral colonies are commonly found; divers will see staghorn, brain coral, boulder coral, and much more.
Reef Fish
With its thriving coral reef, vast amounts of reef fish add action and color to Similan underwater. Looking closer to the reef, scuba divers can observe the behavior of the fish hunting, nipping coral reefs, or cleaning larger animals like sharks and rays. Divers can expect to see clownfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, Moorish idol, lionfish, and triggerfish.
Large Animals
Similan is part of the Indian Ocean; hence bigger marine life will migrate in and out of the area. If you are a lucky diver, you will witness these giants in their environment.
Whale Shark: The gentle giant often visits Similan Islands when there is an abundance of plankton in the water. When diving, looking out of the reef you might see this giant feed its meals.
Manta Ray: Divers may see manta rays in Koh Bon at their cleaning station or in the blue water when they are feeding.
Leopard Shark: Any dive site that features a sandy bottom, divers may see a leopard shark resting on the seafloor waiting for the hunt during their nocturnal hunt schedule.
Other animals to look for: Guitar Shark, Marble Ray, Reef Shark, and Eagle Ray are the animals that divers could find when diving in Similan.
School of Fish
For me, this is my favorite underwater action when diving in Similan. Imagine this, you are diving in the open blue water and out of a sudden. You see a thousand barracuda forming a cyclone shape underwater and just keep circling in that motion.
But in Similan, you will not only see a school of barracuda, divers will see a big school of fusiliers along the reef, giant trevally hunting, and batfish just gliding through the water.
Variation in Sighting Due to Similan Season
From all the spectacular animals mentioned above, divers will have a chance to see them all during the dry season. However, some periods will give a better chance of sighting than others. With the list below, you will have an informed decision on when to dive to see the most.
November - April: This is the best period to see large animals like whale sharks and manta rays. In this period, divers can expect to see all the attractions from coral reefs, schools of fish, and macro animals.
May and October: This is the shoulder season, scuba divers will need lots of luck to feature with large animals. However, divers will have the same chance to see good coral reefs, big schools of fish, and macro animals.
June - September: This is the monsoon season, and the Similan Islands national park is closed. Travel to Similan Islands is not possible. It is time for marine life to recover.
Top 5 Dive Sites in Similan Islands, All Divers Should Not Miss
Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock is a horseshoe-shaped rock pinnacle, located at the top of the Surin Islands. This dive site is a world-class dive site that all divers need to visit once in a lifetime.
With its rock formations, it creates a complex home for reef fish and juvenile fish, which bring bigger fish to hunt in the area. Its abundance of life also brings large animals like whale sharks and manta rays to feed on this reef.
The underwater scene here is spectacular. The rock formations are filled with algae in shallow water. And when descending deeper, the rock turns to pink, orange, and purple, as it is covered with soft coral.
Highlight: Whale Shark, Manta Ray, Guitar Shark, Rock Formation, Underwater Landscape, Macro Animal, Ghost Pipefish, Harlequin Shrimp, and School of fish. Basically, everything you can think of in tropical water.
Koh Bon
Part of Surin Islands, Koh Bon is a rocky slope dive site, where divers will dive along the slope line. As it is built on granite, Koh Bon has many small and medium-sized rock boulders that the reef has grown on. Manta Rays use this boulder as their cleaning station, where they stop and small fish like wrasse come to bite their dead skin.
Highlight: Manta Rays, Whale Sharks, and Reef sharks.
Tachai Pinnacle
Tachai Pinnacle, located in Surin Islands, is an underwater rock formation that stumbles upon each other. This gives its unique perspective, as in each slope, sea fans will grow and show their vibrant color. In this dive site, divers swim through rocks and sea fans. Divers can expect to see manta rays and whale sharks in the dive site.
Highlight: Sea fans, Rock Formation, Manta Rays, Whale Sharks, and Reef sharks.
Twelve Zodiac
Twelve Zodiac or the zodiac is the sandy slopes dive site located in Similan Islands number 5. The name of the dive sites is from the installed 12 zodiac signs underwater. The site is normally used as a check dive, as it is famous for the clearest water, calmest condition, and easiest to dive.
With its clear water, diving in this dive site gives the diver the feeling of diving in an aquarium. You can expect to see all the colorful reef fish. In addition, you will see the field of garden eels on the sandy bottom.
Highlight: Sea fans, Rock Formation, Manta Ray, and Whale Sharks
Elephant Head Rock
Elephant Head Rock dive site gets its name from the above-surface rock boulder that looks similar to an elephant head. What you see above the surface is what you get under the surface. The dive site is filled with huge boulders of granite rock that create channels, swim-throughs, and canyons. Divers will put on adventure mode and explore the surrounding complex rock structure.
Highlight: Rock formation, Sea fans, Soft Coral, Leopard Shark
What is the Best Time to Dive in Similan Islands?
Best Diving Period - November to April
During these months, Similan Islands are in a full dry season. This period provides the perfect conditions for scuba diving in Similan.
There is a slow breeze for divers to enjoy during the surface interval. The weather is warm but not too hot. And the underwater condition is pristine with warm water, little to no current, and clear visibility up to 30 meters.
Shoulder Months - May, and October
Similan Islands in shoulder months are still in great shape. The underwater condition is expected to be nearly as good as the dry season.
However, there is potential rain and cloudy days, which lower the visibility underwater. The underwater current is expected to be calm and still very easy to dive. Divers, who want to avoid crowded dive sites, might want to dive in this period.
National Park Closed - June - September
Every year from May 15 to October 15, Similan Islands National Park is closed to the public. This period aligns with the monsoon season with strong winds, currents, and heavy rains. Divers should not expect to dive in this condition. And it is the period when the underwater will have time to recover from the public.
Travel Tips Before the Dive in Similan
Certification Level
In Similan Islands, most of the diving service providers will require at least an open water certification level to dive in Similan.
However, an advanced open water license is recommended. Similan Islands has various dive sites to explore, and some of the dive sites are deeper than 18 meters. With AOW, divers will have a full experience of Similan Islands exploring both deep and shallow.
Dive Safety in Similan
Like diving in any part of the world, safety is the main priority in Similan Islands. Divers should listen to the boat briefing while on the liveaboard and learn what to do in emergency situations. Divers are expected to have dive insurance, again in case of emergency.
For every trip, the service operator will provide a check dive. This dive is designed to check your equipment and your experience underwater. The dive operator will provide extra care for a diver with less experience.
Having a buddy is a must when diving in Similan Islands. However, if you travel alone, the boat will pair you with another diver for pre-dive check and underwater buddy. Most of the operators will provide a dive guide, who will lead a group of 3 to 5 divers. They will look out for you both under and above the water.
Transportation
To travel to Similan Islands, you will need a dive operator. And most dive operators will provide a pick-up and drop-off service.
When you are picking dive operators, you will find three options.
No pick-up service: With this option, you need to locate the dive center or the pier that they will disembark. Then the diver will need to find a taxi or van to go to the location.
Airport pick-up: The dive operator will schedule a van to pick a group of divers up from the airport. You need to arrange your flight to be around the pick-up time or you can meet the operator at the airport.
Airport and hotel pick-up: Most of the service providers have this option, where you can stay anywhere in Phuket or Khao Lak. The dive operators will send a van to pick you up from your hotel.
Essential Packing List
Diving gear: BCD, Regulators, Wetsuit, Fins, and Mask are the basic diving gear that you will need.
Wetsuit: Should be at maximum 3MM or else it would be too warm to dive. Having a dive computer will make your dive more enjoyable and hassle-free. A dive torch is recommended for the night dive.
Personal items: These items will make you have a comfortable and enjoyable experience during the liveaboard trip in Similan Islands.
- Swimwear
- Reef safe sunscreen
- Hat and sunglasses
- Dry bags
- Books or E-reader
- Water bottle
Conclusion
Similan Islands Diving should be on any diver's bucket list. Divers will face unique macro to large marine animals, swim through the huge rock boulders, take photos with colorful coral reefs, and sun tan on the beach of Similan Islands.
Book your Similan Islands diving trips now for the upcoming season at giantstridetravel.com for the best price guaranteed. We offer a free consultation service, where divers could talk to us to plan their trip. And we will help you to have the best diving experience according to your preferences.
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