Similans

The Similan Islands lie northwest of Phuket and accessible most commonly by liveaboard excursions. The Similans is one of Thailand’s National Marine Parks, which are made up of nine islands. The name Similan was derived from the Malay word for nine, "Sembilan", which was used long ago by Malaysian fishermen when they called the islands "The Nine Eyes". The dive sites surrounding these islands boast magnificent underwater landscapes with beautiful coral gardens, huge boulders and dramatic rock formations.

The nine islands form an archipelago which runs north to south. Divers will experience a different underwater environment on either side of this archipelago. The eastern coast has pristine beaches and hard coral reefs that drops down to a depth of around 30 to 40 meters. Diving on the east side is effortless. Drift diving along these coastal walls is the conventional way to admire the vastness of the underwater terrains. In several dive sites, you will find undersea cliffs covered with quaint soft corals. The western coast dive sites are a morsel more stimulating with more challenging underwater currents. Many western sites contain mammoth granite rock formations, decorated by many huge gorgonian sea-fans and dense corals. Apart from the breath-taking submerged landscapes of the Similan sites, the abundance of marine life found is astounding. The reefs are packed with the kind of creatures that macro-photographers love: crinoids, critters, sea slugs and cleaner shrimps. Some dive sites practically ensure encounters with the big stuff: barracudas, manta rays, sharks and whale sharks.