Divesites in Thailand and Burma

Similan

Next trip on the 29th of Nov. 4 day/4 night to Similan, Surin, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu.

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Burma

Adventure trip on the 19th of Dec. 7 day/7 night to Burma

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Daytrips in Burma - Thailand

Contact us for more information about daytrips to Surin, Richelieu and Burma

The Similans are a group of 9 granite, uninhabited tropical islands, lying in the Andaman Sea, 65km from the Thai coast. They are within Marine National Park boundaries and are protected from development and fishing. Famous for their white powder sand beaches and covered by tropical rainforest, they offer some of the best diving to be found in Thailand. Due to their distance from shore, diving by liveaboard is preferable.

Great numbers of playful reef fish are swimming around with the beautiful colors of hard and soft corals forming the background. Larger fish species are frequently spotted here such as leopard sharks, stingrays, manta rays and occasionally whale sharks!

There are many different dive sites waiting for you to explore, with a variety that makes the Similans ideal both for the novice and the more experienced divers. From the gently sloping hard coral reefs with soft sandy bottoms of the eastern side to the large granite boulders with strong currents and many swim-throughs on the west side you will find something new and exciting on every dive.

The Surin Islands, also within Marine National Park limits, are 2 large tropical islands lying only 4km south of the Myanmar border. A Moken (traditional Thai sea gypsies) village is located on the southern island and can be visited by the dive boats.

They are widely known as the location with probably the best hard coral formations in the entire South-East Asia. This, along with all the life to be encountered here and the long distance from the busy resorts of Phuket and Khao Lak (which means that they are less frequently visited by other dive boats), makes the Surins a truly amazing place to dive. Beautiful fringing reefs form shallow-water coral gardens which also make this place ideal for snorkelers accompanying a trip.

Underwater life here is really dense and the Surins are frequently visited by larger pelagic species such as manta rays, sharks and turtles, and the possibility to encounter them in some of the dive sites is very high. Being surrounded by huge numbers of colorful reef fish, swimming alongside sea turtles, patiently searching for the stunningly beautiful macro life, spotting blacktips passing by or watching manta rays “fly around” over your head… diving the Surins is a very very exciting experience.

Richelieu Rock is an underwater pinnacle that lies just under the surface at high tide or breaks the surface at low tide, located 17km east of the Surin Islands. It is generally regarded as the best dive site in Thailand and its reputation is for a good reason. It really feels like you’ve just entered a big aquarium!

The amount of life, big and small, is indeed surprising. Hard corals and anemones adorn the shallower rock areas, large sea fans and soft corals lie on the deeper parts (down to 30+meters). Reef fish are in huge abundance with almost every species represented, moray eels hide within the many holes and crevices, cuttlefish and octopuses can be found easily. Adding to the excitement, this is one site where it is not very hard to find ghost pipefish, seahorses and harlequin shrimps. Sharks can sometimes be seen cruising around the sandy bottom or, in the case of the nurse sharks, sleeping in small caverns. This dive site is famous for offering the best chance of encountering whale sharks in the country.

Koh Bon and Koh Tachai offer fantastic dives with many soft corals and schools of large tuna and barracudas. The main attraction of Koh Tachai is a huge underwater reef with big boulders, sea fans, and swim-troughs. Koh Bon offers a beautiful submerged coral ridge. The ultimate spot for deep dives, as the impressive reefs and walls drop down to depths of more than 45 meters (150 ft.) in crystal clear, blue water. Also, manta rays are frequently sighted in this area.