Phuket, Similan, Surin snorkeling spots

[maddmike]

Ahoy.

I'm taking my family bareboat chartering in Phuket this December. Since we'll be traveling with the kids (ages 12 & 13), we're looking for places to snorkel instead of scuba. We plan to do a circuit through Phang Nga Bay, down towards Krabi (maybe skipping Phi Phi to avoid crowds, tourists, and age-inappropriate nightlife), then around the west side of Phuket and up to the Similan and Surin islands.

Any recommendations on where to find the best snorkel spots? I've found on-line and guidebooks that show approximate locations for scuba dive sites, but not much detail on snorkeling locations.

Thanks in advance.
Mike

 

[stevenl]

Not that much inappropriate nightlife on Phi Phi. In general: where there is diving there is snorkeling, just closer to shore. And you need a bit more shelter since you're going to be on the surface in stead of submerged. In Phang Nga bay not much snorkeling, visibility sucks, further you'll find sites everywhere.