Question about diving depths in Similan Islands

[alijtaylor]

Hi

We are heading on a three day liveaboard to the Similans at the end of the month. We enquired from the operator we are booked with, Sea Bees, about the depths of the dives and were advised 25m-40m. From what I understand it is pretty much a standard Similans itinerary.

My housing is only rated to 30m - am I going to miss much by staying above 30m? I know the housing is unlikely to implode if I go below that but I don't really like being deeper than that anyway and the housing is a good excuse.

Alison

 

[Batfish]

25-40m? Some people just love to dive deep and I find that very annoying. There is a clan of divers who seem to think it's not a real dive unless you hit 30 meters. Rubbish. There are a few spots in the Similans that are worth heading to 30m, otherwise 20-25 is fine as a maximum. 40 meters? I have hit 40 one time in more than 600 dives there, and that was only because I was babysitting a couple of mad deep divers.

 

[Batfish]

And another time I did 39.5 when doing a PADI Deep Diver Specialty course.

 

[MoonWrasse]

I think you'll be fine.

 

[alijtaylor]

Thanks folk,
that is what I hoped to hear.

Alison

 

[Bowmouth]

Hi

We enquired from the operator we are booked with, Sea Bees, about the depths of the dives and were advised 25m-40m. From what I understand it is pretty much a standard Similans itinerary.
Alison

The Germans go deep, the French go to the bottom, the Italians go deep and only want to see BIG things, the Russians go everywhere, the Japanese go where the guide and the rest of the group goes, the Americans go with an XL camera rig and the Dutch go 6 times around the reef in one dive.

Don't worry about depth but DO worry about all those crazy divers with you on the boat. Do what YOU want to do and do not go deeper than YOU want to go. Diving in the Similans can be as shallow as 5 meters and as deep as you like to make it.

 

[wedivebc]

All the dives we did in the similans were multi level stating at 30m and slowly working up to 10m or so.

 

[scubadudee]

Hi, not to worry cos in Similans usually good stuffs are mostly between 20 to 30m. But will be good if you have got a strobe and small flashlight cos viz was not so good especially at Richeule Rock and Koh Bon, some parts of the waters are actually reddish brown. And though your housing is rated to 30m; the manufacturer would have done likely a 40m test.

Of course don't push your limit. I did it in Sipadan some years back with my JVC vid housing rated to 30m to as deep as 40+m then it started to show some minor leak, lucky it survived throughout the dive; got to find out only when I surfaced.

Cos am just back for about a week. Similans was not as clear as before. Wear a full suit if you are afraid of the cold water. The last temp my wrist divecomp logged was at 27 degrees.

But saw Mantas at both these places. I am sure our friendly giant is somewhere close with the almost 4 feet "sucker fish" around.

Hopefully someone have spotted them; like you !!! Make me jealous and envy when you fill us with your report when back !!

Bon voyage

 

[Kim]

I also haven't been near 40m in the Similan. The deepest was around 31m I think, to see Leopard sharks sleeping. Basically I couldn't go deeper anyway due to the MOD of the Nitrox I was using.

 

[Batfish]

Kim, by the look of your avatar, you have put on some weight...

There are a lot of DM's who will take their groups to 30m no matter what. And most of the time there's not a whole lot to see. A couple of sites like Elephant Head, I could spend the whole dive below 20m since there's not much up shallow, but 40m? No way, no need.

There is some serious macho peer pressure going on sometimes. There are divers who will s****** when you say you don't want to go deep and sneer when you say you like to stay at 10m on top of the reef for half the dive. Oh that's not a real dive, they'll say. Remember that you have paid for a trip and if you do not wish to dive deep, you tell you divemaster. Just also be sensible - you can't do a 10m dive at Elephant Head for example, and a 10m dive at Richelieu Rock won't be very exciting, but on the reef dives like East of Eden or Breakfast Bend a 30m dive is a waste of air IMO.