Similian Islands info

[Travelnsj]

I am thinking of going to the Similans/Phuket for a couple of weeks next February/March. Will do a liveraboard to the Similans.

I am an Indo-Pacific diver, diving spots like Palau, Raja Ampat, Lembeh, Bali etc.....I have heard most of the big stuff and large schools of fish are gone in the Similans other than Whaleshark season. It is really only for Macro.

My question(s) what will I see in the Similans? do you agree with the above statement? and if anyone has dove the Indo-Pacific region how do you compare the diving?

Thanks for any info.

 

[Bowmouth]

My question(s) what will I see in the Similians? do you agree with the above statement? and if anyone has dove the Indo-Pacific region how do you compare the diving?

Thanks for any info.

Hi Travelnsj,

Yes, it's true that the (original) 9 Similan Islands are not a big-animal destination. With a bit of luck you can still see zebra (leopard) sharks, white tip reef sharks, the odd large Napoleon wrasse, hawksbill turtles, bumphead parrot fish and from time to time manta rays.

What the Similans DO have are beautiful reefs with lots of soft corals, fans, hard corals and a great variety of colorful reef fish (anthias, butterflies, parrot fish, wrasse etc). Also, the Similans do have some fantastic "sea-scape"; huge granite boulders stacked on top of one another with swim-thrus, soft corals and anemones. Some sites may have good schooling fish like fusiliers, bigmouth mackerel and jacks. If you have a keen guide on your boat you will be able to see animals like pygmy pipe horses, the odd frogfish, porcelain crabs and some nudis and flatworms.

If you do decide to go to the Similans then also include Ko Tachai and Ko Bon (later added to the boundaries of the original 9 Similan Islands) to your itinerary. At Ko Bon and Ko Tachai you may see more schooling fish and you will have a better chance on animals like manta rays, zebra sharks, tunas, barracudas and giant trevallies.

 

[stevenl]

And don't forget Richelieu Rock of course.

The trips that do a minimum 4 days/4 nights liveaboard will go to Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.

 

[Batfish]

And to increase chances further of seeing larger things, some boats have 6 - 7 day trips including Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock plus Hin Daeng & Hin Muang (which are to the south of Phuket). Even then, the whole area is not "big fish country", but what kept me here for more than a season was the variety of the dive sites. Beautiful reefs, dramatic underwater scenery with giant boulders, drop offs (Hin Daeng), pinnacles... every dive site has something different.

 

[Quero]

I have heard most of the big stuff and large schools of fish are gone in the Similans other than Whaleshark season. It is really only for Macro.

I'm not sure that this is quite accurate as a statement. There are large schools of fish, but they are mainly reef fish with some schooling pelagics thrown in for good measure. Rivers of snappers, for example, are common around here, and we do have schools of barracuda, including congregations of great barracuda at Richelieu, plus fuseliers, rainbow runners, jacks, sometimes tuna. There aren't any schools of sharks, it's true.

And yes, we do have a lot of macro life, but to me "macro" means marine life you have to get right up to to see, like shrimp or ghost pipefish, not animals like angelfishes, wrasses, snappers, sweetlips or other reef fish, which we have in abundance.

Of course we'd all like to see whale sharks and manta rays on every trip. What is more common is that an encounter with these big fish is a celebration-worthy-hallelujah-face-splitting-from-grinning bonus.

 

[Ringo]

In reply to your PM Travelsnj
You have received top advice from all of the above posters. Bowmouth in particular has done 1000's of dives over the years there and therefore does know the dive sites extremely well.
Happy diving!

 

[Travelnsj]

Thanks everyone for the input.....lots of good info...If I am going to go probably would do due March 09.....I just have to make a decision to pass on Palau...but I've done that 8 times and have not been to Thailand.

 

[Kevster]

Definately do a liveaboard.
I done 2 days trips out to the Similans with Sea bees.
The trip out there was 2+ hrs.
Sims were nice.
Its always great to visit/dive in a new place BUT You may be disspointed after comparing to some of the great locations you have been.
koh Phi Phi was not great for diving.
King Cruiser & Anemone reef were nice, perhaps the highlight. Lots of fish at the wreck but viss was really bad.

Ko racha yai was another dissapointment. Conditions were bad so we could not get to Racha Noi. Again lots of dead coral
The good thing about Thailand was the variety in the diving. e.g some interesting boulders,rocks,reef,slopes and chance to see some big stuff.

 

[Travelnsj]

What time of the year did you go?

Definately do a liveaboard.
I done 2 days trips out to the Similans with Sea bees.
The trip out there was 2+ hrs.
Sims were nice.
Its always great to visit/dive in a new place BUT You may be disspointed after comparing to some of the great locations you have been.
koh Phi Phi was not great for diving.
King Cruiser & Anemone reef were nice, perhaps the highlight. Lots of fish at the wreck but viss was really bad.

Ko racha yai was another dissapointment. Conditions were bad so we could not get to Racha Noi. Again lots of dead coral
The good thing about Thailand was the variety in the diving. e.g some interesting boulders,rocks,reef,slopes and chance to see some big stuff.

 

[Bowmouth]

Definately do a liveaboard.
I done 2 days trips out to the Similans with Sea bees.
The trip out there was 2+ hrs.
Sims were nice.
Its always great to visit/dive in a new place BUT You may be disspointed after comparing to some of the great locations you have been.
koh Phi Phi was not great for diving.
King Cruiser & Anemone reef were nice, perhaps the highlight. Lots of fish at the wreck but viss was really bad.
Ko racha yai was another dissapointment. Conditions were bad so we could not get to Racha Noi. Again lots of dead coral
.

Please do not get confused here:

Kevster is talking about DAYTRIP divesites close to Phuket and says basically nothing about any of the Similan divesites.

The Similan Islands are 65 Nautical Miles away NW Phuket and offer very different diving than the daytrip divesites. Conditions at daytrip divesites change greatly from day to day because of their closer proximity to land and are much more affected by weather and tidal flow than at the Similan Islands.