Just got back from our trip to Khao Lak diving the Similians over the Lunar New Year holidays. Dived three days at Similians (Island 8 & 9), Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock.
The diving got off to a very bad start with Sea Bees to the Similians. Fearing the crowds, we had made a prior booking with them before our arrival because they were recommended by this board and appear to be well regarded. We soon regretted making our deposit without checking them out in person. Sea Bees was to be one of the most expensive options to the Similians at 6,300 bh (US$200) for trip, nature park fees and gear hire when most other outfits only charge 4,900 - 5,000bh (US$150) all inclusive for a speedboat trip. The Sea Bees boat is also a slow catamaran which takes at least 2 hours to hit the Similians while the speedboats will make the trip in less than an hour. Although the boat was quite spacious and efficiently run, there was little to be done to alleviate the stress of jumping into the water with 34 other people. Despite being charged preminum prices, we were not impressed with the meagre food selection and soft drinks/beer are only available for an extra charge.
The day did not improve with the insipid dive sites we were dropped into at the Similians. Our DM later confessed that we were made to dive in the same sites together with the snorkellers because the inflatable onboard was not working. To make a bad day worse, we made to wait in the open sea for half an hour because the Sea Bees boat was on the other side of the island picking up the snorkellers. To his credit, our DM was quick to reassure the 13yo diver in our group who was distressed about floating away to India. Needless to say, she and her older sister refused to dive again this rest of the trip because of their experiences with Sea Bees.
Our trip improved the next day diving with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures (KSA) to Koh Bon. We were excited to play with the mantas (95% chance of spotting mantas, they claimed!) and was happy to try a speedboat instead. The trip was quite affordable at 5100 bh (US$160) all inclusive. We made the journey to Koh Bon in less than an hour and the boat was comfortable even with 18 divers. The atmosphere onboard was also more warm and friendly compared to the chilly Teutonic silence on the Sea Bees the day before. Koh Bon was stunning with great visibility and a huge variety of fish and coral. We had seriously enjoyed our time with the lovely Vicky exploring the sites. These were good dives that would have been spectacular if the mantas had made their appearance. We were unlucky as it was the first day in the week where they were off sick.
For our last day, we were booked on Wicked Diving to dive at Richelieu Rock on a speedboat they share with Big Blue Diving. We were quite impressed with Wicked the minute we stepped into their friendly shop on the main street in Khao Lak. One of the boat staff, Klaus actually took the time to patiently explain to a bunch of noobies about the various dive sites in the Similians and what to look out for out there. The awesome Wicked service continued with one of their friendly DMs, Kristian from Sweden, doing a fantastic job guiding us through at Richelieu despite the strong currents and the underwater horde. The Big Blue speedboat is an excellent option for day trippers as the silent fast boat only takes an hour from the mainland. With the flexibility of speed, we had the site to ourselves most of the time in between the LOBs dives. Richelieu was easily our favourite dive of the weekend with the colourful soft corals and amazing stuff. No whale sharks, no mantas but lots of little critters for the macro lovers.
With so many outfits in Khao Lak offering the same options, we all feel strongly it is that personal touch that sets one dive shop above all the others. We will be back next time to dive again with the fantastic people at Wicked who also offers overnight diving in Similians/Koh Bon and Richelieu with an option to spend the night camping on a Similian island underneath the stars on solid ground.
PS the local dive bar is Scuba Groupies along the main street. Best place to get tips on diving and manta sightings.
