Rocky Point ( Similan 9)

One of my favourite Similan sites. Some of the biggest underwater boulders in the islands, deep water, sharks, Mantas, Turtles and a spectacular canyon swim through.
As well as all this behind the site is an excellent coral reef to spend the second half of the dive, or if the current is running a bit it’s a great place to escape the worst of the flow.
A great site for any level of diver, reef or rocks, macro or big fish there’s something for everyone here
My Reef rating 16



Christmas point ( Similan 8 )
A classic similan dive site, big underwater boulders which when the vis is great are spectacular. This site is usually swept with strong currents but with the currents fish come to feed. The biggest regular here are Manta Rays, I have sat on top of a large boulder at 18metres and just watched manta after manta fly past. Go a bit deeper and the occasional white tip may be spotted. An excellent advanced dive site, but not one for a warm up dive
My Reef rating 15

Elephant Head Rock
A classic early morning similan dive site. Its best at depth, 30m plus and often you need to get this deep to get out of the current. Two things that you usually find here are the strong currents (there’s no reef to protect this site) and a lot of divers as nearly all the liveaboard dive here. If you get an experienced group of divers it’s a spectacular site, If you have an inexperienced group then you are in a no win situation, Its harder to get out of the current with the depth restriction and fighting the current air is usually used very quickly. So if you get deep what can you see? White tip and occasional Gray reef sharks can be found here especially early morning. Clown trigger fish which are a rarity in the Andaman, and around 25 swim through, from 40m all the way up to around 15m.
All in all not one of my favourite dive sites mainly due to the fact it can be hard work.
My Reef rating 14



Stoneheng reef ( Similan 4)
I have only dived here as a night dive, The bay is a popular mooring site for boats especially the smaller boats as is quite near the main park ranger station . As a night dive its excellent, very large coral heads that hide all the night creatures in the day and provide a good place for the day marine life to sleep. A fantastic site for Nudibrancs 10 – 15 different types is not uncommon, but the thing that always stands out here are the lobsters. There are loads of them and there huge, as you would expect as it’s a no fishing zone. Apparently this is quite a good day site as the deep channel between the islands is close to the reef, strong currents and big fish. At the surface here I have often seen Marlin feeding and dolphins.

(Update - Excellent day site,Very large Rock site in the day, very good fish life especially at the end of the dive site where you are exposed to the currents) 
My Reef rating 11 (night) 14 (Day)


East of Eden
Probably the best drift dive in the Similans. Why? its starts with an amazing coral wall, 35-40m deep, some of the best sea fans you will ever come across, beautiful hard and soft corals, Anthias swarm over each coral head, groupers lie in wait, the Travelies, Jacks and Tunas come in to the reef to feed. The visibility here is generally very good which just adds to the spectical. After 20mins at depth the reef comes to a sandy section about 30-40 metres across in the centre of this you will find a large table coral, under the table coral you will find one of Similans stars a huge moray eel that became famous for biting off the thumb of a professional videographer who was feeding it sausages. Stupid yes, but you can find the video of it on the web. All the dive guides know this moray and is probably one of the most photographed morays in the world. Most of the boats call it by a different name so it can become a bit confusing when you talk to gests. The best part in my opinion is still to come. Carry on to the reef after taking your photo of the moray, at about 20m you come to the most magnificent coral head. It’s totally spellbinding. National Geographical spent over 1000 hours filming this head for a documentary about Thailand’s reefs. Here you can find all sorts of little creatures, early in the season it’s usually good for Ghost pipe fish and frog fish. Be very careful here for two reasons, first check your buoyancy because this is such a fragile site damage can easily happen (I never take a group to close if I think theirs is a bit suspect) and secondly keep an eye on your no deco time, you here people’s computers going in to deco all the time here, not the most prudent thing to do on the first dive of the day on a four dive a day Liveaboard. If your deco is ok or you drop by the coral head there is a smaller head a bit deeper at about 28m. It’s excellent, always quiet because no one pays it any attention as its only 15m from the main head but just as nice.
So no deco getting abit low or your new D6 has been making some funny beeping sounds at you! Where do you go next? Head up the slope over some broken coral and you will come to the Japanese garden. Between 7-5 metres a excellent place to finish of you dive, there is some Tsunami damage in parts of the shallows but it’s a great place to go looking for Turtles, you occasionally get the odd White tip reef shark here as well. Top dive site
My Reef rating 17

West of Eden
This dive site has become popular over the last year. As the name may suggest the dive site is on the opposite side of Island no 7 but its totally different to East of Eden. As with the rest of the Similan islands the west side’s of the islands are dominated by large underwater boulders, What makes this site a little bit different is the abundance of soft corals and sea fans on the tops and walls of the boulders. Excellent place to see Ghost pipe fish and long nosed Hawkfish, I am sure there must be sea horses here as well with the amount of sea fans and crevices to hide in its just a matter of finding them.
Dive Site Rating 15

Anita’s Reef
Nice dive site here and a good place to for a first dive in the Similans. Anita’s reef is made up of a number of large bommies and patches of coral over sandy patches. Sand Eels can always be found between the reef areas and the all the normal reef fish are in a perfusion.
My Reef rating 13

Barracuda Point to Chinese Wreck
Carry on from Anita’s reef and the terrain changes from reef to the large classic Similan boulders. The site drops down to around 45m and is a great place to find white tip reef sharks, Most of the big pelagic can be seen here, Barracudas patrol the boulders and Mantas are quite common later on in the season, take time to look in the rock ledges
especially if you are diving around midday as small Bamboo shark can be found sleeping
in out of the way spots.
On the far side of barracuda point the boulders change back to sand and coral patches. The area here is shelved, at 45m is the sandy bottom which then slopes up quite steeply to around 20m. There are coral patches on the slope and large shoals of Snapper and Fusiliers cruise past. A few years ago the national park authority decided to sink a wreck here on the shelf at 20m unfortunately they missed the shelf and the wreck sits around 45m with the topmost cabin around 37m, very few people visit here one because of the depth and secondly its not the best wreck in the world. The view back up the slope is pretty cool especially as the vis here I have found to be some of the best in the islands.
My Reef rating 15


Moonstone Reef (Similan 5 – 6) (Tsunami memorials)
On the opposite side of the islands to Anita’s reef is Moonstone reef which used to be more of a popular mooring site rather than a dive site. Now the National park authority has sited the Tsunami underwater memorials here. They are only in 10m of water and make an interesting night dive or 4th dive of the day. Apart from the memorials there are a few patches of coral with a few small fish around.
My Reef rating 10



Shark fin Reef
A long reef that lies on one side of this dive site, usually there a some strong currents here that at times whip you along but there is a lot of room and its unlikely that you will run off the reef. More of a rocky site than reef but the coral in areas is very good. Shark fin in the name of the reef relates to the appearance of the rocks at the surface at low tide rather than the sharks underwater but you can sometimes see Leopard sharks here. One big fish you usually find here is the bump head parrot fish and they are huge but are generally always on the move.
My Reef rating 13


Boulder City
Another of my favourite dive sites. It’s quite deep as the shallowest points are around 17m so not usually the longest of dives here for most people. Very large boulders here that have sandy areas in between and is an excellent site for Rays, lots of Blue spotted rays, Feather tail and Fan tailed rays and if you are lucky Mantas to.
It’s also a good place to see the sleeping leopard sharks and always lot and lots of Lion fish. Again it’s a site that you have to watch the currents, it’s easy to stay out of them most of the time as there is usually shelter behind the boulders but expect a bit of legwork in between.
My Reef rating 16




Beacon Bay
This is a good drift dive site, not quite as good as East of Eden but its got most of the elements you would expect, Very nice coral wall , nice shallow area with coral garden for a good long safety stop and a very good spot for Turtles. Last season it suffered from poor Vis at 15metres and less which was a shame as when the Vis is good it makes it so much better.
My Reef rating 14

Beacon Reef (Wreck)
One of the few Wreck dives around the Similan islands and is an old Liveaboard that sank here a number of years ago. There is a mooring line that marks the wreck, which you need as it’s only a small wreck about 20m long. The wreck lies on the side of the reef the keel at about 35m and the bow at 15m. As it’s only a small area it’s not a dive in its own right but makes a change from the standard reefs and boulders here.
My Reef rating 12


Three Trees
This site is named after 3 trees on the island which marks the start of this dive site. Again it’s a good drift dive but there are a couple of very nice coral outcrops away from the main reef at its start. If you go to the coral outcrop (28m) then the rest of the dive you go back up to around 15m on the wall and finish of in the shallows on some very nice staghorn coral beds. Good dive site.
My Reef rating 15


Turtle Head Bay
Named after a rock that from the correct angle looks just like a Turtle (surprise, surprise)
Quite a good site either as a night dive or a shallow forth dive of the day. It’s a pretty coral garden with lots of the smaller reef fish in the day and lots of night creatures later on. Usually a mooring point as well as the site of your last dive of the day.
My Reef rating 12



Boom song Wreck
This is not a Similan dive site it lies on the way back to Tap lamu pier just of the coast of Kho Lak. The site is an old tin mining wreck that lies on the sea bed at 17m. I think it’s the best wreck site on the Andaman Sea; it’s a much better site than King Cruiser. Fish life is excellent, big shoals of fish around the mooring line, Leopard sharks on the sand bottom, Cuttle fish, Ghost pipe fish, Honeycombed and white eyed moray eels, huge bearded scorpion fish and bags full of nudibrachs. Because this site is a square 17m profile it’s a great place for a nice long dive for all standards of divers. Only downside here is that the Vis here can be a bit suspect.
My Reef rating 13