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SIMILAN
ISLAND





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The
National Park of the Similan Island comprises
a beautiful group of island that is one of the world's
top ten diving destination. Underwater, healthy and
colorful coral reefs abound. December to mid April
is the best time to visit and in march, as there are
no monsoons, underwater visibility is perfect. Eleven
islands large and small, make up the Park are. These
are Huyong, Payung, Payan, Miang, Ha, Payu, Pusa,
Similan, Ba-ngu, Bon, Tachai and the two rock outcrops
of Shark fin and Hin Ko Ha.
The
deep-sea coral reefs of the Similan Island are home
to the most diverse underwater life any where in Thailand.
Many new species have been discovered in the Andaman
Sea such as the 'Similan Sea Slug' and other such
as the 'Three spot Angle Fish' remain unique to the
area. More rare species like the 'Clown Trigger Fish'
and 'Three Spot Angle Fish' are vrelatively common
around the Similans.
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Koh
Hok or Koh Payu is a truly beautiful
shallow snorkeling area.
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Fantasy
Reef mean
'soft Coral', 'Coraline' and exotic species such
as the 'Ribbon Eel'.
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Koh
Ha
with its 'Soft Coral' and 'Coraline' is ahome
to 'Garden Eels'.
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Christmas
Point boats
shoals of tropical fish and many varieties of
'Sea Slug'
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Hin
Kalok
is a must for 'Sea-turtles' and 'Mantis Shrimps'.
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Shark
Fin Rock
is well named because several 'Leopard', 'Silvertip',
and the 'Wite Tips' like it.
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Holiday
Rock
has entire 'trees' of coral as well many shoals
of different tropical fishincluding 'Traveler
Fish', 'Baracuda' and 'Tuna'. On the sea floor,
'Leopard Shark' and 'stingrays' make a home.
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Koh
Bon,
to the north east of the Similan, is famous for
its large underwater wildlife species. 'Manta
Rays' live on thesea floor here and can also be
found.
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Koh
Ta Chai
and its rocky shoals, to the south, is popular
for night diving. (But beware of strong tides.)
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PHI PHI ISLAND
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3
hours due East of Phuket, the Phi Phi Islands are
a famous destination even for those unaware of the
great diving available. As a diver, you will find
that the spectacular limestone cliffs above the water
become sheer drop-offs and craggy coral encrusted
landscape under the water with a rich and colorful
diversity of marine life and even whale sharks are
known to visit.
King
Cruiser :
On the 4th of May 97 King Cruiser, a 85 m catamaran
passenger ferry, strayed of course and hit Anemone
Reef ripping one of her twin hulls open. Subsequently
King Cruiser sunk within an hour with no loss of life.
With it's multiple decks, great open passages and
depths between 12 and 30 meters the King Cruiser is
an ideal wreck dive site for all divers.
Ko
Doc Mai :
This small, jungle topped island lies halfway between
Shark Point and Phuket. It provides some of the best
wall diving in the area with sea fans, soft corals
and colorful sea life decorating its underwater cliffs.
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SHARK POINT
& ANEMONE REEF
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Shark
Point :
Hin Musang ( Shark Rock, as it translates ), rises
out of the water from the surrounding depths of 18-20
meters. Considering the small extent of the rock above
water, the actual size of the reef underwater is a
big surprise to most divers. Beginning from the relatively
steep main rock pinnacle, the reef flattens out to
the south rising two more times to just below the
surface at the other two pinnacle that make up the
reefs structure.
The
second pinnacle, depending on the currents is an excellent
place to start the dive. Like many places in Thailand,
Shark Point's most colorful feature is the profusion
of the purple and pink soft corals that cling to the
rock. The currents sweeping over the pinnacle's provide
food a-plenty for the hundreds of different species
of hard corals and limitless tropical fish species.
The name of the site comes from the common Leopard
(Zebra) Shark (Stegastoma Varium), a docile creature
that can be found lying in the sandy bottom surrounding
the pinnacles. These completely approachable, trusting
sharks grow to a length of a little over 2 meters,
and most divers think that they are one of the "cutest"
sharks in the ocean.
Divers
that are not accustomed to seeing sharks are genuinely
surprised at how big and approachable they are. Because
they are nocturnal feeders, they are very approachable
during the day, especially for u/w photos. The sharks
aren't the only attraction here though, Shark Point
is one of the richest and most vivid dive spot around,
with it's stunning soft corals, fan corals and anemones.
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RACHA ISLAND
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Due
South of Phuket lie two classic tropical islands,
Koh Racha Yai ( Big Racha ) and Koh Racha Noi ( Little
Racha ). Both islands feature fringing hard coral
reefs with an abundance of fish life, including octopus,
cuttle fish, and moray eels. You can always find territorial
triggerfish and large schools of blue line and yellow
tail snapper. Both Islands are especially good for
non-divers, plenty of shallow bays with big coral
heads - ideal snorkeling territory.
Racha
Yai Island :
Racha Yai's best diving is off its east coast which
makes it especially attractive during Phukets off
season in the summer. Although visibility varies,
it is normally around 15 meters all year and during
the high season it reaches 25 meters or more. A typical
dive is a gentle drift along the sloping rocky face
that is sprinkled with hard coral forests of many,
many varieties. Especially prominent are stag horn
corals of blue and tan. Many times there are large
schools of barracuda hovering just outside the reef,
while on the reef itself you'll see octopus and cuttlefish,
in addition to the many other tropical marine life
that is in abundance throughout this location. There
is also a wooden shipwreck sitting on a sandy bottom
at a depth of 24 meters on the northeastern coast
of the island, another enjoyable dive. Not much grows
on the wreck as yet, but it attracts large amounts
of reef fish, and Bat fish in large schools are common
for the u/w photographer. The diving here is generally
drift diving so it's allows a diver relax full viewing
of all the splendors that these sites have to offer.
Racha
Noi :
This spot is popular with the more experienced diver,
as the depths a generally greater and the currents
frequently stronger than at it's sister island to
the north. The northern tip features larger rock formations
which finish in hard coral gardens, sightings of larger
marine life is normal when visiting this site, which
is the main attraction for divers, Visibility during
Phukets high season can reach up to 40 meters but
is generally around 15 to 20 meters, allowing divers
to take advantage of excellent diving without the
live-aboard expense. The southern point is a nice
drift dive across a varieties of coral formations,
with the added bonus of having a beautiful little
beach to visit during your surface interval.
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