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Similans
Similan Islands Phuket
Diving
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are
great
southern Thailand Islands about one hundred kilometers
north of Phuket, in the emerald water of the
Andaman Sea. Beside of the beautiful
nature and beaches
the area around the
islands is one of
the top scuba diving
destination in the
world. |
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This actually is
Phuket Scuba diving,
and Khao Lak
diving since the archipelago is just the Khao Lak coast. The warm tropical
waters touch some of the top beaches on this planet and among the top 10
dive destinations in the world. Similan beaches are of fine sand and
granite boulders. A world class prime area for beach vacation, scuba diving and snorkeling.
The archipelago is also
excellent for a day trip for Phuket scuba diving, either to book
a tour or go on your own. But to travel on your own stops
at Lam Ru Pier a few km before
Khao Lak Beach because the speed
boats usually are only operating together with the tour operators coming
in from Phuket and Khao Lak. Also the diving ship at the pier usually only takes divers from Phuket diving
tours.
Thailand islands
are plenty but Similans are special, it's just what most
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people imagine
in their dream
of a great scuba
holiday, this
place in
southern
Thailand
delivers. To enjoy this more intense take a live aboard trip at Phuket, they
have modern yachts moving around a few days in the
Andaman Sea the
Similans are some of the best dive sites in Asia.
At
Similan Islands national park it's scuba time or maybe snorkeling. Speed boats
running between Khao Lak and around the island stop from time to time
and everyone jumps into the emerald sea. Just take some snorkeling gear
und enjoy this magnificent underwater world and a Thailand beach. |
Since this is Similan Islands
national park you wont find the usual shops and restaurants littering the beach. On Koh Miang - island no. 4 -(Koh stands for Island) is a camping ground and
some Thai style bungalows. If you are interested to travel there go to a
bigger travel
agent in Phuket
and book the
Similan Islands
Thailand or contact Met Sine Travel before the pier can do booking for speedboats and accommodation on island No.4. Tel: 076 443276, 443340 fax: 595164.
Avoid the Similans National Park Headquarter before the pier, this is a disaster zone, extremely infested with mosquitoes plus not very helpful employees, usually sleeping or chattering on the mobile.
The archipelago is an area with pristine beach environment full of beauty above and under the water surface with some exemptions, unfortunately there |
Similan Islands Beach with granite boulders on the main Island. Other with granite boulders are at Penang beach. |
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is plenty of trash laying around on the beautiful beaches. The islands have been declared a national park years ago to make sure not to have the usual encroaching and souvenirs shops everywhere. The eastern end of the Similan offers the diver beautiful hard coral gardens in the shallow water and on the slops down to thirty meters. Other parts of the Similan are covered with soft corals and plenty tropical fish who like the warm emerald shaded water. |
Phuket Scuba Diving at Similan islands |
For Phuket scuba diving
this is the best spot. On the islands huge granite boulders which form a dramatic environment
granite boulders a few meters under the surface form arches, tunnels and swim troughs. Beaches are plenty and you probably will easily find one for you only. It is very exiting to snorkel or just swim around the smooth rocks and use the currents to drift through the shallow water in the gaps between the boulders. You can explore the islands either by a live aboard tour or with the speedboat on a one |
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day trip, leaving Tap Lamu pier at 8.30 in the morning and coming back to the pier by around 5 pm. One could also leave the speedboat at island no.4 and stay a night or 2 in the bungalows there. Accommodation etc. is very basic and limited, just a few Thai style bungalows on the main island.
That means most of the time no electricity and also no dive supply, only snorkeling. There are no beach cottages, they are about 50 meters inland placed into a small hill to make sure no tsunami can reach them and you can walk from the cottages right into the water crossing the beach, this great Thailand island beach is pictures at the photo left and at the panorama photo above, you can also see the bizarre granite formation. If you want to do scuba diving the only way is using the live aboard version out of Phuket or the single day version offered at the pier and some hotels at Khao Lak. The Similans are great for relax and for the real thrill better
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take the scuba gear. For Phuket diving marine life enthusiasts -mainly by scuba diving- the Similans Islands offer plenty of tropical underwater to see, creatures like different kind of sharks including whale sharks and white-tip reef sharks. Turtles are around and thousands of other multicolored fish.
Similans diving spots
are found under the surface. Many spectacular coral banks are around Ko Similan has become just as popular in their own right because of the low-lying formations |
Similan diving
Similan islands. |
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covered with thick forests of Ironwood and gum trees. The Similan islands are also home to many types of animals as well as endangered animals. The Similans archipelago consist of ten small islands. Koh Nueng has got a white sandy beach and is the longest beach of all Similan islands. It is a place for sea turtles for laying their eggs, and it is a good place for deep diving. On
Koh Sam is no beach only granite rock formation lots of exotic fishes are around the granite boulders, including barracudas. |
Similans,
Phuket diving,
Thailand diving, |
The Similans
are a Thailand Marine National Park means nothing can be built there, the current exception are a few flimsy cottages on island no. plus a office of the National Park and a beach front restaurant, you can book the bungalows on the address given above, but the chance to get a confirmation is very slim. The best is take a hotel at Khao |
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Lak, rent a boat and start in the morning.
The beach on 8 has got a very fine and white sandy beach and it is about 400 meters long. It's great for swimming and snorkeling. The second beach is located on the east of the island within walking distance through the jungle. |
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Similan islands Koh Haa is a great spot for diving. Have a look an a special species of white-gray eel. Beautiful corals are around in the deeper diving region.
Koh Hok is full of rocks and cliffs. There is a beach on the east side of the island with a wide area of living corals.
Koh Jed is a great site for deep diving. Beautiful tropical fishes are around and maybe you can see sea turtles and sting rays, not all the time.
Ko Similan is the biggest island of the archipelago - see top picture-. The horseshoe bay -as shown in the picture- is full of corals and tropical fishes, fantasy rock is a landmark of the island. The other islands are similar, they all have the same in common, great vacation and holiday, especially for beach freaks and scuba diving heroes. |
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