This group of nine remote islands located 95 km northwest
of Phuket was designated as a national park in 1982. The Similan Islands are some
the worlds most beautiful and unspoiled islands and together with the splendor
of the rich and varied marine life, and stunning coral reefs they offer a world
class underwater paradise for scuba divers. elow the surface the Similans offer
a wide variety of underwater scenery and marine life. You can draw a line roughly
down the middle of each island in the chain separating them into two parts, with
each offering totally different diving environments. On the western side of the
islands, huge granite boulders are stacked on top of one another creating magnificent
archways, and plunging drop-offs. Most of these granite boulders are so completely
covered in colorful soft corals that the rock is no longer visible.
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Diving on the eastern side of the islands can give
you the impression of diving in another part of the world. Here hard coral gardens
gradually slope down to approximately 30-40 meters where sand takes over as the
water depth increases. Massive schools of colorful tropical fish are attracted
to the nutrient rich water that swirls around these islands. Sightings of large
fish are rather rare in these waters but you may occasionally encounter leopard
sharks and even whale sharks here. There are more than
20 documented dive sites in the Similan Islands, many of which have developed
there, own international reputation. Christmas Point,
on Island #9, Ko Bangru: is famous for a series of dramatic archways for divers
to swim through while they swim with the schools Blue Fin Trevally, and Jack Tuna.
Fantasy Reef, on Island #8, Ko Similan: is a popular
site to exploring the massive underwater rock formations, and for a likely encounter
with some of the many species of rays that live there. Elephant
Head, on Island #8, Koh Similan: is probably the most famous dive in the
group, the site is named after an unusually shaped group of rocks that jut out
of the water just to the southwest of Koh Similan.
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The Similan Islands are consistently ranked as one
of the top ten dive sites in the world, and there is good reason to believe they
will remain that way for future generations. The Thai Government can be justly
proud of their efforts to preserve and protect this group of pristine islands.
In one effort the Fishing Dept placed mooring buoys in the most popular anchorage's
allowing visiting boats to tie up rather then dropping an anchor and risk damaging
the fragile reef. It is easy to applaud all efforts to preserve the wild, unspoiled
beaches, magnificent coral reefs, and the turquoise blue water of this special
area.
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