Richelieu Rock is one of the best places in the world to dive with whale sharks and is easily the best site in Thailand diving for this amazing activity. Here divers will encounter the largest fish in the ocean which are rare almost everywhere in the world. With nothing else for miles around, the whale sharks are attracted to the rock to feed on the rich plank tonic blooms that occur here.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Novice Diver - 20 + Dives
• Max Depth: 40m

Koh Tachai is located in Tachai Island and lies about halfway between the Surin and Similan Islands and is rated as one of the best sites for Thailand scuba liveaboards as it's normally visited on the way to Richelieu Rock from the Similans. There are several dive sites around the island but the most famous is Koh Tachai Plateau which lies southeast of the island, about one kilometre offshore. The plateau is a submerged crowned reef of hard sheet corals, and scattered boulders. These boulders provide great swim-throughs and cut-through opportunities.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 35m

This dive site is one of the best places in Thailand to see manta rays, especially from April to May.
Koh Bon Island lies an hour or so north of the Similan Islands. It has a 33 metre wall on its south side, facing a small cove, with a stepped edge pointing west and down to over 40m.

Here divers will have the opportunity to see leopard sharks, white tip sharks; soft corals the colours of turquoise, yellow and green dominate. If you listen carefully you'll hear the warning clicks of hundreds of nervous damselfish, and the coral crunching of hungry titan triggerfish.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Novice Diver - 20 + Dives
• Max Depth: 40m

The North Point is situated off its north coast of the Similians and has large granite boulder pinnacles. These boulders are lying on 35 metres and rise to ten metres, forming swim-through and gullies between the rocks. In the shallows closer to Similan Island 9, between eight and fourteen metres, there are enormous flat plains of cauliflower leaf corals and stubbly finger corals, green turtles and black and white banded sea snakes.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Novice Diver - 20 + Dives
• Max Depth: 40m

The Donald Duck Bay is named after a rock on the north side of the bay that resembles the cartoon character not the most prominent large boulder that balances precariously at a seemingly impossible angle. This dive site on the North West corner is the most popular mooring spot for day trippers and Similan Islands liveaboards alike. Here divers will have the opportunity to see molluscs, gastropods, crustaceans, cephalopods, huge bull crabs, red octopus, cuttlefish, all hunting for scraps and morsels. The most interesting section of the dive site is the boulders running out of the bay on the northern edge. These form several swim-through, and house emporer shrimps, red round crabs, decorator crabs, triton shells and cone shells.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 20m

This dive site has impressive series of submerged boulders and swim through in typical Similan fashion. Surrounded by coral and marine life this is one of the better places to spot turtles. Here divers will have the opportunity to see big pelagics and eagle rays. To the northeast of the Turtle Rock there is an impressive 3 metre wide canyon to swim through.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

This is another deep dive following a ridge on the north side of the island that features finger table corals, feather stars and large knotted fans in its deeper sections.

Green turtles, white tip reef sharks and leopard sharks can be found on the sand. The marine life that divers will encounter here are tuna, rainbow runners, yellowtail barracuda, blue fin trevally and yellow spot and Java rabbit fish, with lots of blue-spotted sting rays.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Experienced Diver - 50 + Dives
• Max Depth: 50m

The Hideaway Bay is located off the southern point of island number 5, Hideaway is sometimes known as Barracuda Point.

Here divers will find some very Spartan, isolated sunken boulders on the sandy sea bed. Other marine life include a few dark green branching cup corals, clinging grimly to the boulder surfaces, and the occasional burst of action as a blue-spot stingray sparks into life or a black tip shark is disturbed and darts away. Most of the colour available here is provided by the solitary clown triggerfish, exploring the rocks.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Advanced Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 30m

The Boonsung Wreck is often described as ‘Fish Soup’. The density of marine life here is often better than most dive sites in the Similan Islands. An old tin mining vessel, surrounded by sand for miles in every direction, provides the perfect protection for thousands of juvenile fish. The schools of fish are huge and the variety of Macro life is one of the best in Thailand. This is a real divers dive site and part of a fascinating history of Tin mining in the Phuket and Khao Lak area.

The Boonsung Wreck is located about 5km West of Bangsak beach, to the North of Khao Lak. Visibility is typically not as good as the Similan islands. However, the huge variety of marine life makes it well worth seeing. It is a regular final stop on many Similan Liveaboards, although it is technically not part of the Similan islands. The Boonsung wreck also makes for an excellent and speedy day trip by longtail. The Boonsung Wreck is the best value dive around Khao Lak.

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 19m

This dive site on Island 9 consists of two sections and is ideal for any dive of the day. The fringing reef starts at 5m and slopes to 20m with a mixture of healthy hard corals. This is the home of many different types of marine life such as Moray, Octopus, Mantis shrimp and Lobster. This site is also a great feeding ground for Hawksbill Turtles.

If you choose to leave the reef and head to the outer boulders have a look on the sand for Khul’s stingrays and Jaw fish.

Leopard sharks can occasionally be spotted among the boulders starting at 22m. The deep boulders are covered in amazing fan corals and thousands of glass fish, it´s an amazing macro point with pygmy pipehorses around, and take look over the top of the deepest boulder where it drops off at 26m to about 35m - the occassional Guitar Shark has been seen here too!

• Dive Type: Boat Dive
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 35m

Honeymoon Bay leads off from Haad Lek (small beach) on Island Four. This reef is great for snorkelers and we often use it for the first swim of our 5 day cruise. Typically we’ll hitch a ride on our dedicated taxi (the dinghy) from Anita’s Reef and drop into the water just off the beach. As you swim south from the beach the sandy bottom develops into swathes of staghorn coral.

Pore corals fill-in the open patches along with larger rock formations. Visibility is usually very good here, so you have the opportunity of swimming as swallow or as deep as you like. The gentle sloping reef ensures everyone can stay within their comfort limits as they familiarize themselves with the water and their equipment.

A great place to find many of the smaller reef fish varieties, including everyone’s favourite ‘Nemo’ the Clownfish and his cousins. Moray, octopus, crocodile needle fish and the beautiful angelfish are all common here, and there is even a chance of a turtle every now and then. Honeymoon Bay leads off from Haad Lek (small beach) on Island Four. This reef is great for snorkelers and we often use it for the first swim of our 5 day cruise. Typically we’ll hitch a ride on our dedicated taxi (the dinghy) from Anita’s Reef and drop into the water just off the beach. As you swim south from the beach the sandy bottom develops into swathes of staghorn coral.

Pore corals fill-in the open patches along with larger rock formations. Visibility is usually very good here, so you have the opportunity of swimming as swallow or as deep as you like. The gentle sloping reef ensures everyone can stay within their comfort limits as they familiarize themselves with the water and their equipment.

A great place to find many of the smaller reef fish varieties, including everyone’s favourite ‘Nemo’ the Clownfish and his cousins. Moray, octopus, crocodile needle fish and the beautiful angelfish are all common here, and there is even a chance of a turtle every now and then.

• Dive Type:
• Diver Level: Open Water Diver
• Max Depth: 26m