The Similan Islands

The word Similan comes from the old Malay for nine - sembilan - for there are 9 islands in the Similan Island chain. The eastern side of the islands, protected from the SW Monsoon that influences western Thailand during our summer, have bays of virgin white sand enclosed by headlands of tumbling boulders. The western and exposed sides of the islands offer few beaches, but instead are dominated by these huge granite formations. Beaches are almost non existent. Underwater the islands mirror what can be found above. On the eastern side of the islands can be found beautiful fringing reefs of hard corals, while on the western side the granite formations continue into the water to form wonderful seascapes covered with soft corals and seafans. There are few places in the world that offer such varied diving in such a small area.

• BREAKFAST BEND, KOH BANGU
  Diving is generally done from north to south through the Similans. One of the finest dive sites in all of Thailand is to be found on the south-eastern corner of Koh Bangu, Island 9. A sweeping reef called Breakfast Bend is usually done as an early morning dive (hence it's name) when the sun hits the wall of the reef square on. Tough as it is to get up so early, entering in the water just before sunrise allows you to be in position to see the reef come alive as the sun rises above the horizon. Rush hour suddenly springs into action - fish scurry to and from, so to work, some to avoid that work. The side of Breakfast Bend is covered in magnificent seafans that are used by schools of glassfish as shelter from currents and predators. To these seafans gravitate large numbers of lionfish who sit, motionless on coral outcrops, waiting for the unsuspecting glassfish to come to close. Suddenly - gulp! - and a glassfish or two are engulfed in the concertina like mouth of the lionfish. Bannerfish, Moorish Idols, 4-line snapper and head-band butterflyfish can all be seen schooling along the reef. Where the reef slope ends and the sandy bottom starts, at about 110 ft you can often see stingrays and eagle rays. The sandy floor is home to hundreds of garden eels. The top of the reef, that starts in about 20ft of water, is comprised of a large expanse of and interspersed with coral heads and staghorn fields. Leopard sharks have occasionally been seen relaxing in these shallows. This was always one of my favourite dives in the Similans due to the intense action on the reef first thing in the morning; the seafans and glassfish make for fabulous photo opportunities.
  
  
• SNAPPER ALLEY, KOH BANGU
  Continuing south west round the corner from Breakfast Bend large granite boulders are tumbled into the sea from the southeast corner of Koh Bangu. Here you can clearly see the change in topography that is to be had while diving the Similans. The hard coral formations of Breakfast Bend give way to black coral trees, whip corals, sea fans and sponges grow all over the rocks, and on close inspection can be found lobsters, octopuses, nudibranchs and flatworms. The large pile of boulders nearer the shore line are worth inspecting. Dive down under them and you come up inside a grotto that is open to the sky above.
  
  
• DONALD DUCK BAY, KOH SIMILAN
  Across the channel for Island 9, Koh Similan, the largest of the islands, is location of the most famous landmark in the Similans, Donald Duck Bay. If you are located in the right place a large boulder sitting atop a rock outcrop looks like Donald Duck' head. The hike to the top is hard work but offers rewarding views of the sea and islands and Donald Duck Bay itself. The bay is an excellent night anchorage, and as a consequence is a popular night dive. It has suffered some degradation over the years but notably it is an excellent place to find Spanish Dancers. I have seen quantities of these in my time. I was also lucky to find a sleeping Emperor Anglefish who seemed unperturbed by my flash.
  
  
• FANTASY REEF, KOH SIMILAN
  Located south of Donald Duck Bay and about 300 yards off shore, Fantasy Reef is one of the best dives in the Similans. A massive jumble of huge boulders forming the edge of a deep slope form a series of caves and swim throughs that require more than one dive to do them justice. The entire area is covered in soft corals, seafans and staghorn corals. Pairs of stunning blue ringed angelfish guard their territory well! Everywhere can be found a myriad of multicoloured coral trout, sweetlips, lionfish, snapper and butterflyfish. I recall on one dive many years ago managing to video Matt Hedrick, owner of Pelagian, attempting to entice a moray eel out of his hole, only to be bitten on the hand. I suspect he has not done that since! Between Fantasy Reef and the shore line is Fantasy Channel; a relatively
  flat area of granite and coral, the currents are strong though here and as a consequence the soft coral growth is exceedingly lush.
  
  
• BEACON REEF & BEACON POINT, KOH SIMILAN
  On the opposite side of Koh Similan is Beacon Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand. A classic tropical beach, shaded by lush trees and flanked on either side by the fabulous granite headlands that are so typical of these islands. Warm waters lap the golden beaches, and run out over the shallow reef flat to the edge of the slope before plunging down a magnificent wall of hard corals. The reef flats at the edge of the slope are at about 40ft in depth and dominated by a series of large coral heads or bommies. These are an excellent place to look for critters, as are the sandy
  areas between. I recall find a huge mantis shrimp hiding in his hole in the sand, using his huge claws as a sort of lid, like a dustbin. The walls of Beacon Reef are dominated by hard corals, but there are some soft corals and sea fans. Fish life is prolific along the wall, but out in the open water you can see eagle rays, leopard sharks and large schools of jacks and snapper. The wall levels out at about 00ft and disappears into the gloom. Here, sand eels can be seen sticking out of the sea floor. At the southern end of Beacon Reef the water gets deeper, and the coral gives way to the granite slopes that are an extension of Beacon Point. At their deepest point, about 140ft , the boulders are of enormous proportions, and growing on them are some of the largest seafans you are ever likely to see. As you move up the slope the boulders get smaller but they are covered with soft corals and yet more seafans. In the shallows lettuce corals are particularly prevalent.
  
  
• ELEPHANT HEAD ROCK
  I am sure that if you drank enough of Thailand's locally brewed Mekong whisky I am sure you could see the elephant head. Well, one of the rocks has a sort of groove in it that divides it into a body and a trunk. Maybe. Regardless of the vague pachyderm connection this is a spectacular boulder dive. The largest are over 100ft across, lying in a tumble mess against each other like a giant's toy building bricks. You can swim through numerous tunnels and arches, into caves and along sand-filled gullies, looking out for sweetlips, Moorish Idols, Titan triggerfish and fusiliers. The rocks are covered in a carpet of soft corals, sponges, cup corals and seafans. If the visibility is good, and it usually is as this dive site sits in open water between Koh Similan and Payu, this dive takes on cathedral like proportions.
  
  
• EAST OF EDEN, KOH PAYU
  On the east coast of Koh Payu, East of Eden - called Morning Bend by some - is one of the best dive sites in Thailand. A fringing reef similar to Breakfast Bend, the reef starts in about 20ft of water close to shore, and slopes away to a sandy bottom at between 80 -100ft. The reef consists mainly of plate and some staghorn corals, but sprouting out of the reef at various intervals are some spectacularly large seafans. The largest is perhaps 20ft around the rim, and always acts as home to a school of glassfish that shelter in its embracing fronds. This seafan offers outstanding photographic opportunities, particularly if the glassfish are sheltering on the same side as you are, but the sun is behind. The effects can be spectacular. But the piece de la resistance of East of Eden is one of the most beautiful bommies in the world. Starting at about 60ft and rising to about 20ft, this bommie reminds of the way ancient Chinese painters interpreted mountains and clouds - tall pinnacles shrouded in swirling clouds, pine trees taking precarious hold on the sheer mountainsides. This bommie is the same, except the clouds are clouds of glassfish and the trees are seafans and soft corals of breathtaking variety and form. The bommie is essentially a series of domed heads heaped on top of each other, each creating a little cave between. The bommie is hollow inside. The profusion of life on this bommie is some of the most concentrated I have seen anywhere in the world. Pantone would be envious of the variety of colours offered by the soft corals alone! If you can fight your way through the glassfish you will find coral trout, big fat juicy lionfish, humbugs, fairy basslets, hawkfish, gobies, juvenile triggerfish and rabbitfish, pufferfish, boxfish and cowfishes. Close inspection of the reef itself will unearth frogfish, nudibranchs & flatworms of infinite form & variety; I have seen upward of 25 species of nudibranch on one dive on this bommie. There are large silky anemones with a number of clownfish species in them, plus a host of harlequin shrimps and anemone crabs. Pocking out of many holes can be seen moray eels, many being tended to by cleaner shrimp or wrasse. Some of the holes are home to little blennies, poking their cute little heads out, to dart back in when you approach too close. This bommie is what can be described as a "nursery"; where adult fish come to lay eggs and protect their young; it is a safe and secure place for small fish to live their first few days and weeks before adventuring into the big wide world. What a cracking dive!
  
  
• SHARK FIN REEF
  This dive shows of the wonderful granite construction of the Similan Islands better than any. Located southeast of Koh Payan,Island #3, and exposed at low tide, Shark Fin Reef is a great whale back of rock about 500 yards long and 80-100 yards wide. It has a stepped structure and in places looks almost man-made; you can imagine walls and roads – or was that narcosis?!! At the southern end there is a large swim through which provides access from one side of the reef to the other – saves you having to swim over the top! Coral life is not particularly prolific here – some staghorn and plate corals, plus soft corals and some seafans. The fish life makes up for that, with leopard & whitetips sharks being regular visitors, schools of batfish and unicorn surgeonfish, bannerfish and snapper. On the sandy bottom at about 130ft you can often see stingrays. You may very occasionally see whale sharks or mantas, but don’t count on it. If the visibility is good – and I have seen 150ft here no problem, then the magnificent vista of the granite formations makes this one of the great dive sites of the Similans.
  
  
• HOBBITLAND, KOH HUYONG
  Hobbitland, or Coral Gardens, is a wonderful shallow fringing reef on the east coast of Islands #1, Koh Huyong. From the shallows of the beach down to only about 40ft this site is a wonderful display of staghorn, fire & plate corals, with anemones, soft corals and seafans thrown in for good measure. There is also the remains of a wooden fishing boat that is slowly being encrusted with corals. Beyond that depth the reef slopes down to about 70ft and is dominated by large porites corals; the topography then levels off to sand, but you can see stingrays and shovel-nosed rays here. These are often hollow underneath, and I have seen sleeping nurse sharks in some of the holes. Hobbitland is also a great location to see large lionfish – they are very approachable. I have also seen sea snakes here. This is a great end of the day dive – a "pootle" through this delicate coral fairyland as the day light fish are tucking up for bed and the night hunters are coming out to feed, makes a great finale to the day’s activities!
  
  
• CHOCOLATE CHARLIE’S ROCKS
  I had to put Chocolate Charlie’s Rocks in because I named them! While aboard Sai Mai many years ago there was a German (or maybe Austrian, I can’t remember!) couple aboard – he (Charlie) was rich and very large, she was small and petit! One night he regaled us stories of how he liked pouring molten chocolate over his wife and licking it off – hence the name I can up with of Chocolate Charlie. We had heard rumours of a large rock pinnacle off to the south of the Similans, that fishermen often snagged their nets on. In fact we had heard one story that a fishing boat had been trawling so fast that it was pulled under as it snagged these rocks. If there was a rock pinnacle out in open water then it would be a magnet for fish life. We had to investigate! After talking to some local fishermen we ascertained that the pinnacle would b about a mile or so south of Koh Huyong. With the echo sounder we scanned the bottom for an hour or so. Suddenly the sea floor rose vertically on the scan, from about 300ft to about 50ft. Perhaps this was the famous pinnacle. Donning dive gear we leapt in to be confronted by a towering column of rock perhaps 100ft across that dropped away into the deep. The visibility was awesome – there was nothing around to make it murky, so we could see almost 200ft clear through the water. The column was a series of giant steps, with ledges as about 80ft, 120ft and 170ft. I stopped at 170ft, but the column just carried on going down. The whole, edifice was covered in old net, now encrusted with algae and coral. I saw no sign of the fishing boat, but then maybe it was deeper or maybe it had never sunk at all! The column was shrouded in a vast array of fish – swirling schools of surgeonfish, banner fish, snapper, sweetlips, fusiliers and bass. Smaller schools of barracuda and jacks also hung in the open water. I saw no sharks, but a few turtles. I remember looking up from well over 100ft and seeing divers clearly suspended in open water, the hull of Sai Mai unmistakable on the surface. We only ever did one dive, and to my knowledge no one has dived it since, but in honour of Charlie and his fondness for a nice cup of cocoa in the evening, I named them Chocolate Charlie’s Rocks! I look forward to returning one day to see how they are, and I hope Charlie still enjoys chocolate!