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North of the Similans lies Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, the Surin Islands, and
Richelieu Rock. All of these areas offer world-class diving that differs
from the Similans and should be part of your itinerary when you visit
the area.
Koh Bon: The Perforated Island
  Koh
Bon is located about 20 kilometres north of island #9 and features one
of the only vertical walls in Thailand. The dive site is on the southwestern
point and consists of a 33 metre wall facing the small cove, and a step-down
ridge that carries on to depths of over 45 metres. Leopard sharks are
common on the ridge and on the sandy flats below the wall. Although the
soft corals are not as high-profile as they are in the Similans, the colours
of the corals are radically different and include shades of turquoise,
yellow and blue, besides the more common pinks and purples. Koh Bon is
one of the better places to see manta rays, especially towards the end
of the season when there is more plankton in the water.
Koh Tachai
Twenty-five kilometres north of Koh Bon, Koh Tachai has an offshore underwater
ridge that runs perpendicular to the island. This is considered to be
one of the finest dives in the Kingdom and is famous as a place to see
not only the more common species of corals, fans and tropical fish, but
larger animals such as rays, leopard sharks, nurse sharks and hawks bill
turtles. Whale sharks make an appearance on a regular basis. Tachai also
boasts a breathtaking sandy beach on its northeastern shore; a great place
to hang out and feel like Robinson Crusoe.
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Surin: Richelieu Rock
 The
Surin Islands, although visited by several dive operators from Phuket,
are more appropriately famous for their beautiful coves, bays and dense
jungle than they are for their diving. Spending a few idyllic days on
a sail boat or other yacht here are the stuff dreams of paradise are made
of yet the serious diver will be bored easily after a few dives because
of the generally poor visibility and lack of fish.
Surin's ace card, however, is a small submerged rock about 18 kilometres
east of Surin. Richelieu Rock, just exposed at the lowest of tides --
thus a navigational hazard for those boats not equipped with a GPS navigation
system -- rates as one of the best places in the world for swimming with
our gentle giant, the whale shark. Encounters with these fish -- the largest
of all fish -- are rare almost any place in the world. But for some reason,
Richelieu attracts more than its fair share. Swimming with such a large
animal, known to grow to lengths of 20 metres or more, has to be a high
point for any diver. Sightings occur 50-70 percent of the time, depending
on the time of year. Generally, February, March and April are the best
times for a visit. The big difference between diving here and other areas
that are famous for whale sharks, such as Western Australia, is that we
don't need spotter planes as the sharks cruise around the rock, and the
visibility is normally excellent. Who knows why they are here, but the
sharks aren't around because of plankton blooms like in Australia. Thus,
clear water.
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At a Glance: Koh Bon, Koh Tachi,
Surin (Richelieu Rock)
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Reef type:
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Walls, ridges, pinnacles, boulders
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Access:
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Live-aboard boat only
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Visibility:
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Great, from 15-30 metres
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Current:
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Variable, often strong
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Coral:
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Excellent, especially soft corals
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Fish:
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Fantastic large and small
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Highlights:
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Whale sharks, guitar sharks, soft corals in a rainbow of colours,
schooling pelagic fish
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Source: ©Siam Dive n' Sail
121/9 Patak Road, Mu 4, Karon, 83100 Phuket, Thailand
Tel: 66-76/330-967 Fax: 66-76/330-990
E-mail: info@siamdivers.com
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