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.
 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.
 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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