What to expect on a Similan Islands Liveaboard

Similan Liveaboard Boats

In planning your next SCUBA diving holiday to Thailand and you’re not sure where to go or what to do, then consider going on a Similan Liveaboard diving trip. What is a Liveaboard diving trip? Well, it doesn’t matter if you have 10 or 500 dives under your weight belt; anyone that loves to dive and relax will absolutely love to relax on board of a Dive vessel.
Liveaboard diving trips are quickly becoming the most popular ways of comfortably experiencing diving in locations around the Similan Islands. Liveaboard vessels are exactly that, live on board and you’re eating and breathing diving. Everything is focused on diving, snorkeling or relaxing. You eat, sleep, dive three to four times a day, and you’ll travel from dive site to dive site, seeing the most beautiful places in the region. Similan Islands Liveaboards can offer dive sites usually hard to reach by daily diving boats, making it interesting to visit remote islands or reefs. Liveaboards dive vessels give you a wider range of destinations than day trips and more dives per day. Similan Liveaboard vessels typically range from 18m/60ft to 40m/120 ft in length or larger and offer the ability to cover a wide and extended diving range as opposed to a day charter, which returns to dock each night. If you’re into large crowds or you like solitude and tranquility, you don’t have to worry. There is a vessel for everyone’s needs.
Trip lengths of Similan liveaboard vacation typically range from three to 6 or more days. Most vessels depart the dock in the afternoon or evening, as the distances involved usually require overnight travel. When you awake in the morning, you’re on that breathtaking location and diving commences. While there are 50+ named divvy sites in the Similan Islands – a trip of 3-5 days will usually visit the main sites.
Most liveaboard boats are designed to serve all of your diving needs, as well to provide you a high level of comfort while on board. Similan Diving Liveaboard vacations cater to their customers by providing excellent meals and snacks (who doesn’t love Thai food!); clean and comfortable sleeping quarters; plenty of hot water showers; many boats have photo/video stations for equipment and editing; tanks with air or Nitrox and weights for every dive; and plenty of professional crew members to guarantee your comfort. Live aboard diving trips are about diving and there is no shortage of that. Typically, depending on where you’re diving, you can get up to 5 dives a day if you’re up to it. The average is 3-4 dives per day. For safety reasons, it’s best to make 4 your maximum number of dives.

Liveaboard dive trips are about relaxing as well. Many vessels have lounging decks to work on your suntan, read, or simply catch up on your sleep if you are escaping a stressful job. Whether you want to make only two dives per day, eat heartily, and relax, or make six or more dives a day and pass out in your cabin from exhaustion and get up the next day and do it again, Liveaboard trips can accommodate. A few boats make an effort to visit the beaches and visit the local fauna.

Similan Liveaboard captains and crew are intimately knowledgeable, professional and educated in safety, diving and the area, so each diving opportunity is guaranteed to be spectacular and most of the time just about you and your fellow passengers. You don’t spend time sharing, searching and hunting for a dive spot or waste time trying to find out where you need to go for a good dive. The only thing you need to worry about is getting there as quick as you can, suiting up for the next dive and making sure your camera is ready to go.
No, Liveaboard vacations are nothing like cruise vessels, going into a different port every day or night for sightseeing. They are not meant for a casual visit. If you want to see the Similan (and Surin) Islands – then these trips are for you! As mentioned, Similan Liveaboards are about diving and relaxing on the vessel. Every person on that vessel has the same interest as you! DIVING!. If you’re interested in visiting the islands or area where your Liveaboard is taking place, schedule time either before or after to take in the sights and enjoy the local culture. Best is after so you have enough time between your dives and your flight.
If you think Similan Liveaboards are only for the rich and luxurious – you can wrong! Some boats cater to a wealthy clientele and their prices reflect that. But the Similan Islands are home to many boats ranging form Luxury to simple boats catering to backpackers. Great deals can be had, but always check on basic safety features – like liferafts, satellite phones, radar. If they don’t have these…the boats are a little too budget!!!

Similan Diving

Why join a Similan Liveaboard?

If you never thought that staying on a boat with 12 strangers for a whole week, far away from civilization and nothing else to do except diving, exploring uninhabited islands, eating and sleeping would be a great and exciting experience…then read on!

Your very first day on the Similan Liveaboard will immediately change your perspective about living aboard – meeting the crew and staff, the slow cruise across the Andaman Sea and the incredible ocean along the way!

Plenty Of Diving! Plenty of time to explore the islands!

With time underwater throughout the day – as well as the opportunity to snorkel, visit the beaches and relax under the skies of the Andaman sea…this is why you would want to be here? You will certainly enjoy every minute, every second in and on the ocean. You will even enjoy the time in bed too!

Everything and everyone is relaxed

Imagine waking-up with the sunrise, listening to the sound of the waves and knowing that Manta Rays could just be right under you – isn’t that a great nature wake-up call? Walk out of your cabin to see the sun rising over the mountains of Thailand, look to your left and see uninhabited islands and long winding reefs and look to the west and knwo the next piece of land is India! Even if you are not the typical morning person – this is a great way wake up!

And during the day you don’t have to care about anything except remembering all the incredible creatures you have seen under water to fill up your logbook or look for the names in one of the encyclopedias on board. The staff takes care of the rest.

The good thing about Great Similan Liveaboards – time to relax and enjoy. 3 different Sundecks, cabin space and the galley to snack in. Lots of room to ponder life and think about fish

People – just like you!

It is a real pleasure to find new friends while on a an expedition! People who are interested in enjoying life, experiencing Thailand and the Islands like no one else and of course – love diving!

Watching the sun set over the Indian ocean while the waves gently lap at the side of the boat. 12 other people relaxing with you…chatting about the incredible marine life and beaches you all saw that day.

Yes…Life can be good…

Similan Diving

Diving the Similan Islands – Insight

Thailand – The Similan Islands.

The Similans are commonly rated as one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world. Comprising of nine granite uninhabited islands covered in a tropical jungle, washed by a clear blue Indian ocean the Similan Islands (also referred to simply as the Similans) provide some of the most beautiful and diverse dive destinations in Thailand. The Similans lie in a 25 km long north-south chain of islands, 50 km offshore from Khao Lak in the Phang Nga Province on the Andaman Sea,

The eastern fringes of the Similans feature pretty hard coral gardens in the shallows and sloping reef banks down to thirty meters or more. At some dive sites such as East of Eden, large bommies (coral heads) rise from the sea bed and are blanketed with soft corals, fan corals, and swarms of smaller tropical fish. East coast Similan Islands diving is relatively easy-going, allowing you plenty of time to explore the sites at your own leisurely pace.

The western side of the Similan Islands along with the north and south points, offers divers a more exciting experience as currents swirl around huge sunken granite boulders, which form a series of arches, tunnels and swim-throughs at sites such as Christmas Point and Elephant Head Rock. Growing on, and between, these enormous rocks you find a tapestry of colourful soft corals. In the channels between the boulders, sea fans can grow to some three metres across, and in such numbers that you cannot possibly swim through. The contrast between the east and west coasts and the variety of underwater topography is one of the reasons the Similan Islands are so popular – every dive offers you something different.

For underwater photographers and lovers of marine life, then diving in the Similan Islands is difficult to surpass for variety and abundance of tropical fish. Leopard sharks make appearances on a regular basis and you’ll also see white-tip reef sharks. It’s not a ‘big fish’ paradise, but it’s consistently great for sheer diversity of marine life. You may find anything from tiny ghost pipefish to turtles and giant bumphead parrotfish.

Although the tsunami of 2004 did affect a few of the reefs here, most are in excellent condition and many divers in the last seasons have commented to us that they could not see any reef damage.

Liveaboards leaving from Khao Lak are typically 4 day tours, and visit both the Similans and Surin Islands including Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock but are usually too fast, and can feel stressed. 5 Day Similan Liveaboards offer the best chance to experience the entire region and take a slower, more natural pace. Some shorter tours (2 or 3 day) visit the Similan Islands only. Day trips for diving and snorkeling are now becoming more common from Khao Lak.

-Khao Lak Diving

Snorkeling in Thailand – Video with Turtle

Just one of the many exciting things we encounter while snorkeling in the Similan ISlands

Video – Diving the Similan Islands

Nudibranchs are just one of the very cool things that we encounter while diving on the Similan Islands

Special New Year’s Trip – Similan Islands Diving Liveaboard

Celebrate New Year’s Eve floating in the bay of tropical island on the Andaman sea. Watch the sun go down after a late afternoon dive and indulge in a delicious New Year’s eve dinner. Stay up late and get up to the sundeck just before midnight to count down the seconds together with the others onboard and with a glass of champagne in your hand. Look up and you will see a galaxy of stars above you as bright as you have ever seen to start the new year with (we don’t use fireworks on New Year’s eve – we haven’t found biodegradable firework yet). Sounds good? Then join us for our New Year’s Special Liveaboard trip with Wicked Diving. We offer you 4 days of great fun, special surprises and amazing diving all around the Similan Islands. Why not jump to the trip details and booking section?

We carry only 14 guests on our trips, so the groups are small with a relaxed pace and uncrowded dive sites. Each cabin is air-conditioned with sea views and fresh air. There are 3 toilet / hot shower units on the boat and there is a large gear up area and dive deck. A total of 5 boat crew will be waiting on your needs and we also provide at least one dive guide per 4 guests. You will be treated to the best in Thai hospitality!

When you dive with us you make a difference. Our boat and trucks use only locally produced Biodiesel so your money makes a difference in our community. Wicked uses only fair-trade, phosphate-free soaps and detergents on our boats and in our shops so that we don’t affect our environment around us. Your sheets and towels will be 100% fair-trade organic cotton. Also, 10% of all our profits go to local NGO’s as we continually strive to make the world around us better.

Our staff are among the most experienced and highly trained in all of Thailand. Our continual training programs assures you that all staff are current EFR (1st aid) and DAN Oxygen certified. Wicked Diving has not one but two Instructor Trainers and an experienced Dive Medic on staff. We are the evacuation and emergency center for the entire region. In addition we conduct our dives and courses in English, Swedish, German, Thai, Indonesian, Dutch, Belgian and French (and even American).

Elephant Head Rock – Thailand Dive Sites

Thailand is home to some great diving. The Similan Islands are frequently listed among the top 10 dive sites on earth.

It is no wonder that the best dive sites on the Similan Islands are good – damn good! Among the most famous and frequently cited as “incredible” is Elephant Head Rock. Located right int he Center of the islands – just off  Koh Similan.

Elephant Head Rock is home to some huge pelagic visitors as well as some incredible macro as well. If you imagine a  massive pile of boulders the size of houses that just keep going deeper and deeper into the depths – then you can imagine what this site is like.

Due to Dive profiles and the great features of this site – it’s best to visit in the morning. This usually means joining a Similan Liveaboard as the daytrips usually arrive a bit late.

with Depths to 30 meters and far beyond – Nitrox is also a good idea.

For more on Similan island Dive Sites

Christmas Liveaboard – Similan Islands Special

Merry Christmas!

What? Seems too early? Well our holiday trips fill up very quickly, so it’s best to register now!

23rd – 26th of December 2009 – 4 days

We carry only 12 guests on our trips, so the groups are small with a relaxed pace and uncrowded dive sites. Each cabin is air-conditioned with sea views and fresh air. There are 3 toilet / hot shower units on the boat and there is a large gear up area and dive deck. A total of 5 boat crew will be waiting on your needs and we also provide at least one dive guide per 4 guests. You will be treated to the best in Thai hospitality and European standards!

When you dive with us you make a difference. Our boat and trucks use only locally produced Biofuel so your money makes a difference in our community. Wicked uses only fair-trade, phosphate-free soaps and detergents on our boats and in our shops so that we don’t affect our environment around us. Your sheets and towels will be 100% fair-trade organic cotton. Also, 10% of all our profits go to local NGO’s as we continually strive to make the world around us better.

Join our staff for our great Christmas Special Liveaboard trip. Our staff are famous for turning these trips into something really special, with gifts, games and funny dress ups. The boat will be decorated in Christmas style and you can expect Santa to visit us again this year and he might even join us for a dive or two!  Let’s hope he leaves his reindeer at home this time. We always have good food on the trips but in addition our staff will prepare a special delicious Christmas dinner and a Christmas breakfast. And if you behave well on the trip, you might get a nice surprise gift from Wicked Diving. Why not jump to the trip details and booking section?

East Of Eden – Thailand’s Dive Sites

As part of our site development and growth – we have moved these dive site descriptions over to the main site…

Similan Island Dive sites – Elephant Head Rock AKA Hin PusarIf you have any questions or concerns – please fell free to contact us

Elephant Head Rock is part of the itinerary for our Similan Islands Liveaboard North Tours

Between islands seven and eight lies Elephant Head Rock – or ‘Hin Pusa’.

A beautiful collection of submerged boulders, ranging from large slabs of rock to smaller stones. The relative isolation of the site between Islands 7 & 8 leaves it open to strong cross currents.

Conditions permitting drop down on the south side between the two large rocks which the break the surface. Stay close to the rocks until the strength and direction of the current has been gauged, and if necessary use the boulders as shelter. The south side of the dive site drops along a series of rock plateaus to a graduating sandy bottom which starts at about 30 meters and goes deeper – more than 50 Meters.
Keep the boulders on your left and work eastwards. Look beneath rocks for lobsters and large rays. A large channel can provide a good introduction to the dive, which sits at around 18 meters. Follow the opening through and then turn left into a smaller series of swim-throughs which bring you towards the north of the dive site.

If you skip the swim-throughs and head outside the site (rather than through) you will find some big fish hunting. Also spend some time looking for Frogfish, Flabellinas and other little stuff. You will be surprised by all that you find.
Conditions permitting continue swimming out towards the Northern-outer edge of the dive site over a sandy plateau where large White tips, Grey and Black tip reef sharks can sometimes be seen.

Turn back towards the rocks shallowing up to around 12 meters, where some inviting swim through bring you towards the center of the dive site characterised by smaller rocks and many small fish. Oriental and Harlequin sweetlips can often be found in the swim through as can larger groupers.

Also keep an eye open for some weird and wonderful nudibranches and in particular for flabbelina’s. Octopus, sea snakes and cuttlefish can also be found amongst the dead coral. Head south and you should come to an opening which begins at 12 meters and extends south to around 6 meters, where the current usually gains force. Beneath the large rock to your left is a long crack. Use a torch to look for baby white tip reef sharks. This can be a good place to end the dive, swimming back out to the north-east during the safety stop for one final look for Sharks, Rays, Giant Trevally and Great Barracuda.

Similan Diving

Similan Islands

Surin Islands

Scuba Diving the Similan Islands

Thailand has one of the world’s most diverse marine habitats, with more than 300 major reef groups covering an area of over 4,500 square miles. From pinnacles and submerged rocks, through to stunning coral gardens and sheer walls, the scuba diving in Thailand has something to offer scuba divers of all levels of experience. It is this diversity in marine habitats and diving environments which attracts so many divers to the waters around Thailand every year, and today the region is one of the world’s most popular scuba diving destinations.

There are a number of major diving destinations in Thailand, all offering a wide selection of diverse dive sites. Throughout all of these major destinations is a network of well equipped, knowledgeable and experienced dive centers, offering a range of diving from leisure dives through to a selection of scuba diving courses.

It would be impossible to discuss Thailand, without looking at the scuba diving in Khao Lak and the nearby Khao Lak with the surrounding areas. Without doubt, the diving from Khao Lak is of the highest standard, and the surrounding dive sites host a plethora of great diving. Similan Islands Scuba Diving is frequently listed as one of the ten best diving opportunities on earth. The are also underwater treasures that lie slightly further afield. Dive sites such as the Burma Banks, The Surin Islands and the Mergui Archipelago are often found high on the wish list of many discerning scuba diver and offer some of South East Asia’s finest dive sites.

The scuba diving on the Western Gulf of Thailand sees a different emphasis, and the small islands found here have become one of the world’s most popular areas to learn to scuba dive. In fact, the island of Koh Tao has developed a complete tourist industry from introducing people to scuba diving, and today large numbers of would be scuba divers travel to o Koh Tao every day to begin their diving education. Other islands within the Western Gulf of Thailand are also home to developed scuba diving industries, and destinations such as Koh Samui and Ko Pha-Ngan are both home to a large number of dive centers and divers. However the dive sites are very overwhelmed and the diving here is often referred to as “champagne diving” – all bubbles.

Throughout Thailand there are a number of exceptional dive sites, and sites such as the Richelieu Rock and Shark fin Reef are widely acknowledged as being world class dive sites. However it is the sheer volume of excellent dive sites that makes Thailand such a popular destination. Destinations such as Koh Lipe Krabi, Phi Phi and the Surin Islands are all home to a number of exceptional dive sites and dive centers. For a good reference try the Best Dive Sites in Thailand.

Today, Thailand is one of the world’s most popular scuba diving destinations, and large numbers of scuba divers travel long distances to dive in the waters surrounding this stunning country. The sheer diversity of the diving on offer here ensures that there is something to cater for all tastes and levels of experience. From vertical wrecks, through to submerged pinnacles, from the largest sharks, through to the smallest nudibranches, the diving in Thailand has something for everyone.