Many non-divers will tell you not to bother visiting Phuket as SE Asia is full of beautiful beaches and there is much better. However, talk to a diver and they will tell you the Similans are THE must-dive spot in Thailand. And the easiest way to get there is via Phuket.

The uninhabited Similan Islands are approximately 70 kilometers from the mainland. Therefore, the best opportunities to dive there come in the form of a live aboard dive trip. There are one day dive trips available, but the amount of travel necessary for just two dives is a bit much.

We opted for a 2 day, 1 night trip. We made 6 dives plus 1 night dive, for a total of 7 dives.



The journey begins with a 1-1.5 hour speed boat ride to the Similan Islands. The boat we were on (similar to the boat pictured above) had three 200hp outboard motors. The ride was rather loud and bumpy but well worth it.


After 1.5 hours we arrived at the live aboard boat. The 2 year old boat was quite nice, better than any of the others we saw in the area.


With 30 +/- divers on board you'd think things would get somewhat crowded and congested... surprisingly it rarely felt that way, except for just a few times after a dive when people were trying to board the boat from the choppy water.