| |
 Andaman
Sea Overview <Click
to see map> |
|
| Thailand's Andaman
Sea, a small part of the eastern Indian Ocean, stretches from the
western shore, of Malaysia, outward to the Andorran Islands. extending
all the way up into Myanmar (Burma). Over the years, due to its favorable
location and reliable infrastructure, Phuket has become the center
of diving activity for the region. |
To the northwest of the island of Phuket, we find the most popular
and best loved dive sites in the Andaman Sea. The Similan Islands,
a national park. consist of nine uninhabited islands of unique beauty
and brilliant marine life. They are famous for warm, clear water,
over sites, and mild,balmy sea condition, throughout most of the year.
North of the similans are Ko Bon (Ko translated to English means island).
Ko Tachai, Ko Surin National Park and Richelieu Rock. These islands
and pinnacles era celebrated for larger marine life such as the gentle
giant the whale shark and the ever graceful manta ray. Traveling east
from Phuket, we come upon the popular day-trip spots of Anemone Reef,
Ko Dols Man, and Shark Point, which feature magnificent collections
of soft corals. Farther to the east, the remarkable landscape and
casual shore-life of Ko Phi Phi attracts divers from all over the
globe. These areas are famous for frequent sightings of our friendly,
bottom-dwelling leopard shark, which grows to over two meters in length. |
|
Moving southeast to Krabi and Trang, we discover unpopulated jungle-covered
islands ringed with clear blue water. The offshore pinnacles of Hin
Daeng and Hin Muang are noted for vertical drop-offs of over 60 meters.
Whale sharks, dazzling schooling fish and healthy, spectacular coral
growth are just a sample of the diving possibilities may await you.
Northward lies the paradise islands of Ko Racha Noi, an easy day trip
from Phuket Exciting drift dives, great visibility and superb hard
coral growth typify these two islands. |
 |
Thailand also acts as a gateway to diving in other countries
sharing the Andaman Sea's rich waters. To the north of
the Surin Islands lies Myanmar (Burma) and the almost
completely unexplored Mergui Archipelago. These uninhabited
and untouched islands, some larger than Phuket-have been
off limits for almost 50 yours and are only just being
explored. The thrill of close encounters with silver tip
and grey reef sharks, manta rays, and large schools of
pelagic fish will make this group of islands immensely
popular in the coming years. |
Finally, seven hundred and fifty kilometers forth to the
northwest are the Andaman and Nicobai Islands, a part
of India In the vast assemblage of islands run almost
2,000 kilometers north to south diving possibilities are
endless and only just being investigated. |
 |
|
| For
the international dive traveler, there is something for everyone
In the Andaman Sea World-class diving, modern amenities international-standard
boats, and professional dive dine facilities make it one of
the most popular diving areas in Southeast Asia. For more information,
contact your favorite dive operator. A list is available form
your nearest Tourism Authority or Thailand office. Also, most
diving companies have sites on the World Wide Web, A simple
search will provide yon with a wealth of information. |
|
|
| The
Similan Islands <Click
to see map>
|
The Similan Islands,
located about one hundred Kilomaters northwest of Phuket, are composed of
nine granite islands washed by a clear blue tropical ocean end blessed with
same of the world's finest beaches Similan comes from Malay fishermen who
named it "The Nine Islands" (Sembilan is "nine" in Malay) We design note
the islands by name-in Thai and a number The islands have achieved national
park status and thus are fully protected under Thai law. The National Park
Authority maintains their residence on two of the islands, Ko Similan (Island
#8) the largest and No Mining (Island #4), which lies mid way through the
chain Recently. the islands have come to the special attention of the Thai
Royal Family, which further assures protection of this national treasure.
|
The Similan Islands host the most
beautiful group of dive sites in Thailand and are one of the better
areas for diving in the entire world. One of the most fantastic characteristic,
of the islands is that there are two entirely different types of environments
in one destination. |
|
The east coast, with its powdery
coral beaches, features hard coral gardens, which slope dramatically
from the surface down to approximately 30-40 meters. Here, the most
popular activity is drift diving along hard coral gardens while watching
the reef inhabitants go about their business At several sites, large
coral commies covered with sott corals and sea fans rise dramatically
from the bottom. Here, the diving is easy and navigation is simple,
allowing business each buddy pair to explore at their own pace. |
| |
The
west coast can offer faster paced, more
exhilarating diving as currents swirl around the huge granite boulders-some
larger than the grandest houses. These smooth, rounded boulders form dramatic
formations, holes, and overhangs (swim-throughs) The drama of lust looking
up through the clear water at these huge rocks is gratification enough for
some divers. There are few places like this on earth. However, growing on
these boulders are some of the most colorful soft corals imaginable, in
mom places so thick that the rock is no longer visible In the larger passages
or channels between the boulders. the often tightly bunched fans grow to
a size sometimes three meters across. |
If you enjoy
watching and photographing small fish, the Similans are unrivaled for the
sheer numbers and varieties of the tropical. You can see whale sharks while
large cow tail rays and leopard sharks are reasonably com man you will also
see white tip and black tip sharks, and over the years we have seen schools
of pseudo orcas or false killer whales. Don't expect big fish action every
dive, enjoy the Similans for what they are famous for Wild unspoiled beaches
magnificent coral growth, prolific marine life crystalline blue water and
sensational underwater rock formations. The only land accommodation available
is on island #4 (Ko Miang which A both tent camping and Thai style bungalows.
For divers, however, the best way to visit the Similans are, and will continue
to be, onboard a boat. Typically, the high season in the Similans is from
October until May but diving is possible all year-round. The water tends
to be clearest in the summer and in the fall, but then again, the visibility
is usually good in the Similar, averaging approximately 18-25 meters and
at times exceeding 40 meters. There are well over 20 charted dive sites
in the Similan chain. |
Beats in Thailand
vary in style and comfort. For those less worried about comfort, sleeping
in semi-private cabins will cost less At the other end of the scale, many
boats are available with large, private air conditioned cabins, professional
photography services and modern communicaitons. All boat furnish internationally
certified divermarsters or instructors. |
How
to get there : Boats can be chartered
or individually booked from several diva companies in Phuket or from Thep
Lamu and Khoo Lak lust north of Phuket in Phangnga province. |
| Ko
Bon, Ko Tachai, Ko Surin, Richelieu Rock |
\
North of the
Similan Islands lie Ko Bon. Ko Tachai, the Surin Islands, and Richelieu
Rock. All of these areas offer world-class diving that differ from the Similans
in many ways, and should be part of any serious divers' Itinerary. |
 |
Ko Bon is located about 20 kilometers north of Ko Similan and
features a 33 meter wall facing a small cove. and a step down ridge
that carries on to depths of over 50 meters Leopard. Sharks are common
on the flat areas of the ridge and on the sandy plane below the wall
Although the soft corals are not as lush as they are in the Similans,
the colors are radically different and include shades of turquoise,
yellow and blue, besides the more common pinks and purples Ko Bon
is one of the wetter places in the Andaman Sea to see manta rays |
Twenty-five kilometers north Ko Tachai
features an offshore underwater ridge and is considers to he one of
the finest dives in the region. It has become famous as a reef to
see larger animals such as rays, leopard sharks, nurse sharks, turtles,
and especially whale sharks Tachai also boasts of one of the finest
beaches in the Kingdom. |
The Surin
Islands, although visited by several dive operators from Phased,
are more appropriately famous for their beautiful coves. bays and
dense jungle than they are for their diving Although it can be a great
spot to see unusual marine life such as frog fish and ghost pipe fish,
most operators rarely diving here |
The reason for visiting this area so far north is a small
submerged rack about 18 kilometers east of Sun, Richelieu
Rock, although from the surface seemingly insignificant, rates
as one of the best places in the world for swimming with our gentle giant
the whales shark. Encounters with these fish-the largest of all fish-are
extremely rare almost any place. For some reason however. Richelieu attracts
them regularly and is one of the best places in the world to dive with
whale sharks in clear, water. Sincerely over the past 10 years it has
become common, Yes, common to swim with two or three animals far long
periods of time on a single dive. Besides the appearance of the whale
shark Richelieu Rock offers lush soft corals, large schools of pelagic
fish, as well as countless small organisms clinging to the rock. Octopus
and cuttlefish are abundant. Finally the ray shark and the bow mouth guitar
shark, two very weird-looking animals, are seen regularly. If you are
one of those divers who has seen it all, then you're going to love Richelieu.
For the diver looking at a world-class diving trip, the northwest triangle
of Thailand's Andaman Sea is a see must.
How
to get there : Boats can be chartered
or individually booked from several dive companies in Phuket or tram Thap
Lamu and Khoo Lak just north of Fri m Phangnga province.
|
| Krabi
and Ko Phi Phi <Click
to see map> |
The province of Krabi is located
just north and east of Phuket Island and can be reached by road or by boat
from Phuket or Surat Thani There are a number of established dive shops
in the area, many of them connected with resort hotels. Many dive centers
concentrate on beginning diver courses, and there are some excellent instructors
in the area One nice thing about Krabi is that the local dive at are relatively
close, allowing divers to engage in other activities in the afternoon. The
islands around the Ao Nang and Ao Pranang resort areas are bizarrely shaped
and have some of the most beautiful beaches you'll ever see: When someone
thought up the word paradise, they must have bean thinking of bran Underwater,
although visibility is often limited. the caves and limestone faces have
sea whips small sea fans, and some unusual types of corals that are not
seen elsewhere Though there is some nice diving around the Krabi area many
trips are run from the resorts to either Phi Ph, Island or to points further
south including Hin Daeng and Ko Ha. <Click for
more information !!> |
| Trang |
|
Located half way between Phuket and the Malaysian border. Trang is
the newest province to open to divers in the And aman Sea. Although
not as developed as some of the other sites around the country, which
makes it more difficult to get to. Some of Trang's diving spots are
decidedly world class. Certainly, when conditions are right, the pinnacles
of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang triumph over anything in the Similan Islands.
There are four principle places for diving in this area: Ko Ha Yai,
Ko Rok, Hin Daeng, and several inland islands just south and east
of Ko Lanta. |
Ko Ha is a small group of islands almost directly west of Ko Lanta.
These tiny islands, separated by channels over 50 meters deep, just
straight out of the Andaman Sea The highlight of diving here is a
series
of caverns,
which are safe to enter even without alight as the entrances are large
and there is only one way in end one way out. The best part of entering
these caves is that you can surface mail the Island to mew stalactites
hanging down from the tailing 30 meters above the surface.
|
Ko Rak, about
25 kilometers south of Ko Ha, are two sister-Islands separated by a narrow
channel about 15 meters deep. These islands Nok and Car (mean outside
and inside) have some of the prettiest beaches in Thailand and are part
of Thailand's National Park Authority. The drying bare is relatively shallow,
with the best corals and manna life living above 18 meters. The bottom
is composed of mostly hard corals with small areas of soft corals at deeper
depths. Approximately 25 kilometers southwest of Ko Rok ere Hin Daeng
(red rock) and Him Mal (purple rock) offering everything a diver could
went, from dramatic walls and big fish action to lush tropical underwater
gardens covered with anemones and soft corals.
Hin Daeng is easily
found since it protrudes about three meters above the surface. The southern
side descends straight down to over 60 meters forming the most radical
vertical drop in Thailand's seas. The wall Is dotted with a light growth
of soft corals and sea fans. On the eastern side where the slope is more
gentle, two long ridges descend into the blue. Here, the soft coral becomes
more lush and tall and huge schools of jacks sweep past the ridge, surrounding
the diver with a shimmering wall of silver.
Hin Muang (Purple
Rock) located just a few hundred meters from Hin Daeng, lies completely
submerged. The name derives itself front the thick purple growth of soft
corals that are everywhere. What's surprising is the incredible pull of
marine life that cling to the rock It is as if the rock were located in
another ocean and not just a short distance away from the relatively barren
Hin Daeng. The walls are decorated with large sea fans of red white and
orange. Crowds of glass fish school around the fans and rocky out-cropplngs
Carpets of anemones cover the shallower sections of the pinnacle. Whale
sharks are one animal that we see repeatedly around these pinnacles and
in some years, they are seen on 70% of the trips! For deep water diving,
vertical walls, and exquisite soft coral, the areas in the Province of
Trang are unforgettable.
How
to get there : Boats can be chartered or individually booked from
several dive companies in Phuket and Phi Phi pay trips are available from
Ko Lanta.
|
| GATEWAY:
The MerGui Archipelago and The Andaman Islands |
The Mergui Archipelago
is named from a small town in Myanmar (Burma), which was once part of Slam.
Thailand's name before World War 2 The area has a long history of trade
activity in the Andaman Sea In the 17th century, goods from Europe and India
were transported by ship to Mary, and then taken by elephant over the mountains
into the then capital of Siam, Ayutthaya. Since the beginning of WW2., this
group of islands has been cut off from the outside world ,and is virtually
unpopulated. Only in 1997 were boats allowed to visit the area and now several
operators from Phuket and Banana are taking divers and bird watchers on
expeditions and onboard diving trips. Many of the over 800 islands in the
archipelago are national parks, protected by the Myanmar Government. |
 |
The area has not obviously been explored thoroughly. and only over
the next few years will operators be able to document the area fully
and discover its secrets Reports at the time of this writing are
beautiful coral gardens, visibility exceeding 30 meters offshore
lots of sharks and rays do not have a lot of here in Thailand and
schools of pelagic fish. With the opening of this huge area, divers
will have many, many more dive sites available to them than they
had previously.
The other reason
to visit the area is the vast amount of wildlife to be found there,
including hornbills jungle cats, wild elephants. otters, and possibly
even rhinoceros You'll be hearing a lot more about Mergui in the
next few years.
A part of India
the Andaman Islands are one of the world's newest diving destinations
and have yet to be properly explored either. After a 60-year period
of virtual isolation from the outside world, the Indian government
has decided to allow limited, environmentally conscious tourism
development in the islands.
|
|
The Andaman'
s modern history began as a British penal colony for Indian radical
elements. During WW2, it was occupied by a small Japanese farce.
Once, India gained its independence from Britain. India initiated
a limited colonization program end at the same time, committed itself
to protecting the island's aboriginal population and its natural
environment. On the surrounding islands live some of the last stone-age
peoples on the earth. One tribs, the Sentinelese, are isolated on
their own tiny tropical island North Sentinel. and no visitors are
allowed, no camera crews, no journalists, no scientists. and no
researchers Contact has been attempted only a few times by the Indian
government and the locals have made it rather clear-by throwing
primitive spears and shooting arrows at the parties that they do
not want it to be disturbed.
The islands
have no modem fishing fleet and commercial fishing licenses are
granted to foreign operators only on a limited basis. Thus, the
waters surrounding the islands are simply full of fish that have
almost never been disturbed by modem man. And, since the islands
only opened recently, most of the off shun diving areas have been
dived by less than 100 people. Although in many of the near shore
areas the visibility is limited, the off-shore islands such as Passage
Island, Barren Island, and Narcondam are rich in ma fine life-huge
fish sharks manta rays, unbelievable coral growth-and are blessed
with crystal-clear water. The Andamans are certainly not for everyone.
It requires spending long periods of time on boats and traveling
almost every night in order to get to the best spots. However, for
those interested in the best of hooter diving via Thailand, this
is it.
Due to its
superior infrastructure diving expertise, and facilities, Thailand
is the logical gateway to begin exploring both the Mergui Archipelago
and the Andaman Islands.
How
to get there : Boats can be chartered or individually booked
from several dive companies In Probst both for the Mergui Archipelago
or to the Andaman Islands.
|
|
|
Racha Yai and Racha Noi |
|
Rai Yal's best
diving is off its east coast, which makes it especially attractive during
Phuket's off season in the summer Although visibility varies, it can be
as good as 25 meters or more. Atypical dive is a gentle drift along a
sloping rocky face that is sprinkled with hard coral forests. Especially
causalpus are stag horn corals of blue and tan. Many times, there are
large schools of false barracuda hovering over the reef, while on the
reef itself, you'll see octopus and cuttlefish in addition to the more
common tropical species. Divers of all levels of experience and snorkelers
can visit Ko Racha Yai, as the diving is easy and gentle Water depths
range from Time to 30 meters.
Ko Racha Noi is popular
for the more experienced divers, as depths are generally greater and the
currents frequently stronger than at its sister island to the north. The
northern tip features a large pinnacle near a small cove where larger
animals are often found. The southern point is a nice drift dive with
the added bonus of having a beautiful little white sandy beach to visit
during your surface interval The diving here is definitely more challenging
than Racha Yai, but the rewards can be much greater.
|
| The
Wreck |
The King Cruiser,
a converted car ferry built in Japan and then imported into Thailand about
ten years ago, sunk on May 4. 1997 after striking Anemone Reef, just east
of Phuket. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured during the accident,
and no noticeable damage occurred to the reef What did happen was that all
of a sudden, Phuket had Its first serious wreck dive. The catamaran-style
boat is over 85 meters long and came to rest at a perfect diving depth of
82 meters It is possible to swim between the two pontoons just below the
first deck. |
| The
car deck is at 25 meters as is the engine room The passenger area,
complete with a bar, restrooms, tables and chairs, and refrigerators,
is at 18 meters and moving up to 12 meters puts you into the wheel
house and the captains quarters. Finally at seven meters are the smokestacks,
a perfect place for the safety stop. |
|
Although
the wreck has only been underwater since May 1997, it already has
attracted lots of marine life, including eels, crabs and schools of
fish. Its proximity to Shark Point ensures that it will be populated
quickly. Since Its a steel vessel, it will be there for many years
to come, and hopefully, eventually it will be covered with soft and
hard corals. The depths of the King Cruiser make for perfect multilevel
air or Nitrox dives Safe penetrations of the wreck can be done by
qualified divers. Its position close to Shark Point make for easy
day dives from Phuket or from Phi Phi Island. |
How to get there : Day boats can be chartered
or individually booked from most diving companies in Phuket or Phi
Phi Island Round trip travel times are approximately three hours and
all day !rips originating frorn Phuket are a hill day.
|
|
