Welcome back to a new Similan and Surin Island dive season aboard the Manta Queen Liveaboard Fleet.
The Similan and Surin Marine National Park has been closed, same as every year, during the South West Monsoon period that lasts from 15. of May until 10. of October.
The new Liveaboard diving season is open ;-)
All aboard for an amazing 4 day 4 night diving safari in the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai Islands and of course the world famous Richelieu Rock.
Manta Queen 1 left the Khao Lak port of Tablamu with an international mix of divers ranging from the UK, Germany, Russia, China and South Africa.
Day one begins in the Similan Islands on Island 7 and 8 where we dived Deep Six, Elephant Head Rock, Turtle Rock followed by a beach visit on Similan Island no. 8 then a night dive in Donald Duck Bay.
Great visibility and plenty of fish life from big tuna, trevallies and rainbow runners to the smaller stuff like nudies and shrimps.
Staying in the Similan Islands overnight we wake early to be ready to dive at 07:00 hrs on the north coast of Similan Island 9 at Three Trees, a bright colourful dive with a ridge line of granite boulders from 22 down to 30 meters covered in beautiful soft corals, sea fans and myriads of glass fish.....watch out for the trigger fish though.
Moving further north we stop at Koh Bon Island on the famouse West Ridge for some Manta Ray spotting. Koh Bon Island is Thailand´s hot spot for Manta Ray sightings.
The vis here was incredible 25 metre+ so really not ideal for Manta Rays but still a great dive for blue fin trevallies and jacks hunting in packs for the glass fish that covered everything.
Further north still we stop at the Tachai Island Pinnacle or the "Dome of Doom" for our 3rd dive of the day after which we moved to Koh Surin for our sunset/night dive then slept there for night near to Richelieu Rock in the morning.
Day 3 saw us do 3 dives on Richelieu Rock seeing the frog fish and sea horse.
We finish the diving back on the Dome for our sunset dive after which we head back to Koh Bon Island for the night.
Our last day we had Hin Luang or "Koh Bon Pinnacle" then north ridge to west ridge with leopard shark and napoleon wrasse for dive 2 before setting of back towards Khao Lak stopping at the Boonsung wreck "fish soup" on the way for our last dive.
A great start into the 2015/2016 Similan Island Liveaboard dive season!!!
The Team of Khao Lak Scuba Adventures
