As the Similan liveaboard season comes ever closer we can have a look back at some of the great moments from the Similans last year. The Similan national park is open each year from 15th of October until the 15th May and provides thousands of divers each year with some of the best diving there is on our beautiful ocean world.

The Similan islands lie to the north west of Phuket Thailand and run in a north south direction. In total there are nine islands in the chain with island one in the south and island nine in the north. Then to the north of this is the lone island of Koh Bon then north again the stunning islands of Koh Tachai.

These make up the Similan island national park. The diving here is known as some of the best in the world as the conditions here is second to none. Its like diving in mineral water. Even down at 30 or 40 meters you can still see off into the distance. The dive sites are easy diving as even if there is current you will just drift along and surface at the other end of the bay. There is Turtle sanctuary here so many islands have Hawksbill Turtles in abundance. The reef itself is very colorful with a huge variety of fish and other creatures. As well as the turtles there are Black and White tip reef sharks, Ribbon Eels, Napoleon Wrasse, Clown Trigger Fish, Sea Moths, Sea horses, ornate ghost pipe fish and large amounts of Nudi branches. The list is endless.

As you can guess going on a Similan liveaboard is a trip that will be the bench mark for all others as these are with out a doubt the best islands in Thailand and as far as scuba diving and snorkeling goes. This also puts them in the top ten locations in the world.

Just to the north lies the great Manta Ray hot spot island of Koh Bon. This island can be reached as a day trip. It is however quite a long day for two dives but it can be two excellent dives as long as the Manta's are in a playful mood.

Just North again lies Koh Tachai, what many instructors and dive guides think is one of the best dive sites on the planet. This offers two great dive sites. Tachai pinnacle and Tachai reef. The pinnacle site has 2 pinnacles, north and south. The north pinnacle rises to around 18 meters and the southern to around 12 meters in depth. This is Phuket diving at its best.

There is a 50 meter swim between them. The site itself is stunning as it has so much color. There are large "gardens" of coral laid out between huge slab like walls one after the other. The only thing to be aware of is the current which is normally quite strong. This is where the experience of the guide will show to dive the site by staying low and in the gardens rather than over the top. here we can see the Manta Rays circling the Pinnacles along with great schools of Barracuda and for the last two years the Whale shark has moved in. This is why the Similan live aboards are so special.

Moving on north we arrive at the Surin islands which are stunning in themselves but this also gives us a chance to spend a day diving Richelieu Rock. This is listed as one on the top 10 sites of the world. (Even thought many instructors and dive masters rate Tachai over Richelieu rock). One story as to how the site got names was when Jacques Cousteau first went there he said it reminded him of cardinal Richelieu's cape as there is so much purple soft coral.

Here again Manta Rays, Whale sharks, white tips, sea horses and just about very thing else you can want on a tropical dive. You can easily do 4 or 5 dives here and not get bored. This is Thailand diving at its best. There are really several pinnacles here so close they touch and are arranged in a horse shoe shape. The tops vary in depth down to 12 meters with a couple of rocks at both ends of the horseshoe at a depth of 26 meters. The site is so vast it can not be done in one dive and two or three is best to cover the inside and outside of the horseshoe.

To cover the whole area of the Similans and Surin island national parks you really need a four or five day trip. This will mean you leave the boat at the same place as you arrived. Thailand Divers has a selection of trips departing just about everyday of the season. These range from an overnight trip to a massive eights days that also take you north the the Burma Banks and back. Some trips depart in the late afternoon so you can collect you direct from the airport and take you to the boat. This way you can settle in to your cabin, set up your equipment the evening before. Then relax with a nice sunset cruise out to the Similan islands while you are having dinner on board. This way you arrive at the first dive site the evening before so you can be well fed, well rested and ready for that first dive in the morning while the other boats are still on their way out. But more importantly when the Manta's and Whale sharks are having their early morning feed. This is Similan diving at its ultimate. Manta Ray feeding at sunrise.

There are also trips that depart early each morning by speed boat. These take you to the liveabaords which stay in the Similans for the entire season and bring people out everyday and take people back everyday. Tis way you can have a one day, two day or as many days as you like departing on the day you like and returning on thed ay you like. You dont need to plan your holiday to fit the live aboard you plan the live aboard to fit your holiday. You can stay for one night or 6 weeks its totally up to you. If you book one night and want to stay another day fine Just pay the tour leader for another night as long as the cabin is free. There are also several fixed date cruises on luxury boats which will be a new offer for the coming season.

If the next year is anything this year and last year we are in for a great 2016-17 season. Just hope the pod of Orcas which made a guest appearance very early this year will return again. Along with the several other types of whale spotted this year. The Similan islands open up again on the 15th October so if you dont want to miss out get in quick as the first few trips are normally awesome as there has been no one there for six months. These trips can be booked through a good dive shop phuket like Thailand Divers.