Liveaboard Phuket, Liveaboard Thailand and Similan diving by Westcoastdivers

Similan, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, 4 Days / 4 Nights

Liveaboard diving, the ultimate way to explore one of the worlds top ten dive spots. If you are looking for the ideal way to enjoy a truly spectacular holiday that combines breathtaking topside scenery with fabulous underwater topography and marine life, then this is the one for you.

For those not familiar with the term Liveaboard, it’s very simple - you eat on the boat, you sleep on the boat, and best of all you dive straight off the boat onto the top dive sites. What could be better for a dive fanatic? If that’s what you’re here for, it’s a divers paradise. But you don’t need to be a dive fanatic to also enjoy this kind of dive trip. You may prefer to mix your diving with a few trips to the beach, climb to the top of a huge pile of granite boulders for which the Similans are famous, or you may not even be a certified diver yet. This could be a chance to learn diving at one of the world’s top dive spots. The choice is yours, West Coast Divers can provide you with the diving holiday of your dreams.

About 90 kilometers Northwest of Phuket lie a group of islands known as the Similans, from the Malay word simbilan, meaning nine. They are in fact nine dramatic islands made up of granite with huge mounds of boulders both above and below the water. Topside some appear precariously balanced, ready to tumble down with the next strong gust of wind. Underwater they often form a network of dramatic "swim throughs" and attract superb coral growth and an amazing variety of tropical fish. The water in the Similans is usually crystal clear, and is also well known for attracting manta rays and even whale sharks. Here in the Andaman Sea, you will not only find giant rock formations but also hard coral reefs and brilliant white sand. All in all, the Similans combine to offer a memorable diving holiday.

Transfer to Dive Boat M/V West Coast Explorer approx. 19:00, then set out for the Similan Islands enjoying the late afternoon sun and hopefully a spectacular tropical sunset. Arrival in the Similan Islands is due at midnight, so after a good night's sleep in a comfortable cabin, you can expect to wake up to some truly spectacular scenery and the smell of a hearty breakfast cooking. During your Similan Adventure, the staff will take great pleasure in giving you our famous Thai hospitality, we know you want this to be the holiday of a lifetime, and that’s what we intend to make it. From start to finish, your comfort and safety are our top priorities.

Your first dive is traditionally in a relatively shallow and easy spot, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be missing out. The aptly named Breakfast Bend is a gently sloping hard coral reef ideal for your first taste of the Similan Islands. Clouds of glass fish, bright red blue spotted grouper, big eyes and squirrel fish are waiting for you on your first dive. Watch out for garden eels on the white sandy bottom, and the occasional turtle or two. Then, during your four dives a day, including a night dive, be ready to experience a phenomenal range of aquatic creatures.

The Similan Islands is justly famous for its enormous range of fish species. From the smallest creatures such as shrimps and nudibranchs, right through to the larger pelagics, it’s fascinating to watch the natural cycle of who’s eating who unfold. But don’t worry, you won't be included, for the sharks you will see are passive reef dwellers like White Tip sharks, Tawny Nurse sharks and our personal favorites the Leopard Shark.

We, at West Coast Divers are proud of our strong policy of ecological protection, and ensure that these stunning underwater seascapes remain undamaged and protected for future generations of divers. We take only pictures, and leave only bubbl es.