Similans Trip Report

What there is to see: Mantas, Rays, Morays, Hawksbill turtles, garden eels, blue ribbon eels, giant clams, soft shell crabs, spiny lobsters, puffer fish, trigger fish, Nemos and other anemone fish, huge Napoleon Wrasse, lots of grouper, unicorn fish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, banded sea snakes, lion fish, nurse, silvertip, white tip, grey reef and leopard sharks. Plus, lots of soft coral gardens, anemone gardens and giant gorgornian fans. Lots of starfish, seacucumbers and nudibrancs. Condition of reefs is excellent to non-existent during the course of each dive; in each area, there are gorgeous coral heads and areas of complete devastation that look like the surface of the moon (from previous dynamite fishing).

Best photo ops: look for round-faced bat fish, lion fish, nemos and napoleon wrasse, curious and not camera shy.

Hazards: free-floating jellyfish tentacles, fire coral, lionfish, sea urchins, crown of thorns, trigger fish, puffer fish.

Diving conditions: currents vary and can be strong. Be careful of being swung around the tip of an island and out of view of the boat. Current is much stronger around the full moon.

Viz: 30ft - infinity.

Temp: high 20s C/ high 80s F.

Season: Nov-Mar (Feb-Mar best time for Whale Sharks and Mantas). Stronger current + lower viz = better chance of seeing Mantas & Whale Sharks. You have to decide whether you want to dive the reefs (in the middle of the season) or see the large pelegics (whale sharks, manta rays) during the very begining and end of the season.

Level of Experience: best for Intermediate to Advanced divers b/c of currents and access to better sites. Beginners & snorkellers will have a good choice of sheltered bays and reef life too.

What to bring: Full 3mm, hoodie & vest for repetitive diving & jellyfish protection. & an extra wetsuit if you have one. (There's nothing like a dry/drier wetsuit for your 2nd, 3rd, 4th dive of the day ). Dive sausage & whistle (some charters will not let you in the water without them). Gloves. Snorkel. Current-hook for the serious photographer (Please learn how to use it properly before getting there). Moisture/humidity absorption packets for camera and video equipment. Seasick medication, Pepcid AC, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, light super-absorbant towels (the one they give you on the boat won't dry between your dives). More swimsuits than you think you need.

Smart diving info: There are many shore dives and excellent day diving trips from Phuket as well. But the only way to dive the Similans is by Liveaboard (do not sign up for daytrips to the Similans – they are speedboats that have no permit to operate within marine park boundaries and are not registered with the diving authority so you have no recourse if they take your money and run or if you are injured and need help. Plus, they also have been arrested and boats (& all dive gear) confiscated during a dive. In Bangkok there is no diving, all diveshops in Bangkok either send you down to Phuket (Phuket or Similan diving) or by bus to Pattaya (Gulf of Thailand diving).

LAND: Stay in Patong afterwards and enjoy the nightlife, food, shopping or the many spas or go play golf at many of the world famous golf courses on the island.

Where to stay: Hotels and rooms vary from 5000Baht-400Baht a day. Mom Tri’s Boathouse $$$$$ on Kata Beach is one of the most private (& laid back), prestigious, and expensive. The Laguna Beach complex (with 4 to 5, 5-star hotels to choose from, including the Sheraton $$$ & the Marriot $$$) is good too. In Patong, there are lots of inexpensive guesthouses $ and then there is the Holiday Inn Patong $$$ that has all the elephant pool fountains, lotus ponds and spa services.

What to do:
Holiday Inn Patong Spa $$$ is excellent – go for the Indonesian Lulur treatment (you need to make an appointment). Or if on a tight budget, any Thai massage shop $ in Patong is a good bet. Thai massage is fully clothed w/out oils & includes lots of stretching.

Sea canoeing & snorkelling: James Bond Island, Phi Phi Island and hidden beaches and coves. http://www.johngray-seacanoe.com or http://www.andamanseakayak.com

Elephant treks & rainforest nature walks and hikes are safe, fun & v. popular.

Golf: Famous world-class golf courses and inexpensive caddies. Green fees approx Baht$3200/18 holes. Reservations required. Blue Canyon Golf Course $$$ Sometimes there are good golf & htl deals btwn the Marriot & Blue Canyon http://www.marriott.com/specials; Loch Palm Golf Course $$; Phuket Country Club $ & Banyan Tree Golf Course $. Golf & htl packages are also available. Compared to N. America, golfing is expensive in Asia. (Tip your caddy Baht 150-200 for ½ round & Baht 300-350 for 1 round).

Shopping & Souvenirs: best bets are the sarongs sold by guys on the beach. They are inexpensive, colourful and can be used as a skirt, tablecloth, picnic cloth and bedspread. Plus you get lots of patterns to choose from. If sarongs are not for you, little hand-painted porcelain pots, urns, teacups and incense holders make a nice gift back home. Triangular cushions and mats are good for playing video games and silver jewellery is also inexpensive (Thai silver is not Sterling 925 silver, it is 80-90% silver only). You can also find many carved items made from a variety of stones and tropical woods (sandstone, granite, marble, teak, mahogany, coconut).

Places to eat at: Tonk-ka Café (Phuket Hilltop) view of Phuket Town. Must try the pineapple fried rice, curry prawns, iced coffee, fresh coconut juice. Thai $; Baan Rim Pa is on a cliffside w/ amazing sunset views & serves dishes from the Royal kitchen. Try the duck curry, $$$; Molly Malones in Patong is a decent pub but beers are $$; The Golden Elephant Indian Restaurant (run by Narry Tailors), at the end of an alley $; The Holiday Inn Thai Dinner Buffet which includes a cultural show $$.

LOGISTICS:
How to get there: Look for Thai Board of Tourism specials & promotions. r/t airtickets range from $1600-3000 economy class. Make sure you take a stopover in both Phuket Island and Bangkok b/c there’s lots to see there (land) as well). The Similan Islands are liveaboard access only – we took Le Mahe 4N/5D a basic boat w/ private baths & 2 divemasters + 1 instructor. http://www.siamdivers.com/dive/mahe/ Boat holds up to 12 pple in twin cabins but we had only 6 pple. Transfers from local htls are also included.

Guidebooks: There are 2 main diving guidebooks available, 1) Lonely Planet Snorkeling and Diving Guide to Phuket and 2) Diving South East Asia 3rd Edition published by Periplus, both are very good guides & are contributed by John Williams (owner of Siam Divers in Phuket).

Cost of trip: The total cost can vary from US$2000-US$5000/person. There are many cheaper, safe & good hotels in Patong. You always get better deals going thru a travel agent rather than calling the htl directly (except for boarding houses).

Duration of trip: Take a 2-week vacation. You loose a day traveling to Asia but when you return, you arrive on the same day you left. Thailand is 12-13 hours ahead of EST. So you will get 2 days of jetlag both ways. Travel time: 18 hour flight + a few hours layover = 21-23 hrs. Phuket is beautiful so spend your time relaxing, exploring and enjoying the service that Thailand is famous for. And since you’ve traveled so far, make sure you stopover in Bangkok and see the Royal palaces and temples.

Sample schedule:
Day 1 & 2: Travel time. East coast - Phuket, Thailand
Day 3: Sightseeing in Phuket a.m., pickup & board liveaboard after dinner.
Day 4-7: Similans & Richlieu Rock 4+ dives a day.
Day 7/8 Morning dives only, return to Phuket arriving before/around dinner time. Holiday Inn Thai Dinner Buffet w/ cultural show. Night out on town/collapse and sleep.
Day 8/9: Spa/Sightseeing/Shopping/Golf/Sea kayaking in Phuket. Mid/late-afternoon flight to Bangkok. Book Bangkok tours as soon as you check in.
Day 10: Royal Palace, Temples & Gardens. Full Day Tour. Dinner Cruise on the canal, redlight district "Paht Phong" for nightlife.
Day 11: Tour to Ancient Capital of Thailand (6hrs north of Bangkok) Full Day Tour. 7am - midnight.
Day 12: Shopping day, visit markets, get on plane for home.
Day 13: Arrive home.

* Added some trip pics, but I had humidity & condensation isues w/ my camera & flash so most of it is natural (overcast) light.