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Dive sites at the Similan Islands in Thailand

Inserted/Added by:	lars, © Author: Lars Hemel
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Nine small granite islands and their surrounding reefs form the Similan Islands. Generally speaking, this is the best place in Thailand to go diving, with water temperatures between 27 and 29 degrees, lot's of aquatic life and many different types of dives suiting all level of divers. The East coast with its hard coral reefs and many fish is quite different than the West coast. There you will find boulders, caves, swimthroughs and huge fans, all formed because of its strong currents which have removed all the sand surrounding these rock formations. Even despite the coral bleaching disaster in 2010, corals here are still great to dive on.

From out of Thailand, Phuket and Khao Lak, a limited amount of live-aboard trips and overnight trips can be booked. In general they run from October through May, but the best months are November through April, when visibility tend to be between 20 and 40 meter. Visit Khao Lak Hotels for more information about finding hotels in the area of Khao Lak.

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Name: thelning

Speed boat of Phnag Nga Province north of Phuket and all year around diving.

Similan Islands National Park was established after a one-year exploration by the forestry department. The park is an archipelago consisting of nine islands named Ko Bon, Ko Bayu, Ko Similan, Ko Payu, Ko Miang (two adjoining islands), Ko Payan, Ko Payang, and Ko Huyong. Recently, the park was expanded to included two remote islands named Ko Bon and Ko Tachai. The Similans are situated 70 kilometres from Phang Nga town. "Similan" is a Yawi word which means "nine". Similan is one of the most famous diving sites in Thailand, and noted as one of the top ten dive destinations in the world according to the National Geographic Society.

Similan is derived from the Malay sembilan, and means nine. Each of the Similan Islands has a number as well as a name. These are, running from north to south: Koh Ba Ngu (No. 9), Similan (No. 8), Payu (No. 7), Miang (No. 4, No. 5 and, in some opinion, No. 6), Payan (No. 3), Payang (No. 2), and Hu Yong (No. 1). Hin Pousar, or "Elephant Head Rock", is alternatively designated No. 6 by some.

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