Diving at the much less crowded Surin Islands has become famous because of its spectacular coral reefs and inhabitants.

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The Surin Islands are 68 km north of the Similan islands and consist of five islands, named Koh Chi, Hin Rap, Koh Surin Nua, Koh Surin Tai, Koh Torinla and Koh Pachumba. The area only seven km south of Myanmar was designed a national marine park in 1981. Today there is still a fully self providing and small Sea Gypsy community (Moh Kaen) living in bamboo huts on the east coast of the island. When divers refer to diving near the Surin Islands, they include some other islands and isolated areas, which are officially not part of the Surin islands. Most boat operators only have time to visit the Similans which make the Surin islands more remote en less crowded, but definitely not less interesting.

Visiting these islands is best between November and April. The water temperature is at its coldest then, but with 24 degrees in winter and 28 degrees in summer, nobody can really complain. Between February and May whale sharks and manta rays visit this area so if you are interested in these animals and why should you not, try to dive here during these months. Most dives are shallow, highly colourful and extremely active with fish. Its structure is a mixture between reefs and rocks almost all dropping down fast to deep waters creating some excellent walls.

Try to walk along Surin's verdant evergreen forests which is laced with small beaches and mangroves. You will most likely see macaques, kingfishers and pigeons. The Surin Islands are pretty far away from Phuket and Khao Lak and are therefore often dived with live aboard tours. The currents are often strong and most dive sites are shallow and perfect for starting divers and snorkellers. Especially the south of Ko Torinla and near Koh Chi have coral reefs started to grow at one meter below the surface, bringing all sorts of marine life close to the surface. Wreck divers won't have an excellent time here as the area is mostly famous for its spectacular coral formations and enormous amounts of marine life. The coral bleaching disaster in 2010 has lessened its beauty a bit, but just a bit. During daytime your best chances of spotting big fish are in the north. Famous dive sites are Richelieu Rock, which consists as one of the best places in the world to dive with whale sharks and Ko Tachai island with some excellent pinnacle dives.

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