Just 92 kilometers northwest of the bustling crowds of Patong Beach lies a group of small and densely wooded islands in the crystal waters of the Andaman Sea. The Similan Islands have gorgeous beaches with fine talcum powder-like sand.

M/V Atlantis: 3 to 4 days to Similan

The Similans are orientated north to south and with the exception of island number five each has its own name. They are commonly identified however by numbers ascending in northerly direction. 

click on the map for larger version

The name "Similan" is derived from the Malay word sembilan, which means "nine", referring to the number of the islands. The best time to visit the area is between early November and the end of Aprl.

M/VAtlantis X: 4 to 6 days to Similan
The new generation of liveaboard

Their names are Hu Yong (No. 1), Payang (No. 2), Payan (No. 3), Miang (No. 4), Hin Pousar or "Elephant Head Rock" (No. 6), Payu (No. 7), Similan (No. 8) and Koh Ba Ngu (No. 9). The surrounding waters, covering an area of 128 square kilometers, were dedicated as Mu Koh Similan Marine National Park in 1982. Additionally, Koh Bon, lying some kilometers north of the Similan Islands, is included within the national park boundaries.  The park area is one of the main destinations of all liveaboard trips from Phuket, since it is truly the most beautiful and unspoiled Marine National Park in Thailand. There is nowhere more colorful or diverse to dive than here.

M/V Atlantis I: 2 days Hin Deang and 4 to days to Similan
The Phi Phi Islands, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang

Superb diving, and spectacular scenery are combined in one trip in the Phi Phi Islands in the Hat Noppamart Thara National Park.

Awesome 300 metre limestone walls tower over the water into the blue sky. Underwater, these cliffs are covered in soft corals, large fans and teeming fish. The wall dives go down to 25 metres, and if you look in the crevices, you find a treasure trove of marine creatures – a harlequin shrimp here, a sea horse there. This is also a good place to see sharks. The white-tips and black-tips are quite shy, but you may be able to swim right up to a sleeping, harmless (they’re crustacean eaters), leopard shark. No touching, please!

The same erosion that created the cliffs also created caves. For experienced divers, it may be possible to do a cave dive at Koh Haa Yai.

The crowning glory of the trip, of course, are Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, the best dive-sites in the South of Thailand. Daeng means pink, and Muang means purple in Thai, and the names derive from the pinkish-red soft corals that cover both rocks. Here, you can dive spectacular drop-offs that go down to 50m, but the greatest draw are the sharks, whalesharks and other large pelagians that frequent here.