Snorkeling Similan Islands, Thailand

Phuket Locations South East Asia Thailand

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Summary

By Luke

Summary

Rating: 3 out of 5.

By Luke

Stunning turquoise blue waters and sandy beaches! The snorkeling was pretty good, with large patches of coral and marine life. However I think the trip is more focussed on the beaches and blue oceans. I saw many fish, Moray Eel, Triggerfish, Parrotfish, Butterflyfish, and more.

Pros

  • Incredibly deep blue waters
  • Picturesque beaches
  • Rock viewpoint

Cons

  • Large number of tourists on the beach
  • Nothing big to see
  • Trip is more suited for beaches not snorkeling
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Snorkeling the Similan Islands, Phuket
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Snorkel Review

Highlights

Coral Reef Icon

Coral present

Thermometer Icon

1-4 Meters Average Depth

Australian Mado Icon

Very good visibility

Snorkeling Partner Icon

East to medium difficulty

Food Drink Icon

No Cafe’s at Islands

Econonic Financial Icon

Tours approx $80-$100 USD

Sea Urchin Icon

Sea Urchins Present

Jellyfish Icon

Unlikely

When:

Who:

Tour Cost:

Star Rating:

Cost:

April, 2023

Luke

฿3,100 Thai Baht ($90.00 US Dollars)

Rating: 3 out of 5.

The Mu Ko Similan National Park is located off the South West coast of Thailand, in the Andaman Sea. The Similan Islands are made up of eleven islands, the largest island is Koh Similan. The islands are very popular for its natural beauty, paradise sandy beaches, deep blue waters, and wildlife. Snorkeling and diving trips are popular, especially with tourists staying in Phuket.

Mu Ko Similan National Park
Mu Ko Similan National Park Sign

I went on a half-day excursion from Khao Lak to the Similan Islands, which included two snorkels at the popular Honeymoon Bay and Christmas Point, and beach time at Honeymoon Beach at Koh Miang and Donald Duck Bay where you can see the famous Sailboat Rock.

Honeymoon Bay

Following a 1.5-hour boat ride from Khoa Lak we arrived at the first spot Honeymoon Bay, which was where I’d experience my first snorkel at the Similan Islands. The waters were notably stunning, a deep blue colour, contrasted with the grey boulder rocks, and green shrubbery. There were a few boats that stopped here with tourists, but the area was so large that I didn’t bump into anyone while snorkeling.

Snorkel Spot

Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Snorkel Spot, Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Snorkel Spot at Honeymoon Bay

I started to snorkel along the shoreline, about 20 meters out. The sea bed was quite deep, at approximately 4 meters down, with a sandy bottom with large patches of coral. Many larger fish were swimming in the waters, notably the Titan Triggerfish. But the large patches of the coral reef were teaming with life, many colourful Damselfish swimming within the coral, Surgeonfish, and Butterflyfish.

The corals were mainly Blue coral shown below, and some boulder coral growing off of the rock face. The visibility was excellent, and although the coral reef was rather far down, I was able to see it clearly. I wouldn’t say the coral reef was the best I’ve seen, it didn’t compare to the Surin Islands, but it was ok.

Coral Reef

Coral Reef, Similan Islands
Powder-Blue Surgeonfish and Lined Butterflyfish swimming over Blue Ridge Coral
Coral Reef, Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Blue Ridge coral and Acroporidae Coral
Coral Reef, Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Coral Reef patch at Honeymoon Bay
Blue Coral, Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Damselfish swimming above Blue Ridge Coral

Top Tip:

I explored the coral reefs and did spot some cool species, including many Titan Triggerfish which would swim in the waters, an Oriental Sweetlips, and a Giant Moray Eel. I spotted a Giant Moray’s large head perched out of a hole. It then started to make a move, and that is when you realise the sheer size of the Moray. It glided over the reef and this is where I could see its spotted pattern which runs along its grey body.

Giant Moray Eel, Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands
Giant Moray Eel hunting through the coral reef

This was a large Giant Moray and super cool to see. Giant Morays are often seen across the Southern islands of Thailand, ranked Least Concerned by ICUN. But they can be hard to spot when their body is covered and their head is only visible.

Reticulated Damselfish hovering above coral
Reticulated Damselfish hovering above Cauliflower Coral

What I found very cool about this snorkel spot was the number of small fish that inhabited a coral structure, such as these Reticulated damselfish which would hover over the coral and then hide in the coral if you get too close. I also spotted a Juvenile Peacock Grouper and an Oriental Sweetlips Fish which was cool, but I would say that these were hard to spot.

Peacock Grouper swimming in between the coral
Peacock Grouper swimming in between Blue Ridge Coral
Oriental Sweetlips Fish
Oriental Sweetlips Fish

Princess Beach

Princess Beach, Similan Islands
Princess Beach, Similan Islands

We stopped at Princess Beach is a sandy, paradise beach located at the North of the island of Ko Miang, at the Similan Islands. The beach is a popular stop for tourists visiting the Similan Islands.

Princess Beach, Similan Islands
Princess Beach, Similan Islands
Princess Beach, Similan Islands
Blue waters of Princess Beach

Christmas Point

The second snorkel spot was Christmas Point, which was at the very top island of the eleven Similan Island’s. The small cove had a coral reef that stretched to the beach. The waters were again quite deep at about 4-5 meters down and the visibility was ok. The guide said that the Beach was cordoned off as new coral was growing. The guide said that there is potential to see a turtle at this snorkel spot, but from my experience it is unlikely. There was a very strong current at either end of the cove, so be aware.

Snorkel Spot

Snorkel Spot, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Snorkel Spot at Christmas Point
Snorkel Spot, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Snorkeling the rocky shoreline of Christmas Point
Snorkel Spot, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
There was a small beach that you couldn’t access

There was only our boat at this snorkel spot, it isn’t the biggest so can become crowded if there are more than one or two boats.

Safety Tip:

Coral Reef

Lettuce Coral Reef, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Golden Gregory Damselfish swimming above Lettuce coral
Lettuce Coral, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Healthy Lettuce coral
Lettuce Coral Reef, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Lettuce Coral Reef

There was a large Lettuce coral reef that ran along the left-hand side of the cove which was cool, because of the sheer size of the reef. The coral was in very good condition, and many fish would swim along the coral reef, I spotted a Semicircle Angelfish, many Parrotfish, and Triggerfish, which all seemed to be curious. I guess because there aren’t as many tourists to these waters.

Some of the other cool sightings included a Unicornfish, Porcupine Pufferfish, and a school of Collared Butterflyfish which were basking above a patch of coral. I did also see a several small schools of fish. The waters away from the shoreline had some coral, but it wasn’t great, coral was growing on a large rock in the center of the cove. The best part about this snorkel was the larger fish swimming in the waters.

Semicircle Angelfish, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
A curious Semicircle Angelfish
Unicorn Fish, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Unicornfish cruising by
Porcupine Pufferfish, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Porcupine Pufferfish
Titan Triggerfish, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Titan Triggerfish
School of Collared Butterflyfish
School of Collared Butterflyfish
Redlip Parrotfish, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Curious Redlip Parrotfish

Sailboat Rock Viewpoint

Sailboat Rock Viewpoint, Donald Duck Bay, Similan Islands
Sailboat Rock Viewpoint at Donald Duck Bay
Sailboat Rock Viewpoint Look Out
Sailboat Rock Viewpoint Look Out
Sailboat Rock Viewpoint Lookout, Similan Islands
Sailboat Rock Viewpoint Lookout

Donald Duck Bay has a towering Sailboat Rock which is often the main advertising photo for the Similan Islands. There is a walkway to get to the large Sailboat Rock, but it isn’t the safest walkway. The views at the top are stunning, looking over the Beach and surrounding waters.

Summary

Overall snorkeling the Similan Islands was a great day out, the snorkeling was pretty good, but this trip is more focussed on the stunning beaches and islands. I preferred the Surin Islands because it was more focussed on snorkeling.

Tour Guide Options

Snorkel trips from Phuket to the Similan Islands range from $80.00-$100.00. However, I think not all of the trips include snorkeling at all three islands. The Similan’s was a great trip, however in my opinion, the Surin Islands was a better snorkel in

Best Snorkel Spot

In my opinion, the best snorkel spot was Christmas Point as the area was more compact and there was more coral to see. There were also some larger fish in the Bay, including titan Triggerfish, Unicornfish, Angelfish, and Parrotfish. However I didn’t snorkel all of the spots at the Similan Islands, so some of the other spots might of been better.

However, it did seem that Similan’s did seem to be affected by damaged coral reefs, which I think was from the 2004 tsunami. The Thai Government is taking precautions to protect the islands, including limiting tourist numbers and cordoning off sections for coral restoration.

Snorkeling Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Snorkel Spot at Christmas Point
Coral on the large rockface. Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Coral growing on the large rock face
Parrot Fish, Christmas Point, Similan Islands
Parrotfish checking me out

Best Time Of Year

If you are visiting the Thailand, the dry season will give you the best weather for snorkeling which is October-May.

Marine Life Icon

Popular Marine Life

Parrotfish Icon

Parrotfish

Moorish Idol Icon

Moorish Idol

Titan Triggerfish Icon

Titan Triggerfish

Lined Butterflyfish Icon

Butterflyfish

Powder-Blue Surgeonfish Icon

Power-Blue Surgeonfish

Sergeant Major Damselfish Icon

Sergeant Major Damselfish

Unicornfish Icon

Unicornfish

Golden Gregory Icon

Golden Gregory


Rare Marine Life Icon

Rare Marine Life

Giant Moray Eel Icon

Giant Moray Eel

Green Turtle Icon

Green Turtle

Pufferfish Icon

Porcupine Pufferfish

Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips Icon

Indian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips

Crown Of Thorns Star Fish Icon

Crown of Thorns Star Fish

Christmas Tree Worm Icon

Christmas Tree Worm


Rare Marine Life Icon

Coral Reef

Boulder Coral Icon

Boulder Coral

Table Coral Icon

Table Coral

Acroporidae Coral Icon

Acroporidae Stoney Coral

Lettuce Coral Icon

Lettuce Coral

Blue Ridged Coral Icon

Blue Ridge Coral

Cauliflower Coral Icon

Cauliflower Coral

Boulder Star Coral Icon

Boulder Star Coral

Mushroom Coral Icon

Mushroom Coral

Encrusted Coral Icon

Encrusted Coral

Feather Coral Icon

Feather Coral

Blue Ridged Coral Icon

Blue Ridge Coral

Cauliflower Coral Icon

Cauliflower Coral

Marine Life Icon

What I Saw

(Seen on April, 2023)

Giant Moray EelTitan Triggerfish
Indian Ocean Bird WrasseOrangespine Unicornfish
Spotted Coral GrouperGolden Gregory Damselfish
Redlip ParrotfishPowder-Blue Surgeonfish
Longface Emporah FishSingular Bannerfish
Randall’s RabbitfishCrescent Wrasse
Three-Spotted DamselfishReticulated Dascyllus
Ternate ChromisBlue-Green Chromis
Semicircle AngelfishIndian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips Fish
Lined ButterflyfishKeeltail Needlefish
Striped SurgeonfishChinese Demoiselle
Pale-lipped SurgeonfishVariegated Lizardfish
Green-throat ParrotfishMoorish Idol
Checkerboard WrasseHardyhead Silverside Fish
Eygptian TriggerfishSalp
Three-Spot DamselfishPorcupine Pufferfish
Crown Of Thorns StarfishSergeant Major Damselfish
Featherstar ClingfishOrangestriped Triggerfish
UnicornfishCollared Butterflyfish
Table CoralBoulder Star Coral
Mushroom CoralFeather Coral
Blue Ridged CoralStoney Acroporidae Coral
Boulder CoralLettuce Coral
Porcupine PufferfishTitan Triggerfish
Redlip ParrotfishPowder-Blue Surgeonfish
Semicircle AngelfishIndian Ocean Oriental Sweetlips Fish
Lined ButterflyfishOrangestriped Triggerfish
Pale-lipped SurgeonfishBlack Surgeonfish
Green-throat ParrotfishMoorish Idol
Checkered SnapperNeedlefish
Striped SurgeonfishCollared Butterflyfish
Randall’s RabbitfishGoldtail Demoiselle
Eygptian TriggerfishGolden Gregory
Chinese DemoiselleVariegated Lizardfish
Christmas Tree WormSergeant Major Damselfish
Featherstar ClingfishTernate Chromis
Keeltail NeedlefishBoulder Star Coral
Table CoralBlue Coral
Encrusted CoralStoney Acroporidae Coral
Boulder CoralLettuce Coral
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Where is the Similan Islands?

The Similan islands are off the West coast of Phuket, Thailand, in the Andaman Sea.

Similan Islands

Honeymoon Bay

Christmas Point

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Frequently Asked Questions

Luke Snorkeling Nusa Lembongan

Luke

FOUNDER

Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.

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