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Liveaboard dive sites on Thailand's west coast
Similan Islands
The name Similan is derived from the Malay word sembilan, which means 'nine',
referring to the number of the islands. The islands contain many beautiful dive
sites that are considered as the best areas for diving in the entire world. 
The Similan Islands are part of the Thai National Marine Park. As well as the dramatic underwater landscape the Islands themselves also have beautiful white sand beaches, granite boulders both above and under sealevel and clear warm tropical water perfect for snorkelling. The best time to visit the islands is between early November and the end of April. During March the water becomes filled with plankton that is food for the pelagic visitors like whale sharks and manta rays. The Islands are famous for their diverse fish life ranging from the very smallest to the largest, including turtles, dolphins and eagle rays.
You can read more about each Similan dive site in the book lonely planet Diving & Snorkeling Thailand. Authors are Mark Strickland and John Williams.The book is for sale in the dive shop and on some liveaboard boats. 
© 2003 Steve Rubin |
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Some of the Similan Islands best loved dive sites are: Elephant Head, Fantasea
Reef, Shark fin Reef, Christmas Point, Boulder City and East of Eden. Though
each of these locations has its own characteristics, they all share the
underwater panorama that is uniquely Similan.
