The Best Time to Dive Similan Islands
When choosing the best time to dive Similan Islands in Thailand you need to consider the weather & sea conditions, how busy each dive site & boat might be, and if you can get a great deal. Each person has their own priorities about which is most important, and this page focusses on the sea & weather conditions during the Similan Islands diving season. But we also discuss when boats or dive sites are quiet or busy, and which trips have the best deals & discounts.
Our team joined our 11 lucky and lovely guests for a long-weekend trip on The Junk in July 2020. This was during low-season and Covid-19, but that didn’t stop us having a great time, and didn’t affect our enjoyment at all. In fact, the situation probably made the trip even more enjoyable. We got two extra nights on board, awesome diving, fantastic service, and met some wonderful new friends.
The Refresher Dive (also known as a Scuba Review) is a dive in a pool or at a local reef with a dive professional to renew any skills and/or knowledge that you may have forgotten, or you’re a bit rusty. If done in the pool, the dive will focus solely on your skills, including good buoyancy control. But if done in the sea, you get to spend some time swimming around the reef looking at any marine life. It’s normally necessary to do a Refresher Dive if you haven’t dived in more than one year and plan to go out into the open ocean on a ‘Fun Diving’ trip with others. Some dive centres allow your no-dive period to be up to two years with no need for a refresher.
Anyone who does a bit of online research soon realises that Thailand’s best dive site is Richelieu Rock. Then of course they want to go there to experience it for themselves. It really is an awesome dive site, and regarded by many as one of the Top 10 in the world. It’s just over an hour from the mainland by speedboat, although many liveaboards also visit it. But if you’re a newly-certified, inexperienced or novice diver, this is not ideal for you. Why not? Read this page to understand the reasons.
Do you wear a wetsuit when scuba diving in warm water? If you do, what style and thickness is it, and do you rent or bring your own? Many divers don’t wear a wetsuit when diving in the tropics, and there are many reasons why divers may choose not to wear one. But the majority of scuba divers in Thailand wear some kind of exposure suit. Standard rental wetsuits in Thailand tend to be a set style & thickness, mainly due to cost & convenience.
Because the Andaman Sea is part of the Indian Ocean, between May and October the National Marine Parks on Thailand’s west coast are closed for the monsoon season. Most of our Similan Island liveaboard boats stop operating for five months, and spend time moored in a harbour waiting for the new season to begin. But some boats choose to continue running trips from May through to the end of August, then they go into dry dock in September. Even though the National Marine Parks are closed, The Junk and Giamani offer weekend trips to the best dive sites around Phuket and Koh Phi Phi, and are also available during the week. We also have Gentle Giant available for long-weekend full charters.
Most scuba divers love seeing a shark. But even with the information available today, some people are still afraid of them. There are still people who believe that anyone who goes scuba diving may be attacked by these monsters! Of course, the truth is that sharks have no interest in humans. Incidents involving humans and sharks are extremely rare, and usually a case of mistaken identity. Surfers and those who go spearfishing are most at risk – but not scuba divers. There are several species of sharks in Thailand, including the largest species of fish, the gentle giant known as the Whale Shark. Almost every dive with a shark is a memory to cherish.
Nowadays you probably see the word ‘Nitrox’ on diving trips and tanks more than you used to. What is Nitrox and its benefits? Compare air to Nitrox mix for scuba diving. Which is best? For those who don’t know what Nitrox is, this page explains in simple terms, and discusses the benefits of using Nitrox. You can also find out about doing the course on a liveaboard and Nitrox certification cost.
Most Similan Islands scuba diving liveaboard diving trips have ‘scheduled,’ trip itineraries. This means that everyone stays on the main boat from beginning to end. But there are also some platform boats which offer ‘flexible’ trips. You can join these trips by speedboat on any day and stay as long as you choose. Which type is better depends on your preference, your budget, and your other holiday plans.
