SIMILAN ISLANDS , RICHELIEU ROCK AND ANDAMAR & NICOBAR ISLANDS
SIMILAN ISLANDS
The Similan Islands consist of nine granite islands covered by lush, tropical jungle and surrounded by clear blue water. The islands are a national park and free from development. The eastern side of the islands are known for their white sand beaches and coral reefs that slope to about 98ft. Coral outcropping covered with sea fans and soft corals rise from the seabed to just below the surface. On the western side, Indian Ocean currents swirl around granite formations. These dramatic rock formations form swim-throughs, overhangs and caverns and the rocks are covered with rainbow-coloured soft corals and sponges. Sea fans, eagle rays, leopard sharks, oriental sweetlips and orange anthias are all signature sights in the Similans. This is one of the best diving spots in the world and best reached by liveaboard.
North of the Similans lie Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, the Surin Islands and Richelieu Rock. All of these areas, with the exception of Surin, offer world-class diving that differs from the Similan Islands. Koh Bon offers leopard sharks and the colours of the corals are radically different from the Similan Islands. Koh Bon is one of the better places to see manta rays, especially toward the end of the season on April through May when there is more plankton in the water. Best reached by liveaboard.
These island groups belong to India but are best dived by liveaboard from Thailand. The warm waters of the Andaman Sea include the coasts of the Andaman Islands, Burma, Malaysia and Thailand. This magnificent sailing and diving area has been closed to the outside world for over 50 years and now these waters offer a variety of world-class dive sites. The keen traveller will be overwhelmed by the hundreds of untouched tropical islands, waters teeming with fish and dolphins, an active volcano, stone age tribes, wild elephant and incredible birdlife. Best Time to Travel : Like elsewhere in the Indian Ocean the Andamans has two monsoon seasons. The North-East Monsoon from Nov-April brings beautiful weather with moderate breezes and dry, sunny conditions. From May to Oct the Andamans is effectively "closed" with strong winds, torrential rain and rough seas.
