Khao
Lak is located about 80 km north of Phuket on the west
coast of Thailand. It sadly gained worldwide attention
on the 26th of December 2004 when a devastating
tsunami rocked the area.
This terrible natural catastrophe seemed to be the
death sentence for a growing region which was a hidden
travel secret not long ago.
Despite big damages the people in the area do not let
themselves down. Numerous rebuilding projects¹ are in
progress and even now, just 18 months after the
catastrophe, enough accomodations are already
available.
For two seasons, beginning in 11/1999, Steffi and me
worked as a Diving Instructor & Divemaster for the
dive operator and 5*-IDC-Center Kon-Tiki (today iQ-DIVE)
in Khao Lak. During this time we had plenty of
opportunities to study the surounding dive sites.
 Steffi at work
Donald Duck Bay
Similan Islands
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First of all for sure the famous Similan
Islands, which are located only 2,5 h boat drive
(or 1 h by speed boat) off the mainland and so
well possible for day trips².
The Similan Islands offer superb underwater
landscapes which are build of huge granite
boulders. They remind of the Seychelles and
belong to the best dive areas in the world. |
Likewise colourful coral reefs and fascinating walls
feature the islands as well as turqoise bays with
excellent snorkeling and bathing options. Due to it's
great diversity one can find sandy beaches on the
eastern sites as well as rocky cliffs on the western
parts.
The Similans (Thai: "Nine islands") offer more than 20
different dive sites and every single site is worth
describing. Unfortunately this would exceed the space
of this website by far. So please check out for
further infos: www.iQ-DIVE.com
Due
to the tsunami some reefs had been damaged but
most of the dive sites of the Similans are
largely unaffected.
Some more remarkable dive sites are just close
by, either attainable via full-day or half-
day boat trip:
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 Koh Miang (No.
4)
Similan Islands
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- Koh Bon (Mantas!)
- Koh Tachai (Variety of species,
reefs)
- Boonsung Wreck (Nudibranchs,
schooling fish, seahorses, ghostpipefishes,
leopard sharks)
- Premchai Wreck (Nudibranchs,
schooling fish)
- Khao Na Yak (Nudibranchs)
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More
dive areas are located further away and are only
available via Liveaboard trip:
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- Surin Islands (Variety of
species, reefs, schooling fish)
- Richelieu Rock (Variety of
species, reefs, seahorses, ghostpipefishes,
whale sharks!)
- Burma Banks/Mergui Archipelago
(see above + silvertip sharks)
- Hin Muang/Hin Daeng (Reefs, whale
sharks!)
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, Similan Islands'))
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