North Andaman Liveaboard Diving: Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Richelieu Rock and Boonsung Wreck
Ahoy there, fellow adventurers! We’ve just returned from an epic liveaboard dive trip in the North Andaman of Thailand, and boy oh boy, was it a blast!
With twelve intrepid divers from all around the world, we set out on a new itinerary that took us from Phuket all the way to Khao Lak, traversing the Similan and Surin National Parks along the way.
We had guests from Switzerland, Sweden, France, Canada and the United Kingdom, all with one common goal: to explore the vibrant and diverse underwater world of the Andaman Sea.
We want to give a big shoutout to our repeat guests, Jeremy and Clara, for choosing to dive with us again. And a warm welcome to Kristoffer and Mairead, who came to visit their friend Mint and ended up having the adventure of a lifetime with us!
Special thanks also go out to Clara Chanson, who took the incredible underwater shots that we’re using in this post. You rock, Clara!
Starting the Trip at the Similan Islands
We started off by cruising through the night towards Similan National Park, where we kicked things off with a check dive at Shark Fin Reef.
This dive site is made up of a heap of huge granite boulders that form a stunning underwater landscape. And boy, did we see some amazing marine life there! Napoleon wrasse, humphead parrotfish, massive boxfish, hawksbill turtles and even a whitetip reef shark were there to get us started.
What a way to begin the trip!
Koh Bon and Tachai Pinnacle
On the second day of diving, we headed to the northernmost islands of Similan National Park, exploring Koh Bon in the morning and Tachai Pinnacle in the afternoon.
We saw whitetip reef sharks, huge Jenkins’ whiprays, barracudas, ornate ghost pipefish, commensal shrimp carrying their eggs, and even a squad of smalltooth emperors with their friend bluefin trevallies hunting on the reef.
Talk about a diverse ecosystem!
As we slowly made our way north, we explored some of the best dive sites in the park, including West of Eden and Elephant Head Rock. The former boasts an incredible coral garden, while the latter offers swim-throughs between huge boulders.
We even got lucky enough to spot two ribbon eels completely out of their holes, swimming across the sand. So beautiful!
The final dive of the day was either a sunset dive at Koh Bon or a famous blackwater dive away from the reef around our pumpkin. And once again, Lady Luck smiled upon us, allowing us to meet a paper nautilus! Can you believe it?
Richelieu Rock: A World of Colour and Marine Life
The following day, we headed towards the world-famous Richelieu Rock in Surin National Park and dived around the horseshoe-shaped reef for the whole day.
Barracudas and trevallies were hovering over the reef, swimming in between the masses of glassfish trying to find protection among the corals.
Yellow, purple and red soft corals grow all over the rocks, sharing the space with different types of hard coral. Nudibranchs, juvenile fish, countless crustaceans and loads of moray eels find shelter in the cracks and crevices.
Boonsung Wreck: A Perfect Final Dive
On the final day of diving, we explored the Boonsung Wreck for the two final dives, and it was a fantastic way to end the trip.
We saw bamboo sharks, Kuhl’s stingrays, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, octopuses, crabs, shrimps with their partner gobies digging in the sand, and lots of juveniles seeking shelter on the wreck.
We also had plenty of opportunities to slow down and look closely at the smaller inhabitants of the reef. Tiny gobies, cleaner shrimp, colourful nudibranchs and coral crabs all added to the incredible variety of marine life we encountered throughout the trip.
Thank You for Diving the Andaman Sea With Us
We want to thank everybody who chose The Smiling Seahorse to explore the Andaman Sea with us. It was an absolute pleasure to share our lifestyle with you all.
We hope to see you again soon for more underwater adventures!
