If you have dived in Surin Islands before, please share your experiences: Dive spots you would recommend, which Dive Center you used, Fishes & Diving, Visibility, Currents, etc. Please post your comments in the section below, by doing so you will help fellow divers to plan their next trip
Scuba diving in the Mu Ko Surin Marine National Park is excellent. The different islands offer good chances to see large marine creatures like sharks and manta rays. Several dive sites are also good for macro life as frogfish, ghost pipefish and seahorse.
Koh Bon and Koh Tachai offer the best chances to spot a Manta ray, blacktip and Whitetip reef sharks. Turtles and leopard sharks are also quite common.
Richelieu Rock is one of the best dive sites in all of Asia. It has been described as a Whale Shark magnet! Even if this is not exactly true, this is definitely an amazing dream site to explore! Richelieu Rock is also very good for critters. Most of the liveaboards plan at least two dives as this magical spot.
In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Surin Islands.
Table of contents
How to dive Surin Islands?
The best way to discover the Surin islands is during a liveaboard trip. Most dive operators will take you to several islands of the Andaman Sea. The usual trip starts with Koh Bon then then Koh Tachai and Koh Surin. You will finish by the world class dive site Richelieu Rock.
For longer liveaboard cruises, you will also dive the Similan islands with it’s famous dive locations such as Elephant Head or East of Eden.
To reach this piece of paradise, you first need to fly to Phuket International airport and then head North by bus or Taxi to Khao Lak where most of the Liveaboards leave from.
There are also Liveaboards leaving directly from Phuket and Ko Lanta. There are many liveaboards suitable for all types of budgets from cheap backpacker style to the luxury ones with private suites.
Alternatively, you can also go diving Richelieu Rock and the Surin Islands in a day trip from Khao Lak or Kuraburi but distances to cover are important to consider. A few companies now actually offer overnight snorkelling trips.
Another option is to camp on the islands. In some places tents and bungalows can be rented. There are 2 campsites on Koh Surin Nua. You have to ask first to the National Park headquarters in Ngan Yong, just north of Khura Buri or in a travel agency.
Hot tip
- Surin Islands make a popular diving destination, so be sure to book your trip in advance so you don’t miss out!
Where to stay?
I usually use this website to book in advance my hotels in Surin Islands as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because it's free to cancel and change the dates.
Best time to dive in Surin Islands
The Mu Ko Surin Marine National Park is open from 16th of November to the 15th of May but most of the Liveaboard cruises only operate from October to May.
The best diving conditions occur from December to April with dry weather and almost no wind.
The best season to spot Whale Sharks, especially near Richelieu Rock, runs from February to April.
Top liveaboards in Surin Islands according to divers reviews
Scuba Diving conditions
Diving conditions are usually good. On most of the dive sites, the depth ranges from 10 meters to 30 meters with moderate current.
Water temperature is around 29 °C so you won’t be needing a full wetsuit. Visibility is not always perfect due to the plankton but that what attracts creatures like Manta rays and Whale Sharks! You can expect from 10 to 30 meters.
Diving in Surin Islands is suitable for all divers. However the best dive sites like Richelieu Rock can be challenging and are better reserved for advanced divers.
Snorkelling in Surin Islands
Snorkelling in the marine reserve is excellent and very easy. It is the best snorkelling in Thailand. You have 4 possibilities:
- Overnight stay in the national park bungalows or tents, where you can snorkel along the nearby beach.
- Overnight Snorkelling tour. The boat will take you to the best spots around the islands.
- Snorkelling day trip from Khao Lak.
- You can snorkel between two dives if you are on a liveaboard (but DON’T do any Apnea!).
The shallow reefs are teeming with marine life in very shallow water. You have good chances of spotting harmless blacktip sharks and also turtles as they are come to the Surin Islands to lay eggs.
Diving Safety
If you are planning an upcoming dive trip or travelling to Surin Islands, it is a really good idea to invest in travel insurance for scuba diving, because you never know what could happen and when you might need it (because accidents do happen!). I recommend this diving insurance as they offer worldwide coverage and focus on providing scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Photos Surin Islands
Travel Guide
Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Surin Islands Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.
Diving Reviews for this region
Dive spots reviews in Surin Islands
Liveaboard Reviews in Surin Islands
The Junk
A unique experience, The Junk “June Chian Lee” (“Respect Wind Travel Forever”) was originally built and launched in 1962. Unlike any other diving vessel touring the Indian Ocean around Thailand, The Junk was originally a working ship manufactured to ca
MV Smiling Seahorse
Photos: Smiling Seahorse operator gallery via LiveAboard.com.
Andaman
MV Andaman suits divers who would rather put their budget into another day at sea. This 26 m Thai liveaboard carries up to 20 guests, with six-berth cabins for sociable solo travellers and four double cabins for couples. The appeal is wonderfully uncom
MV Peterpan
MV Peterpan can accommodate up to 22 divers in her 11 roomy cabins. Entertainment facilities such as: TV; DVD player; a wide collection of movies and music, will definitely kill any boredom that may arise. The spacious air-conditioned saloon has batter
MV Giamani
The MV Giamani is owned by Colona Liveaboards and tours from Southern Thailand to Myanmar at the more northern reaches of the Andaman Sea. Built in 1988, the MV Giamani is steel-hulled – something less common in the usually wooden-hulled Thailand livea
MV Thai Sea
2019 Update Please note that the THAI SEA is running and was thoroughly renovated! The company, Scuba Libre Adventures, is offering itineraries in Myanmar/Burma and Thailand! Thus, the ship is no longer owned by Smiling Sea Horse. The newer liveaboar
MV Miss Moon
MV Miss Moon is one of several liveaboard vessels based in the northern Thai city of Ranong. This Similan liveaboard is owned and operated by Andaman International Diving Centre – a locally run diving operation with greater than 15 years experience in
MV Diverace Class E
MV Diverace Class E is a purpose built liveaboard vessel built in December 2014. Designed for comfort and safety, Diverace Class E was the brainchild of a team of naval architects and Dutch vessel consultants. The Similans Islands Marine Park and Surin
MV Similan Explorer
The following account is retained as an archive. Prices, capacity, facilities, services and wildlife sightings mentioned here should not be used as current booking assurances.
SY Diva Andaman
SY Diva Andaman liveaboard was built in 2009. Since that point, she continues to mesmerise her guests with wonderful 6-night trips to the beautiful Similan Islands! She is also known to run some short trips around Phuket and the southern islands near t
I’ve not dived here yet, but I am planning a trip to Thailand in a month and I was hoping to get a few dives in with my dad. I think I found a winner here!
Just a few questions: Can you recommend a live aboard here? Also, do you think it be better to book one once in the area or prior? I know it’s a busy spot, but I often find cheaper options when booking in person in SE Asia.
I really like how you’ve put together this post. I just found the site tonight while researching dive spots in Asia and I love it. Will be back! Thanks for your help.
Hi there. Apols for posting another q and no info for followers. Looking for a 4 day liveaboard trip.
Is there anyway to get mobile fone access and wifi modem acces on liveabords. Take my own / rent Either anybody know if telstra global roaming works or how to get local sim cards so have access and works out offshore on Live AB’s. Its a work thing and just need 30 mins a day / nite. No internet access no dive trip, very sad i know…..
Matt
Scuba Diving at Suriname Islands sounds great! Do you know if it is possible to go there from Koh Phayam?
My 13 years old son and I had 4 dives on Surin Islands in February 2019. We both qualified open water divers (=18m only) with not that many dives beforehand, but Richelieu Rock wasn’t a problem for us. We had a bit of a current on a second day in Richelieu, but we were able to adjust our dive to suit our experience and we had a great time. Visibility both days was about 12- 15 meters We saw 2 octopus, endemic tomato anemone fish, massive Napoleon wrasse, 14 (!) lion fish in one spot, barracudas that found me so interesting, that they came so close to me to check me out I was totally extatic to be surrounded by them and of course there are many more fishes! In fact shoals of them. Corals are also quiet healthy still there.