Manta Ray Video - Similan Islands

Here in Khao Lak we are lucky to have some of the best Diving in Thailand. This is due in part to the incredible reefs, corals and reef fish. But it's also partly due to our massive visitors - Whale Sharks, Turtles and Manta Rays.

We are also blessed with some seriously awesome staff members too! Not just the passion for diving and concern for safety that all our team must have - but the eye for details and ability to share the joy we feel each day.

Here is a nice Video of a Manta from the end of last season - the footage was taken by Dan our video Man.



If this is of interest to you - we are offering several video courses for next season. From one day orientations to a full professional video internship that trains you to work in the industry!


-Similan Diving

Turtle & Reef Education with Wicked Diving

Dive with Turtles in Thailand

Turtles are among the most popular of our aquatic friends. They are docile, curious and very serene. Whether you had the chance to see one in the wild, or at an aquarium - they are very memorable. In Thailand humans have had quite a profound affect on their numbers and locations. Fortunately they can be still be found frequently in the Similan Islands and the nearby regions.

In November and December of 2009, Wicked Diving presents the opportunity to experience them first hand! The Similan Turtle & Reef Exploration trip will take 12 lucky guests on an educational tour of the most common sighting areas.

Education and Conservation are the essential themes on these trips. A portion of the proceeds will be given to a local UN sanctioned Conservation program. The participants will all help clean up the reefs as well as gain more knowledge of the species and their environment.

All participants will also be certified as Ecological divers - a certification only a few schools int he world can issue

As we may encounter more than one species on the trip - we will be taught how to identify the different species and how the interact with their environment, with each other and how our (human) activities have an affect on them

Here is a bit of information about the turtle...

"The distribution of turtles in Thai waters is spread out along the fine sand quiet beaches of the coastline and islands in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea. These two geographical areas also reflect different nesting times of the turtles. In the Gulf of Thailand the most important nesting areas for green and hawksbill turtles are Khram and adjacent islands which are located in the inner Gulf, Chonburi Province. There are some islands along the east coast from Chonburi, Rayong and Trat Province and some islands in the middle Gulf of Chumphon and Surat Thani Province where sea turtles are occasionally found. In the Gulf areas, green and hawksbill turtles lay their eggs all year round with the peak from May to August. In the Andaman Sea coastal areas of Thailand, the main nesting areas are north-west coast of Phuket, and Phang Nga provinces. In particular these areas include Thai Muang Beach and Phrathong Island, Maikhao beach Phuket, Tarutao Island and Adang-Rawi Islands of Satun Province . Olive ridley and (occasionally) Leatherback turtles are found in these areas. The green and hawksbill are found at the Similan Islands, Surin Islands and Tarutao Islands. The nesting season of sea turtles in the Andaman Sea region occurs only from October to March with a peak from mid-November to mid-January."

As taken from the Similan Islands Marine Life - Turtle Page

-Similan Diving

Tur

The perfect holiday - Combine your Open Water course and a Similan Liveaboard

There are many different ways to learn to scuba dive. An instructor teaches someone in a pool. Others jump off a speedboat and some are lucky enough to do their course on a liveaboard. In Thailand the best bang for you Baht is on a liveaboard - more dives and more experience while cruising through paradise.

The Similan Islands are home to Thailand's most famous dive sites and are often listed as among the 10 best dive sites in the world. Conveniently located to Khao Lak and the nearby Phuket airport - the diving is very accessible. With the option of Speedboats or liveaboards - many beginning divers chose to do their Similan Liveaboard Open Water course on a 3 day journey through the uninhabited islands. These trips offer the guests their own cabins, meals and many different dive sites.

The calm clear waters, the relaxed atmosphere and the skilled instructors will all contribute to the success of the experience. This is important as SCUBA diving is a lifetime passion - not just a whim.

The courses are easy to take and only require a bit of your time. Much of the academic work can now be completed online (and for free) before you even arrive in Thailand. You can spend your vacation time in the water or on the beaches - no the classroom.

The first day is spent in the pool or on the beach simply getting used to the new equipment and incredible sensation of floating weightless! It's fun and thrilling to realize that gravity no longer exists - it also takes a bit of practice. Diving also requires a few new skills that you are unlikely to have learned before. Your Instructor will go through all the basic skills that will be demonstrated and practiced in the pool. Then you have the opportunity to practice them too!

In the pool or off the beach - the instructor will settle down in front of the student so that they can see all that she is demonstrating. After some breathing exercises and regulator recovery at the surface the instructor will get all the divers to kneel on the bottom of the pool breathing and getting used to being underwater. The instructor, followed by the student will complete each of the skills. The students need to complete mask clearing, regulator recovery and some basic buoyancy control skills. These basic skills are required to ensure the safety of the divers, as well as giving them confidence to truly enjoy the open water. The instructor and student will then swim around at the bottom of the pool getting comfortable with the equipment and used to the feeling of weightlessness and breathing underwater.

Once these basic skills are done and everyone feels comfortable - it's time to head off on an amazing journey through the Similan Islands. The student has the opportunity to do 9 dives with their instructor - gaining more confidence and feeling more and more at ease under the sea.

After the first couple of dives the underwater world will really open up. Passing turtles make the reefs an incredible opportunity to slow down and enjoy the marine life. That shadow over the students head? A Manta Ray - something that brings chills to even the most experienced diver. The chance to glide over the rainbow colored corals and the hundreds of species of reef fish make this a memory of a lifetime.

After the student has completed their first open water scuba dive - they surface with big smiles on their faces. The instructor will debrief them and explain how they may improve their diving knowledge and skills by doing a full certification open water scuba diver course. Only 8 more dives to go!

This is by far the best way to learn to scuba dive.

If you would like to make this story come true...simply join our Similan Liveaboard Open Water course

The best diving on the Similan Islands - February!

When is The best Time to Dive the Similan Islands in Thailand?

The Similan Islands are renowned as home to the best diving in Thailand. Great dive sites with sloping reefs, deep boulder sites and virtually untouched pinnacles abound. However the weather plays a much bigger factor in the diving there than almost anywhere else in Thailand.

The factors that make the Similan Islands such a pleasure to dive also make them off-limits for 5 months of the year. The deep ocean currents in the Indian Ocean can bring in nutrient rich waters – as well as the monsoons! While the Similan Islands have great diving almost year-round, the monsoons make them unsafe to visit from May to October of each eyar.

The Government of Thailand takes this into account by making all visits to the islands off-limits – and illegal – from May 15th to November 1st. There are some nefarious operators who will offer trips during this time frame – but they are not only breaking the law – but also risking YOUR life. It is unwise to take them up on these offers.

From November to May the Similan Islands are open to diving. As the whole Similan Islands National Park lies just shy of the continental Shelf, the coral is well-fed from the nutrient waters. In addition the Islands are far enough off-shore to avoid the pollution and damage from the mass tourism of Phuket.

The very best time to dive the Similan Islands is in February and March. There are virtually no winds, the seas can be like a mirror and many of the large pelagics (Manta Rays, Whale Sharks and others) are playing in the local waters.

If you do plan on visiting – please book early. The Similan Liveaboards, for which the region is famous are often sold out (or at least the popular and safe ones – be very wary of “Last Minute Specials”). Daytrips to the Similan Islands, Koh Bon and also Richelieu Rock depart from Khao Lak each day. Leaving by speedboat, the Similan National Park is only 1 hour away. However, Phuket is still 120 km south, so one day trips are not feasible or sensible.

-Similan Diving

Khao Lak Weather - July

Just Thought I'd do a quick update on the weather! It's been raining over the past weeks...but now Khao Lak is a real delight! warm and clear skies today. Cool nights with the ocean breezes


A few more days like this and we get antsy to go diving again!


Sadly - the forecast is for clouds and rain in the next few days. That's okay - there is a reason it's called "rain forest". Also means all the waterfalls are full and the beaches empty.



-Similan Diving

Learn to Dive - for Free!

Learning to dive is just so much easier and simpler now. These days the academic portion of your Open Water course can be done online. Save your vacation time for the water, the sun and the beaches!

This gives you time to do the academic portion at your pace and at your preferred location (the sofa? in bed? at work?). Start when you want - and pause for a day or two. It's really that simple.

But unlike some systems - you can actually do all this for free! You don't need to pay hundreds of Dollars/Euros before you even start! With our system - you simply click on the link above - and that's it. By the time your plane lands and you settle in over sunset drinks - you'll have already completed 25% of your Open Water Training!

For free!

When you arrive - we will check on your progress, double check your work and then we are off to the water to start practicing under the sea! If you feel like you need more questions answered - we are happy to cover any sections you feel you need more work on and to demonstrate any thing that wasn't clear in the online videos and presentations.

How much does it cost? Free!!! No obligations!

For more information - check out our Online Open Water course. Or simply click on the image to the left and start...right now!

Once you have completed the online training - we still give you great options for your continued training. Why not join our liveaboard to complete your course - cruising through the Similan Islands doing 9 dives and really enjoying the uninhabited Similan Islands. We also allow you the chance to stay in your resort on the mainland and head out on our speedboat each day to the Similan Islands. Sunset drinks at your bungalow?

-Similan Diving