Similan liveaboards remain the best choice to dive at these islands. There are well over 25 dive sites here, spread over quite a large area and far from the mainland. So, to truly experience all that they have to offer at a relaxed pace, we strongly recommend you choose a liveaboard.

As a final alternative, there are a number of overnight trips that offer Similan Islands diving opportunities. These operate with daily speedboats from the mainland that run you out to a main diving boat that you can sleep on. You can disembark whenever you like. These trips are cheap and very popular with budget travelers, but have constant disruptions for re-fueling and passenger transfers, and are therefore not always the most pleasant way to experience the Similans.

Similan Islands Diving Season

Scuba day trips and overnight trips run from October through to May, with the very best conditions existing from November to April. Outside of these months, surface swells can adversely affect conditions. From May to August, the weather is often better in the Gulf of Thailand, so you might consider day trip diving in Koh Samui, although local diving around Phuket and Phi Phi continues year round too.

The Similan Island liveaboard season runs from early October to mid May, but there are a limited number of cruises all year round.

Similans Reef Basics

Great for: Small animals, underwater photography, snorkeling, visibility, dive value-for-money and advanced divers
Not so Great for: Non-diving activities
Depth: 5 - >40m
Visibility: 20 - 40m
Currents: Moderate
Surface Conditions: Calm
Water Temperature: 26 - 29°C
Experience Level: Intermediate - advanced
Number of dive sites: >25
Distance: ~90 km northwest of Phuket (5 hours), 65 km west of Khao Lak (3 hours, or 1½ hours by speed boat)
Access: Similan islands diving liveaboards and day trips from Phuket
Recommended length of stay: 4 - 6 days

Dive Sites