Spotlight on mu Ko Surin diving

The Surin Islands dive sites are much less dived than the Similan Islands dive sites, they are visited by fewer day trippers. That fact alone may be enough of a reason to recommend the Surin Islands national park to many divers. The shallow reefs of the Surin islands hard coral is not quite as pretty as at the Similan Islands and the but the fish life is excellent, especially the macro stuff.

Turtles are very common at the Surin islands and black tip reef sharks are also often seen, especially in the shallow water near the shore which is why the Surin islands are actually more popular with snorkelers than divers. Popular dive sites include Koh Torinla which is full of bat fish, Hip Rap (turtles) and Surin Dtai which is full of the usual colourful reef fish like sweetlips, parrotfish, snapper, fusilier, anemone fish and so on.

Surin Islands is excellent for snorkelers and is very popular with Thai holiday makers. Surin has stunning beaches and is also home to a small community of Moken sea gypsies. When Thailand liveaboards talk of their schedule diving Similan and Surin they often really mean diving at the Similan Islands plus Richelieu Rock which falls within the Surin Islands National Marine Park but isn’t really part of the Surin Islands. Only a handful of liveaboards actually know the Surin dive sites well.

As the Surin Islands are a separate national park to the Similan Islands all visitors have to pay separate entrance fees into each park as well as the daily diving fee. There is a camp site at the Surin Islands which can be booked as part of a snorkeling overnight tour but there is no dive centre or facility for filling cylinders on the islands.

The Surin Islands diving season is from November to April.