Similan Islands night dive

Photos from a night dive at the Similan Islands

Hingebeak shrimps (Rhynchocinetes durbanensis)

Oriental sweetlips (Plectorhinchus vittatus)

Honeycomb moray eel (Gymnothorax favagineus)

Giant moray eel (Gymnothorax javanicus)

Harlequin ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)

two spot snapper (lutjanus biguttatus)

Jack mackerel

Feather star (Crinoidea)

Parrotfish in Gorgonian

Blue Ringed Angelfish (Pomacanthus annularis)

Painted rock lobster (Panulirus versicolor)

Red Lionfish

Tassled Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis oxycephala)

Honeycomb moray eel

Clown fish

Nudibranch

Sea slug (Chromodoris geminus)

Tomato Anemonefish (Amphiprion Ephippium)

Pink anemonefish (Amphiprion perideraion)

Rock Crab

Similan Islands night dive

One reason to choose a Similan islands liveaboard over a day trip is so you can do a night dive at the Similan Islands. Once the sun has set the reef takes on a whole new life. Some fish go to sleep, like parrot fish that wrap themselves in a mucus cocoon. Other marine life that was previously calm springs into action, like giant morays that are more often seen free swimming at night than by day.

Crabs and rock lobster are numerous. Hinge beak shrimps are easy to see because there red eyes reflect the light from your flash light.

Reef walls bloom with colour as tube worms and feather stars open up and feed.

Night dives are typically dived slow. And with your field of vision narrowed to the width of your torch beam you are forced to focus your gaze on details that you might miss during the day. You see more nudibranches and gobies. Mantis shrimps can be seen scuttling from their burrows.

Good buoyancy control is essential on night dives if you don’t want to injure yourself and damage coral. Watch out for lionfish and scorpionfish camouflaged on the coral.