Asia Thailand Travels

Similan Islands, Thailand

December 18, 2011

Accessible only for 6 months every year, the Similan Islands are as close as I ever got to the beach scenes from my wildest imagination. The long boat ride (90 min. by speedboat from Khao Lak or 8 hours slow boat from Phuket) can hardly prepare you for what will slowly emerge from the horizon as you get closer: crystal clear turquoise water, giant granite boulders, islands covered in powder-like white sand beaches and rainforest…

This stunning group of nine Islands, north west of Phuket, was declared a marine national park and consequently remains largely undeveloped which explains their pristine conditions.

You literally feel like a castaway who just found a tropical paradise, and even with all the tour boats around, one short walk through the jungle will inevitably lead you to yet one more secluded paradisiac beach to prolong the fantasy.

 

Home to the best diving and snorkeling in Thailand (and among the top dive destinations in the world),  the huge variety of marine life, shallow coral reefs and near perfect visibility offer incredible opportunities to see rare and tropical species. I’m glad I had my underwater camera at hand to capture some of the magic…

I followed this gorgeous turtle around for a while, just couldn’t take my eyes of her colorful back and her slow motion swimming strides…

Turtle 4

A bluespotted ray hovering above the sandy bottom.

Coral

A green moray eel and a lionfish.

A group of black sea urchins and a sea cucumber.

Moray eel…and Nemo!

And back up the rope to the boat…

You Might Also Like

  • mattt December 18, 2011 at 1:11 pm

    Stunning pics!!

    • Sandra December 19, 2011 at 1:58 pm

      Thank you!

  • Elizabeth December 18, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    hey babe, blog is looking uber-fabulous! merry christmas and happy new year. xxo, e

    • Sandra December 19, 2011 at 2:00 pm

      Thanks Elizabeth! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and New Year in Hong Kong. Look forward to seeing you in 2012. xx

  • Wicked Diving December 19, 2011 at 5:21 am

    Thanks for visiting the Similans – the pictures are great!

    • Sandra December 19, 2011 at 2:01 pm

      Thanks, I must say the conditions and scenery made it hard not to take great pics!

  • Greg PAQ December 19, 2011 at 5:59 am

    Thank you so much for sharing your pictures. I was in Similan Islands 10 years ago.

    That’s great!!!

    • Sandra December 19, 2011 at 2:03 pm

      My pleasure! I bet very little has changed since then. Glad it brought you back happy memories! 🙂

  • seb December 19, 2011 at 3:50 pm

    Where’s the food? turtle or cucomber?

    superbes tes photos

    • Sandra December 20, 2011 at 10:27 am

      Merci Seb! J’etais trop preoccupee par les poissons pour manger…;-)

  • Rita December 20, 2011 at 1:52 am

    Oh wow, these photos are amazing. It makes me want to go to Similan right now!

    • Sandra December 20, 2011 at 10:24 am

      Thanks! And you should! 🙂

  • Cod with Acacia Honey | | Flying Fourchette Flying Fourchette January 3, 2012 at 12:29 am

    […] had any trouble adding fish to my weekly diet as I love every single one of them, almost as much as swimming with and photographing them (!). It’s not the case for everyone though and that’s why I’m always thrilled […]