Diving Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands, Thailand

You often hear about dive sites that are reportedly one of the “top ten dives sites in the world”. I have no idea how many top ten lists there are, but there are a few dive site names that I hear repeatedly and Richelieu Rock is one of those legendary dive sites names I keep hearing.

Discovered by Jacques Cousteau and some local fishermen, Richelieu Rock in Thailand’s Andaman Sea can be accessed as a very long day dive or as part of a liveaboard.  Dive cruise itineraries also includes the Similan islands, which form the Mo Koh Similan National Park, north of Phuket and approx 50 KM West of Kao Lak.

The diving season for the Similan Islands is during Thailand’s cool season – December to April, so since I live in Thailand, I decided now was the time to tick off Richelieu Rock and the Similan islands. Some friends recommended I dive with the Pawara, a liveaboard in its second season and operated by Phuket based West Coast Divers.

Diving the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand

Although nice warm water teeming with fish and healthy coral, the Eastern Seaboard of Thailand is better known for poor visibility so recreational diving is limited to wrecks and some nice “basic” reefs. This of course hasn’t precluded me from checking some sites out to see for myself.