Similan islands are magnificent jewels in the middle of the Andaman sea.
Islands 1, 2, and 3 are usually closed for public because the turtle hatching protection program and all the reefs conservation efforts. Island number 3 even belongs to a Thai princess. Fishing is of course banned in both Similan and Surin National Parks; Anyway diver fonts say when diving you can often find nets stuck to reefs and illegal fishing traps. Park rangers are posted on several islands too. Very common encounters are batfish, barracuda, golden pilot jacks, and triggerfish.
Access to the Similan Islands is easiest from Tablamu port or even Sarasin bridge area, just south of Khao Lak in Phang Nga Province or just north of Phuket. The park headquarters are in Tablamu, a small fishing village, only 13 km from Khao Lak. Boats usually depart daily from the middle of October to the end of April. The trip normally takes 70 minutes via speedboat or three hours each way on slow boats .
During the diving season liveaboard boats head to the Similan Islands. These dive boats depart and return from Tablamu, Ko Lanta, Phuket, and Ranong and stay for several days at Similan National Marine Park.
The park is closed off course in the rainy season, from end of April to October, every year. The island of Ko Tachai it is closed to tourists indefinitely since 15 October 2016 to allow it to recover from effects of its heavy tourist burden.
