News

Every year around end of December / beginning of January members of the Thai Royal Family pay a visit to the Similan Islands. During the royal visit parts of the islands are closed for the public for security reasons. The Royal Thai Navy is already present with one warship and ...

On 6th of October the Similan National Park Head Office in Thap Lamu has announced the new rules & operating regulations for the upcoming 2015/17 season. Also new strict operating and monitoring regulations for Similan tour operators have been introduced by the Park Authorities. The main beaches are beeing divided ...

In the past the tour operators were responsible for the park fee payment of their guests. Up to now it is the responsibilty of the tour operator to collect the park fees from the tourists and pay them to the rangers on the islands once the boat arrives. This arrangement ...

In 2014/15 the Similans were visited by an average of 1,000 guests per day. In order to control the safety of the ever increasing numbers of visitors, the Royal Thai Navy is looking into strictly controlling daytrip and overnight boats heading towards the Similans from October on. Also a new ...

From Febraury the 1st, 2015 the Similan Entry Fee will increase from now 400,- Thai Baht to then 500,- Thai Baht. This park fee rise was planned long ago and in November 2014 already installed for a very short period of time. At that point many Similan tour companies complained ...

For the first season since the Tsunami 2004, the numbers of scuba diving liveaboard trips and the overall total number of divers visiting the Similan Marine Park are on the decline. Daily observations of scuba diving vessels have indicated a total decline of about 30% compared to January 2014 in ...

Since middle of october manta rays and whale sharks are romping in the waters around the Similan Islands. Marine megafauna sightings in october aren’t unusual, but in the past years the big fish left the similans for November and returned back in the middle of January. This November although has ...

In the last couple of weeks, several reports of dead triggerfish species as well as parrotfish occured. Dive masters and snorkel guides reported several individuals dead on the beaches as well as on most of the snorkel- and dive sites. Only a few species, and all of them very abundant, ...

In the evening of the 3rd November a heavy storm hit the Similan Islands and again many Speedboat Captains ignored the weather warnings. This resulted in one speedboat beeing lost at sea for several hours in the night from the 3rd to the 4th November. The speedboat in question found ...

The Mu Koh Similan Islands National Park has opened its gate for visitors on 15th October 2014. Every year a couple of tourguides come to inspect the islands and the reefs for a full assessment of underwater life and coral health. This year the inspectors found the reefs in better ...