Raja Laut

Similan & Surin

The Similan Islands are made up of 9 granite islands, located only a few hours sail west of Phuket, and surrounded by very clear waters and blessed with some of Thailand's finest beaches. Similan means "The Nine Islands" (from the Malay word "Sembilan" , meaning "nine"). The individual islands themselves are named simply : No. 1, No. 2, No.3 and so up to No.9! The islands are uninhabited except for two of the islands which each have a small resort and a restaurant.

Island no.1 is a turtle sanctuary where turtles lay their eggs in the beach. It is protected by park rangers so that baby turtles hatch and return to the sea. As for the rest, all one needs to know is that the Similan Islands has the best scuba diving sites in Thailand and the world. Visibility is excellent and the underwater topography is incredibly interesting and varied.

The eastern coast of the Similan has powdery beaches, and features hard coral gardens that slope dramatically from the surface down to approximately 30-40 meters. Here, the most popular activity is drift diving above hard coral gardens while watching the reef inhabitants go about their business. At several sites, large coral bommies covered with soft coral and sea fans rise dramatically from the bottom. The west coast site of the Similan Islands is slightly more challenging due to their depths and variable currents. Here you find the most incredible submarine rock formations, with huge boulders, swimthroughs and giant fan corals.

Typically, the high season in the Similan is from October until May. The water tends to be the clearest in the summer and in the fall, but then again, the visibility is usually good in the Similan, averaging approximately 18-25 meters and at times exceeding 40 meters. There are well over 50 charted dive sites in the Similan chain. In Similan Islands you can see, whale sharks, and large cow tail rays and leopard sharks are reasonably common too. Don't expect big fish action every dive, enjoy the Similan for what they are famous for: wild, unspoiled beaches, magnificent coral growth, prolific fish life, crystalline blue water and sensational underwater rock formations.

Mergui

The Mergui archipelago is located in Southern Myanmar. It comprises more than 800 islands that lie in peace in the Andaman Sea. Indeed, the Mergui archipelago is a real jewel blessed with true remoteness from the threat of mass tourism and Man's influence. As a matter of fact some places of the islands there are so remote that bits of them have not been explored yet.
Opened in 1997 to tourism though, Mergui archipelago is especially known to be a great diving destination. The islands are so secluded from the rest of the world that divers need to go on live aboard cruises to discover the wonderful waters of Mergui. Their untouched and undisturbed waters abound with sharks, rays, frogfish, pipefish, eels, and many more. Bear in mind that the sites are more for advanced divers and also that diving is mainly the main activity to do.

Komodo

This small cluster of islands is internationally known for its amazing creatures, the Komodo dragons. But, as worthy as the inland trip is a diving trip in Komodo. The picturesque islands of Sumatra, Indonesia are often praised for the immensely rich marine environment they offer. The Komodo Park displays around fifty dive spots that will amaze all the divers and the snorkellers too. If you try the diving in Komodo Marine Park, you will have the wonderful chance to see manta rays, sharks, whales, sunfish, frogfish, octopus, turtles, and of course, magnificent colorful corals. Do not forget the rules when in water: you can look but do not touch! The corals sting can be quite harmful and just a slight contact can destroy them.

Banda

Ten small islands form the Banda archipelago. This volcanic group is located in the Banda Sea. All the islands are blessed with fertile shores and deep waters. Both are inhabited by hundreds of species, from hammerhead sharks and snappers to marble rays and tunas, prolific mandarinfish and scorpionfish ... Banda Islands are reputed for the important presence of pelagic fish and an excellent reef system. As for the Mergui archipelago, the Banda Islands avail themselves of the absence of Man's influence, and this major fact is largely visible on this Indonesian ecosystem and marine life.

Raja Ampat

In English, Raja Ampat means Four kings. Maybe it is a predestined name, because the Raja Ampat archipelago is truly majestic dive-wise. The archipelago encompasses more than 1.500 islands, the four main islands ( hence the four kings ) being Misool, Salawati, Batanta and Waigeo. They are located in the northwestern tip of Indonesian's Papuan "Bird's Head Seascape", which is in the Coral Triangle. This latter fact explains why Raja Ampat is such a great diving destination as it is the epicenter of marine biodiversity and it is home to more than 3.000 species of fish, to six out of seven marine turtles species, and more than 600 coral species can be found in this magic zone. You will be more than delighted by the diversity offered by Raja Ampat, both for the species and the dive sites.

Sipadan

Sipadan is an island that is very often praised and rated as one of the best dive spot in the whole world. Sipadan island is located in the Celebes Sea and is unmistakably the one and only dive mecca in Malaysia. Made famous thanks to the French underwater explorer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau ( "An untouched piece of art" ), Sipadan Island is a legend for all divers. You are guaranteed unforgettable moments and great encounters: schools of turtles, schools of barracudas, of trevallys, jacks... The list is never ending !

Manado

Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It offers very good diving and snorkeling. The Marine Park, Bunaken Park, provides habitat to around 70% of the species you would find in the Indo Western Pacific. The corals are rich and colorful and the biodiversity is startling (sharks, barracudas, tunas, and even saltwater crocodiles). The key word in Manado and within the Bunaken Marine Park is DIVE ( wall dives, drift diving,... ) and you will not be disappointed by all the wonders and marvels you will meet.

Wakatobi

Wakatobi is an archipelago which takes its name from the first syllable of the four islands that constitute it: Wangiwangi, Kaledupa, Tomea, Binongko. Located in Southeastern Indonesia, Wakatobi is justly renowned for its healthy corals and excellent reef life. Indeed, t he climate is very dry so it fossilizes the reefs. The result is a clean environment due to the lack of soil erosion. Also, on another subject equally important, Wakatobi archipelago and its marine park of the same name are known to offer quality in terms of dive services and dives for every one, every level. The divers will be stunned by all the action and the marine life he will witness underwater: seahorses, turtles, trevallys, eagle rays ...

Flores / Alor

Flores and Alor are two islands and are part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Along with their sister Komodo Island, they provide excellent diving and diverse dive sites. The reef profiles are all different one from another: walls, rocks, seamounts, and many more. Their world class diving will give you the chance to spot barracudas, big eye jacks, groupers, sharks...

Andaman Island

The marine life is outstandingly generous and offers a world class high quality diving. Get ready for a unique lifetime experience if you decide to dive in the Indian archipelago. The most popular and worthy place to dive in Andaman and Nicobar Island is the Mahatma Ghandi Marine National Park. Encompassing 15 islands, this marine park has magnificent coral reefs, more than enjoyable waters with an incredible marine life. Indeed, as tourism has been authorized only recently, the marine life has practically never been disturbed. This latter fact results in flourishing waters, with colorful fishes, turtles, sharks, great coral reefs, salt water crocodiles... However, bear in mind that all the diving sites available are more for certified divers. Indeed, the currents are strong and handle them requires some experience.