Similan Islands Snorkelling, Thailand

I had never been snorkelling before, I am not quite sure why… I have some recollection of an attempt in younger years, but my memory is more of an extremely unpleasant rush of water up my nose which can be rather off putting, and I presume that this is why a future in underwater exploration failed to proceed any further.

On our trip to Thailand we were planning to go snorkelling, so there were a few OCD considerations that I needed to take care of… the thought of putting anything in my mouth that had been in anyone else’s mouth was not something I felt that I could cope with so we headed off to BCF to purchase a set of goggles and snorkels for our trip… crisis averted.

We were staying at The Sarojin Resort in Khao Lak (Phang Nga province, Thailand) and we had heard about the Similan Islands, an archipelago consisting of nine islands located in the Andaman Sea (8°39′09″N 97°38′27″E) not far from our resort. There are actually a few snorkelling destinations to choose from, but we had been told that some areas are quite… ummm… popular (read ‘incredibly crowded’), but the Similan Islands were are little less so, probably due to there being a slightly more restricted access because of its National Park status (or not).

The Sarojin runs both private and group charters on their luxury 38ft boat, Lady Sarojin, to the islands several times a week (except during monsoon season) and I was a little bit excited…

There were 12 of us all together – all of us strangers. We had decided that even though it was our honeymoon, a bit of outside contact might be refreshing, and it turned out to be a really great mix of people, coming from the U.K, U.S.A and Switzerland. The trip out to the islands takes about 90 minutes on the Lady Sarojin. No chance of dehydrating on the trip, plenty of wine, beer, or water (for the faint hearted, or more sensible amongst us).

Our guide for the day (and wine pourer), Au, gave us a bit of a run down on which islands we would be visiting as we would be mooring at a few different locations.

Once we got out there I was thankful that we decided to travel through the resort’s private charter which was limited to small groups, rather then the floating sardine cans that were full to the brim with excited (and very noisy) fellow snorkelers, which we actually managed to avoid being around for most of our moorings – which was great!

We were blessed with spectacular weather… glistening sunshine, ever so light breeze, and beautiful azure seas. Approaching we could appreciate the incredible boulders that jutted out amongst the islands, the water itself crystal clear and a refreshing relief from the humidity.

So, fins on, snorkel and goggles in place, I mimicked what everyone else was doing and hopped into the water. I just followed my cherry babe, who was a bit of a pro with the ol’ snorkel and fins and it took him all but a minute to dive down into the depths to have a closer look at some of the vividly coloured marine life. I, on the other hand, bobbed about awkwardly on top. I took a moment or so to adjust my breathing, seal my goggles, adjust my bathers and the myriad other clumsy adjustments that a novice finds themselves making. However once I worked out how to seal my goggles properly and avoided a ‘water up my nose’ trip down memory lane, my snorkelling adventure improved surpassingly.

It might sound really stupid, but I was quite struck by how clear I could see everything. My previous experience of underwater gazing was essentially squinting through saltwater, which is not entirely pleasant and doesn’t generally amount to seeing much, thus, I had not realised quite how beautiful it was below the surface! How vivid the colours, how detailed the sea floor, and the sun refracted on every movement of the water to create shimmers of flickering light… very distracting… in a good way. Then I caught sight of the first fish and their incredible iridescent colours… I even saw Nemo!!!! And all of his mates!!! Soooo excited!!!!!

Au, our guide, a little more proficient in his diving skills than most, dived down quite deep to retrieve an anemone and brilliant blue starfish from the sea floor so the less proficient amongst us could get a closer look and appreciate its beauty also.

We had a little waterproof camera, which we had quite a bit of fun with. It was fabulous. Again Au, dove down and took some photographs of a dragonfish concealed under a ledge which we were able to appreciate later when we got home. I was seriously into this snorkelling business, what fun!

After about and hour we hopped back on the boat and toured around stopping at one of the islands for bit of a wander around. There is actually a resort styled as a collection of tree houses, which also meant plenty of other tourists/snorkelers…

The water is pristine, the rocks and boulders a stark contrast against the serene aquatic landscape. Having said that, while the Similan Island have been a reserve since 1982, much of the coral reef was decimated as a result of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, and I am sure the hoards of tourists that traverse these waters on a daily basis, have not aided its recovery. So while the underwater scenery is incredibly beautiful, our footprint is unfortunately evident.

We were then taken to another dive location, where disaster ensued… which goes to show, just how prepared you think you are, sometimes, suddenly, you are not! Au accidentally lost my snorkel… panic stations… breathe in breathe out…

My cherry babe went for a quick dive to see whether he could recover it, but no doubt Nemo made off with it…

Now for the other 11 tourists on board, this would not have been a dilemma at all. I can be irrationally OCD when it comes to items that need to be placed in my mouth, so I spent the better part of the next 10 minutes wondering why on earth it had to be mine that was lost rather than one of the 11 others who couldn’t care less.

Without droning on for another 5 pages, this was quite an obstacle to me, and a very apologetic Au handed me another snorkel… which after another good 5 minutes of self talk and encouragement, I managed to place in my mouth, inhale, and get on with the business of snorkelling… as long as I didn’t think about it I was fine… if I did, there would be a quick hyperventilate until got my breathing back on track. If nothing else, I was certain that I enjoyed this snorkelling enough to overcome what was to me quite an enormous obstacle.

So back to the snorkelling… it was amazing and I loved it. Schools of fish would breeze on by, or pairs would circle each other in their own private little dance. There was a whole realm of underwater activity that I had never been privy too that I had now discovered, and it was a little bit addictive (even with a foreign snorkel in my mouth – and that is saying something).

Around lunchtime, we found a private sheltered bay where we enjoyed some time on the beach, shaded by the mangroves (sipping more sparkling) while we waited for our lunch to be prepared aboard the boat. Lunch was delicious! It was quite the banquet… and more sparkling… and then a quick dip… more sparkling and one more relocation for a final snorkel before heading home.

You would think with all this activity you would get tired, and probably a part of you does, but the day went so quickly and I just didn’t want to stop snorkelling. However, by your last dip, with the combination of food, wine and sun, you are quite happy to sit back, relax and enjoy the drive home. We had also forged friendships with everyone on board… amazing what a bit of sparkling can do… and the trip home was as entertaining as the day itself.

It really was a great day. Au looked after everyone. There were a few moments when we lagged behind, captivated by some sea creature or creation, only to look up and see Au looking out for us, making sure we weren’t drifting out to sea or being gobbled up by a shark or something… just for the record… we didn’t see any…

A great day out!

Lady Sarojin snorkelling cruises to the Similan Islands are available to guests staying at The Sarojin.

For more information:

http://www.sarojin.com/en/khao-lak-resort-facilities/adventure.html

Some Snorkelling Tips:

It is worth doing a private or small group charter to the Similan Islands. Trust me, diving in a small group is much more pleasant.

If you are a bit OCD, buy your own snorkel to take along… but secure it and keep your eye on it like a hawk… and if you loose it… get over it… it wont’ kill you… I lived to write the tale.

Buy yourself a small waterproof camera – it is fabulous fun. A whole new world to explore and immortalise to print.

Sunscreen… plenty of sunscreen, 50+, and keep reapplying… sunburn hurts… take a rashy if you have one. Your back will be exposed the most, so cover up if you can, even if it’s just a t-shirt.

While sparkling wine is offered to you at every opportunity, stay safe, and don’t drink more than you need to until you have finished snorkelling… and then make up for it, haha.