Trip BB2618 Similan Islands

Trip BB2618 has returned to land after 4 days of excellent diving, awesome camaraderie, and the kind of weather that makes you forget what day it is.

After the usual pre-trip shuffle (including one late taxi, because tradition), we finally slipped lines at 23:30 with bellies full of Penang gai and a proper spread of sides, and pointed the bow out towards the Similans with an air of optimism.

Day 1 kicked off with a solid check dive at West of Eden—nice and calm overall, with a bit of chop in the channel just to remind everyone they’re on a boat. Hideaway Bay followed with a mellow wreck/drift and an octopus cameo, then Three Trees brought the fishy vibes… though the headline sighting happened in the most “Andaman” way possible: the bumphead parrotfish showed up during the dinghy ride to the beach, a very rare sighting. After that, you guys hit Island 8 for Donald Duck Bay, stretched the legs with a hike up to the Sail Rock viewpoint, then came back in time for the sunset splash at Turtle Rock to close out the day on a high.

Day 2 got straight into the good stuff at North Point, where a pipehorse at the pinnacle set the tone nicely. Then it was onwards to Koh Bon for a calm ridge dive, before pushing up to Koh Tachai for some bigger-water energy: moderate current, hunting trevally doing what they do best, and plenty of schooling action to keep eyes wide and fins busy. Dinner was an absolute winner (ribs, massaman beef, seared mackerel… no notes), and we tucked in for the night at Moken Village to get a bit of shelter and some proper rest.

Day 3 was a lovely progression: Aow Pakkad first, where things stayed calm and the blacktip reef shark made a welcome appearance, and then we rolled into Richelieu Rock for the main event. Richelieu delivered that classic “where do I even look?” feeling—seahorses, hunting action, and all the little treasures that turn a dive into a scavenger hunt. And then came the moment that basically wrote its own punchline: the Cheesecake Nudibranch sighting was immediately followed by cheesecake for snacks. How poetic!

To wrap things up, we finished with Koh Bon again—ridge and then the bay was the right way to end a trip: last dives that feel satisfying rather than rushed, and that post-dive glow that carried us all the way back to land.

Thanks a million to the crew for making everything run smoothly, and to you guys for being easy company and good fun all the way through. Same time next trip?