Koh Tachai – Day trip from Khao Lak

Koh Tachai – Day trip from Khao Lak.
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2 ways to get to my favorite dive site in Thailand – today it’s a daytrip to Koh Tachai from Khao Lak - and the other way is liveaboard safari starting from Khao Lak as well. Koh Tachai is not one of the 9 Similan Islands but the most northern Island still within Similan National Marine Park.

My favorite dive site due to the diversity of marine life found here. It’s extraordinary even for The Similans with the amount of fish you see here. All the corals are in pristine condition and great in numbers and diversity like the fish. I could dive here 4 times a day when on liveaboard and still love every dive.

First dive we go north of the main Pinnacle where not too many guides go. Away from the crowd to see if we can find a something big in the deep sandy patches. We are lucky to find the biggest Jenkin’s Whip Ray I have ever seen. 

Must have been almost 2m between the wingtips and she didn’t mind us at all so we got VERY close and left her sitting there after spending a few min taking in the beauty of one of the world’s biggest bottom dwelling rays.

Crystal clear waters as always at The Similan with huger Marble Groupers swimming between the rocks and lots of colorful reef fish all around us. Back to Koh Tachai main Pinnacle to do our safety stop looking down on all the action awaiting us on the second dive.

Second dive we stay on the main Pinnacle where we enjoy the swim troughs and look for macro life. I spot Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Cleaner Pipefish and a few colorful Nudibranchs. On our way up we drop by Batfish Rock and we swim close to the Longfin Batfish while Giant- and Bluefin Trevally are hunting around and above us. 

On our safety stop a big shoal of Chevron Barracuda were circling magically around us with the sun right in the middle just like on a National Geographic photo.

At the surface I think about how nice it would have been being on a liveaboard trip and do a sunset dive here on my favorite Similan dive site as well. Going back to Khao Lak for a nice dinner is only next best choice for me. 

Similan National Marine Park has so much to offer and a liveaboard trip is the best way to see more of it in a few days and still have time to see all the other attractions around Khao Lak.

On the way back my divers are already planning their next trip to Thailand and this time back to Khao Lak and do a whole liveaboard safari – they are hooked on The Similans just like me.