Need To Know: Similan And Surin Islands New Rules

Need To Know: Similan And Surin Islands New Rules

Similan And Surin Islands New Rules Being Enforced

Similan and Surin Islands new rules bombshell dropped a few days before the annual reopening. The number of daily visitors has been reduced to 3,850 and divers to just 525. Possibly in reaction to somewhat unflattering images of thousands of tourists packed onto small Similan Island beaches.

Park Fees To Be Paid In Advance

To ensure that no more divers than the allocated 525 per day enter Similan & Surin Island National Parks. Park tickets must be paid for in advance and will be allocated to your name which must be as stipulated in your passport. Name or date changing is not an option so all fees are non-refundable. If you wish to change the date of your liveaboard then you have to pay National Park Fees again.

For all bookings in the 2018/19 season and onwards guests must supply the following information:

  • Name as appears in passport
  • Passport#
  • Nationality
  • Date of birth

*Please ensure that you receive a ticket with the valid date

Scuba Diving Insurance Is Now Mandatory

Scuba Diving accident and evacuation Insurance coverage is now “mandatory” for all guests joining any Liveaboard trips. Even if customer bookings were completed before National Marine Parks implemented changes on October 13th 2018

If you have your own scuba diving accident Insurance coverage, we will require Insuring company name, policy number and contact number. For divers with scuba diving accident and evacuation covered under normal travel insurance. We will need to so see the part of the policy that states coverage to ensure it has adequate scuba diving accident coverage included.

Being able to display insurance on your phone should be enough. However it would be prudent to take a short trip back to the dark ages and print it out.

We can supply specific diving insurance through indepths. Daily coverage is THB 150 and weekly THB 600

No More Entry Level Courses

Under the Similan and Surin Islands new rules if you’ve planned an Open Water or Discover Scuba Diving course in the Similan Islands, well it’s not happening. Even if you’ve already booked it before the changes were announced. All divers must be already certified before entering the park.

No Single Use Plastics

Similan and Surin Islands new rules stipulate that single use plastic are no longer allowed inside the National Parks. This counts for all visitors including staff.

For example:

  • Bags from convenience stores or non convenient stores for that matter
  • New plastic wrapped items
  • Garbage bags
  • Plastic packaged food
  • Plastic cutlery

In essence try to avoid bringing any plastics you think can be construed as single or minimal use. We all know the huge issue of plastics in our oceans and divers should be the first to happily comply with this rule.

similan and surin new rules help reduce single use plastics and save turtles

similan and surin new rules help reduce single use plastics and save turtles

No More Island Stays

Camping on island no.4 has also been stopped so the only option to stay overnight is on a Similan Island liveaboard. With most boats spread between the Similan and Surin Island National Parks we don’t foresee an adverse effect on scuba diving. However for the day trip snorkelling tours it’s been a bit of a kick in the teeth. They’ve been forced to cancel or change destination on many advance bookings but….

Was It Really Such A Big Surprise?

In 2016 another idyllic island near the Similan Islands was closed to day trip tours. Koh Tachai’s pristine beach was being trashed by sheer volume, environmental damage was immense. Many visitors complained and eventually the island was closed to tourists before the damage became irreparable. The second warning came this year with the closure of Phi Phi’s Maya Bay for exactly the same reasons. So why think that the increasing number of tourists to Similan Island No.4 would end any differently.

Change For The Good

Although a bit more notice would have been nice. The Similan and Surin Island new rules and restrictions are for the good. The long term preservation of these stunning islands and dive sites benefit everyone. We do support the Thai governments stand and hope that it’s enforced correctly.

For the consumer it probably means there will be very few last minute deals, advance booking will be essential.

If you have any questions or wish to cement your place on a Similan Surin Island liveaboard then please contact our team.

Contact Us Now

Posted in News & Updates on .

Popular Services

Koh Bida Nai Scuba Diving Location

Koh Bida Nai

In the interest of variety we don't dive Koh Bida Nai very often. It's very similar to it's sister island Koh Bida Nok which we consider to be a better dive site. It was on a par but since we lost the beautiful staghorn fields to coral bleaching it's lost a little of it's lustre. Still it's an interesting dive site with lots of hard corals, boulders and swim throughs. The swim through at the south west corner is particular nice. It forms a [...]

Find Out More
local dive thailand privacy policy and terms and conditions

Privacy Policy

Local Dive Thailand operates localdivethailand.com. This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information we receive from users of the Site. We use your Personal Information only for providing and improving this web site and our customer service. By using this site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. While using our web site, we may as [...]

Find Out More

Daily Schedules

M/V Kepsub Schedule

Jobs @ Local Dive Thailand

Local Dive Thailand is one of Phuket's fatest growing & most vibrant scuba diving operations, we are always looking for quality staff to join us, so feel free to have a look at our jobs listing page.

Job Listings

Contact LDT

Local Guides, Local Knowledge, Local Experiences

Don't trust your diving to amateurs or freshly minted dive guides, dive with local experienced experts from Local Dive Thailand. Our Scuba Diving Phuket Tours will take you to see the rarest of the rare critters, you will be amazed by the macro life our guides can find, in the secret places only they know. To put it in perspective, if you were going to climb Mount Everest you would certainly hire a local sherpa to lead the way & keep you safe. Diving is similar because there is absolutely no substitute for local experience & local knowledge, Local Dive Thailand's guides are Phuket's Sherpa's of the Andaman Sea!

Learn More About Us

Scuba Diving Phuket, Phi Phi & Thailand

When talking about Scuba Diving in Phuket, you should believe the hype, many seasons we have had Whale Sharks grace us on our regular and easy to reach dive sites and on a good day you can add Sea Horses, Sea Moths, Snake Eels, Frog Fish & Octopus to what you can see on any given dive and so much more. If we are heading to Phi Phi Island for the day, you can possibly see Hawksbill Sea Turtles and Black Tip Reef Sharks, also don't forget the King Cruiser, 84 meters of beautiful wreck and the most amazing reef nursery for fish and nudibranch. Local Dive Thailand day trip tours to these locations are not to be missed when you are scuba diving Phuket, get in touch with us and book an 'awesome' day of diving.

Book Your Day Trip

Related News From Local Dive Thailand

See why we are Thailand's leading scuba diving Phuket tour provider, stay up to date & watch out for news & special liveaboard offers!

learn to dive as a family in phuket Phuket Sights & Fun

Scuba Diving – Getting Family And Friends Involved

Enthusing about your latest dive to family and friends can often be met with some bored looking stares. It's very hard to get across the sensations that we experience to others who've never tried. The feeling of weightlessness, the colours, the excitement of getting up close to some incredible creatures is very hard for non divers to comprehend. The only way around it is to get them to try. It may well sound like the perfect solution to [...]

Read Full Story
spectacular sunsets on the phi phi island diving tour Amazing Local Dives

Phi Phi Diving Tour With Local Dive Thailand

Our Phi Phi diving tour is the longest day trip that we offer. That's certainly not a bad thing, you'll be rewarded with spectacular diving, scenery, fantastic memories and get to watch the sun dip below the horizon behind the Big Buddha statue. A perfect end to a perfect day. Embrace your time on the ocean, it's not something you can do everyday. The journey out, although long won't be boring. After a hearty breakfast, you can take yo [...]

Read Full Story
scuba diving is very safe Scuba Diving For Beginners

Is Scuba Diving Safe?

We're obviously biased but we think scuba diving is a very safe activity. Of course as with all adventure sports/hobbies there is an element of risk. The hard facts support that accidents in scuba diving are firstly rare and mostly the fault of the diver and could have been easily avoided. So let's have a look at some of the common safety procedures that keep you safe. Unsurprisingly, running out of air is the main culprit in scuba div [...]

Read Full Story

Local Dive Thailand Office In Phuket


Find Us On Google Maps