Why I think Everyone Should Snorkel Koh Surin!

Wow! These islands are gorgeous! I wasn’t sure what to expect… I thought perhaps they would be similar to Koh Lipe – a touristy island surround by smaller islands and good snorkelling spots. Those of you who have been to the Surin Islands would now be aware that I did very little research of the area before I went. What I discovered was that the Surin islands are beautiful and still rather remote, with little more to do than snorkelling, diving and relaxing. We had found paradise!  

Mu Koh Surin National Park is comprised of 5 islands. Koh Surin Nua (north) and Koh Surin Tai (south) are the largest, followed by Koh Pachumba, Koh Torinla and Koh Chi. (The names of the islands vary depending on what map you are looking at… don’t ask me why, they just do and not only in this area but many of the Thailand islands.)

Our first stop after sailing from Koh Phayam was at Koh Chi (red marker on the map above). I was completely smitten with this little island when I saw it; it is just stupendous! We had to anchor on the southern side of the island due to the prevailing wind and the water was very deep which posed some problems. We had to get quite close to the rocky shoreline in order to anchor and we obviously had to think carefully about our choice to do so, because if the weather conditions changed we might end up in a precarious position. From checking the weather the day before we were reassured by the fact that the weather was suppose to remain stable for the next five days and we so wanted to stay, so we did. We anchored in this little bit of paradise and went snorkelling.

Well if I was smitten with Koh Chi before I got in the water I was completely captivated, enchanted and so totally in love with the place when I plunged into the alluring blue water and swam with schools of fish. Just amazing. This quickly made it into our top 5 snorkel sites!

Monolithic granite boulders plummet precipitously into the limpid depths, turning this underwater world into a sublime mystical place of exploration. It was a spectacular snorkel as we meandered around boulders and through caves sharing our journey with hundred of fish. We stayed for two nights and enjoyed three days of snorkelling before we moved on. In that time we snorkelled almost the entire circumference of the island. We saw an abundance of fish of many varied types including a black tip reef shark and we watched a large reef octopus making its way across the sea floor. I will write a list of all the marine life I could identify, while snorkelling the Surin Islands, at the bottom of this post.

We were loath to leave our newly found nirvana, but it was time to move on and we reluctantly pulled up the anchor and motored around to Ao Mai Ngam ( yellow marker), a large bay on Koh Surin Nua. We didn’t go ashore at Hat Mai Ngam, we just picked up a mooring in the late afternoon, and went for a snorkel before the sun set. 

Hat Mai Ngam is one of only two places at which the national park has accommodation and a restaurant. The accommodation is mostly camping but there are a few bungalows for larger groups. It is all very basic, and from what I have read about it… the place is a paradise!  

The next morning we moored at Koh Pachumba (green marker) for an early snorkel. When we first jumped into the water we were shocked by the dead staghorn coral, but as we snorkelled further afield we found some beautiful coral gardens alive with a dazzling variety of colourful fish.

I have since found out that the coral around the Surin Islands suffered in 2010 from warmer than average waters which caused coral bleaching and the death of large amounts of coral. The coral is regenerating well and there is a lot of new coral to see – don’t let it put you off – the snorkelling here is fabulous! More about the coral bleaching.

After our early morning swim we stopped between the two larger islands (white marker) and went off to explore. Snorkelling around this area was really very pleasant and we got to see a couple of turtles and lots of large fish. At Ao Kong Khad we found the ranger station, along with the second camp area, bungalows, a restaurant, information centre and tourists, mostly day trippers who, at that time of day, were all piling on the fast boats for their trip back to the main land.

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Our next stop was between Koh Torinla and Koh Surin Tai  for another snorkel. This area was really good. Again the area  was alive with large fish, colourful fish, and huge schools of fish. We saw a turtle and a black tip reef shark! Awesome!

We moved onto another bay on Koh Surin Nua (orange marker) and picked up a mooring. The beach here is beautiful but access to it is not easy when the tide is out and the reef and rocks are exposed. We did however find the time to string up our hammock under a tree and relax in the shade with a book. The next morning we arrived at our little spot on the beach at high tide to find we now had waterfront living!

The snorkelling was nice further out from shore. The are some huge bommies that are home to anemones and clownfish, christmas tree worms and boring clams. Lots of fish…I know I keep mentioning the fish… but there is literally an abundance of fish around the Surin Islands. It obviously makes a difference when fishing in the area is forbidden or regulated. All of the really good snorkelling that we have done here in Thailand have been in National Parks… I think that says something.

After three nights moored off Koh Surin Nua it was time to move on. Mu Koh Surin National Park is the perfect place to go to escape the rat race, snorkel, dive, explore and relax. We will be sure to visit again but for now it is time to continue our journey…off to the Similan Islands and more snorkelling!