We’ve done a lot of snorkeling in our year of living in Thailand, but we can honestly say hands down that the Surin Islands have the best snorkeling in Thailand! They have the most diverse and healthy coral we’ve ever seen and the most fish! We even found Nemo which was so exciting! Check out the video below to see the magic of Surin for yourself!
If you too want to have the thrilling experience of discovering a hidden world under the sea then the Surin Islands are the best place for you! In this article, we’ll cover everything that you need to know about Surin, when is the best time to go, and what you should bring to have the best experience in paradise!
Where are the Surin Islands?
The Surin Islands are a cluster of 5 islands located about 55 km off of the west coast of mainland Thailand. They are part of Phang Nga province and the closest pier to go there will be located in Khao Lak or Khura Buri.
It takes about an hour and a half to reach the islands by speedboat and it’s definitely worth the effort to go!
What makes the Surin Islands so special?
The Surin Islands are classified as a national park, and preservation and conservation are their main goals. To avoid the effect of mass tourism, the islands are only open for six months out of the year. The park is closed for the other half of the year both because of rainy season and the dangerous storm it brings, and in order to prevent the overexploitation of the island’s unique ecological balance.
People often say that beauty is all about what’s underneath the surface, and that’s so true with Surin. The two biggest islands North Surin Island and South Surin Island are lovely and are worth a visit, but the real star of the show is under the water exploring the amazing coral reefs and the amazing marine life that fill these island’s waters.
When is the best time to go to the Surin Islands?
The Surin Islands are closed to tourism during the rainy season, therefore, the only time you can visit these beautiful islands is between October 15-May 15th.
We highly recommend checking the national park’s website here for updated information. Sometimes they close the island due to the covid-19 concerns or if the rainy season comes early.
What to expect from North Surin Island
Our tour stopped at North Surin Island for lunch and for some much-needed beach time! You can enjoy the views here, and the island even has a campsite and bungalows if you would like to stay on the island overnight.
What to expect from South Surin Island
South Surin Island is home to an ethnic minority called the Chao Lay who live in Morgan village. The Chao Lay are nomadic seafaring people who live on many of the islands in the Andaman Sea. This tribe really knows how to be one with the nature around them even in the biggest storms. When they saw signs of the big tsunami of 2004, the elders evacuated the village to higher ground, saving the lives of everyone in the village.
The village was completely destroyed, but they succeeded in rebuilding the village on the opposite side of the island. It was cool to see Morgan village and hear their amazing story.
They sell their jewelry and folk art as well so if you are looking for a unique souvenir from your time in Morgan village, you will definitely be able to get something.
Taking a day-trip to the Surin Islands
We booked our day trip to Surin Island through Seastar and had a great time. Our tour included transportation from Phuket to the pier, but it involved a 5:30 am pick up time because it’s a 2-hour drive to the pier in Khao Lak. If you want to avoid waking up this early, you might want to spend a couple of nights in Khao Lak to get a more reasonable wake-up time.
Other than the very early wake-up time, the tour was amazing and includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so you definitely will not go hungry. This tour includes a visit to North and South Surin Islands where you get to visit Morgan village and get a little beach time as well. It also includes three snorkeling dives where we found Nemo also known as the clownfish. We also saw big purple starfish, gorgeously vibrant purple coral, and hundreds if not thousands of colorful fish.
If you’d like $5 off your tour, you can use our referral link here!
Taking a multi-day diving trip
If you really want to explore these islands in detail Liveaboard offers many multi-day scuba diving trips. They have tours just for Surin and tours for both Surin and Similan combined. It’s nice to have the option to go even deeper and to experience the unique marine life in the Andaman sea up close and personal. These waters have manta rays and through rare, there is a chance you could see some whale sharks as well.
What to Bring
Your tour company will provide all the food and beverages that you could desire. They will also have snorkels, flippers, and even towels on request as well.
Your tour company really will take care of most things, but the most important things to bring on this tour included a little money for tips and souvenirs at Morgan village, sunscreen, an underwater camera, beach bag, sunglasses, and power bank or extra batteries for your phone or camera.
You will be snorkeling and laying on the beach the majority of the day so sunscreen is a must for sun protection.
You will snorkel three times and you are going to want to capture the fish and the coral that you will see with an underwater camera. We have a Go Pro and really enjoy the high quality of the video and its underwater capabilities are truly amazing!
There is so much that you will want to document about your trip, but your battery will not last the whole day if you are constantly taking pictures, and believe me, you will be taking pictures constantly! This is why we recommend a battery pack to recharge your phone and an extra Go Pro battery so you can film as many fish as you like.
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Where to Stay
We can highly recommend staying in Khao Lak if you plan on taking a Surin day trip. We stayed at the Beyond Resort Khao Lak when we visited the Similan islands and had a perfect stay! It’s such a beautiful, beachfront hotel with spacious rooms, and a gorgeous pool and garden. The food and service were also excellent. Another place that we can highly recommend!
Other Activities in the Area
If you are going to visit the Surin Islands, we also can highly recommend visiting the Similan Islands and Khao Sok National Park as well. These places are truly beautiful and worth seeing. You can learn more about them at the links below!
- Similan Islands
- Khao Sok National Park
- Samet Nangshe Viewpoint
Final Thoughts
f you enjoy exploring under the sea, you will not regret going to the Surin Islands. It was an unforgettable experience for us and we hope to go back one day to scuba dive as well. We wish you the best in planning your trip to the Surin Islands!
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Hi there, wondered if you could give advice.
We are staying in Khao lak. Possibly only have time for one of the 3 tours you have shared.
We will be travelling with our parents and our children aged 7 &11. If you had to choose between similan, Surin or Khao sok. Which would be your pick ? Thanks so much kind regards Heidi