Dive Review of South Siam Divers/South Siam 3 in
Thailand/Similan Islands

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South Siam Divers/South Siam 3, Nov, 2013, by Wellington, DC, US ( Sr. Reviewer 7 reports with 1 Helpful vote). Report 7450 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Good: The Similans are unusual destination as the underwater topography involves granite slab, boulders and formations. Dramatic swimthroughs with towering angular rocks. Richeleu Rock was an incredible U shapped multi-pinnacle formation, that I would describe as "Poseidon's throne room" drenched in soft corals, large fields of anenome, and swarms of fish (inlcuding large groupers) engaged in predator/prey behavior - for me a World Class dive and absolute must do here. Macro sightings featured Sea Goblins, Nudis. one group saw a whale shark, and reports of mantas the week earlier. One beach excursion with a hike to Sail Rock. Bad: The reefs, in exception to Richeleu Rock, were in terrible shape. Piles of dead rubble and bare coral heads, with a few spots had nice soft corals and gorgonians. The night dives were fairly uneventful. Currents can be strong. Sites often had 2-4 liveaboards on them. Trips were guided only, I came back with over 1000 PSI on many dives. Our freelanced DM for a portion of the trip, while technically competent, was new to the sites and therefore did not ID anything, or know where he was going. The Boat: I paid $300 a night including base rate, fees, tips. On South Siam 3, the staterooms are not good, the worst I've had since Blackbeards (maybe worse). They smelled musty, with nasty lampshades, gross plastic fiber weave carpeting, and cheap linens. (good ac though). No towels, bring your own. Bathrooms are shared but fine. In light of these spartan accomodations, it's a little pricey IMO. The lounge deck is spacious and comfy, food is delicious thai/western, and the boat staff is very good. Dive Operations and Logistics are excellent. With transfers to and from Patong included and flexible scheduling, South Siam might be your best/only option. The rooms are bad though and not at all luxurious. In Short: If you can get dives at Richeleu Rock and on the Similans (Koh Bon was not as good) it's worth at least one trip.
Websites	South Siam Divers
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Sipadan, Cocos Island, Maldives, Honduras, Belize, Bahamas, Cozumel, Florida Keys, Bonaire
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, choppy, currents
Water Temp	82-82°F / 28-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	50-80 Ft/ 15-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Guided group diving only. 30M max depth
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Boat has a Large designated camera rinse tank. Dive deck is crowded, with one table used as a mess area for crew in the middle. Not ideal for SLR shooters. No SLR shooters/pros on staff. Room had plenty of sockets. I was shooting a gopro, therefore fine.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of South Siam Divers/South Siam 3 in Thailand/Similan Islands

South Siam Divers/South Siam 3, Nov, 2013,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of South Siam Divers/South Siam 3 in
Thailand/Similan Islands