Similan Islands · Thailand · Drift · Reef · Pinnacle
Deep Six
Strong-current ridge with soft coral gardens and big boulders
Area photo: Reinhard Link · CC BY-SA 2.0
Deep Six is off the north tip of Similan Island 6 and is classified as both a deep and a drift dive. A V-shaped ridge runs from 5 m down past 40 m, with hard coral, soft coral gardens, sponges and huge granite boulders along it, and the current here is strong. The normal profile stays between 10 and 25 m, which is as much as most groups take of a ridge that deep.
Where it is and how deep
8.5985° N, 97.6370° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The ridge is V-shaped and runs from about 5 m down past 40 m, so the depth taken is a decision made on entry rather than one the site makes for you; the normal band is 10 to 25 m. Huge granite boulders sit along it with hard coral, soft coral gardens and sponges growing over them, and the coral took notable damage in the 2004 tsunami and is described as slowly recovering.
Current here is strong and it sets the shape of the dive: you go in with it, cover ground along the ridge and finish where it puts you rather than back where you started. Giant trevally, dogtooth tuna and rainbow runner work that water, and whitetip reef sharks, leopard sharks and blue-spotted stingrays are found lower down on the rock.
Marine life and season
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Similan Islands: The park is closed by law from mid-May to mid-October; December to April is the calm high season.
Know before you go
- The current is strong and the site is dived as a drift; carry a marker buoy and expect the ascent to be made in open water away from where you went in.
Sources
- Deep Six — Divezone
- Deep Six — Scubago
- Similan Islands dive sites — Dive The World
- Similan Islands — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in Similan Islands
Staghorn coral and garden eels on a long sandy slope
Reef
Gently sloping bay reef shared by courses and snorkellers
Pinnacle
Boulder field from 24 to 36 m with near-constant current
Reef
Three huge rocks with coral slopes, quieter than East of Eden
Violet and blue corals on the site's main bommie
Pinnacle
Granite tunnels and arches between islands 6 and 7
Reef
Longest reef in the Similans, over 300 coral species
Wreck
The 27 m liveaboard Atlantis X, bow at 16 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Fast drift over a rocky slope with devil rays and reef sharks
Drift over the Nang Yuan rock, with 40 m a short swim west
Mantas swooping past a reef cut with shelter channels
.jpg){kind=link}
A brief, powerful drift where threshers and hammerheads come out of the blue