Similan Islands · Thailand · Reef · Pinnacle · Sand slope
East of Eden
Violet and blue corals on the site's main bommie
Photo: Reinhard Link from Germany · CC BY-SA 2.0
East of Eden is a hard-coral slope on the east side of the Similans built around the coral bommie the site is known for, dived between 10 and 25 m. The reef keeps going down to about 30 m where sand takes over, and a wide sand opening on the standard route holds a colony of garden eels. It is one of the most popular sites here and can feel busy in liveaboard high season.
Where it is and how deep
8.5931° N, 97.6406° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The reef is a slope of hard coral that runs down to around 30 m, where the sand bottom takes over from it. The usual profile stays between 10 and 25 m, and the feature the site is dived for is the bommie the site is known for, carrying violet and blue corals. Current can be strong on this slope, so which end of it the dive starts from is a decision made on the day.
The standard route crosses a large sand opening where garden eels stand out of the bottom in numbers, and past it the coral picks up again. This is one of the better macro dives on the east side, with frogfish a realistic find alongside smaller critters on the reef, and the same slope brings size with it: barracuda, trevally, dogtooth tuna and rainbow runner over the coral, Napoleon wrasse and groupers on it, and leopard sharks, whitetip reef sharks and the occasional manta ray passing through.
Visibility past 30 m is normal here, which is part of why the site is dived so often. It is popular enough that in liveaboard high season several boats can be working it at once and the group ahead may already be at the bommie, so an early or late slot in the day's schedule is worth asking the crew for.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Frogfish
- Manta rays
- Napoleon wrasse
- Reef sharks
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Macro critters
| 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
- Current can be strong on the slope even though the profile is shallow, and the sand opening offers nothing to hold on to; carry a marker buoy for a blue-water ascent.
- The site is popular and gets crowded in liveaboard high season, with more than one group working the same bommie.
Photos from East of Eden
29cm from Hong Kong · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Giant Moray Eel swimming at 'East of Eden', Similan Islands, Thailand · atomjack on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is East of Eden?+
The normal profile runs 10 to 25 m. The hard-coral slope continues past that to about 30 m where sand takes over, so the deeper edge is there but the dive does not need it.
Is East of Eden good for macro photography?+
Yes. It is rated as really good for macro, with a realistic chance of frogfish and other small critters on the coral, and the garden eel colony out on the sand gives another subject on the same route.
Sources
- East of Eden dive site — Divezone
- Diving in Thailand — Wikivoyage
Photo credits
- Sea turtle swimming near the surface over a Similan Islands reef by Reinhard Link from Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Diver's view looking up through blue water past a coral-covered wall by 29cm from Hong Kong, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to dive in DecemberTrip planning · 10 min read
- Where to dive in every month of the yearTrip planning · 14 min read
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Drift
Strong-current ridge with soft coral gardens and big boulders
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral top at 4 m with an outer sand slope running to 30 m
Manta cleaning stations at 10–15 m, with 8–9 mantas at once on a good day
A current-swept pinnacle from 30 m to within 5 m of the surface
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The pinnacle the King Cruiser struck, carpeted in anemones