Similan Islands, the area around Hideaway Bay

Similan Islands · Thailand · Reef · Coral garden · Night

Hideaway Bay

Shallow coral bay used for snorkelling and night dives

Area photo: KOSIN SUKHUM · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hideaway Bay, sometimes called Barracuda Point, is a shallow bay off the southern point of Island 5, with coral through the bay and granite boulders covered in coral at its edge. Most of the diving is inside 10 m, the current is usually gentle, and the bay is used for snorkelling and night diving as much as for ordinary daytime dives.

Also known as Barracuda Point.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Hideaway Bay: typical dive 0–10 m (0–33 ft), deepest point 35 m (115 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit0 m10 m35 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

8.5696° N, 97.6452° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The diving is shallow and unhurried: coral through the bay itself, and at its edge granite boulders covered with coral that are worth going out to, where the ground reaches about 35 m. With the current usually gentle there is no route you have to follow and no timing to keep, which is what makes the bay work for a night dive and for snorkellers over the same coral in daylight. Most groups never leave the top 10 m.

Reef sharks, turtles and groupers are all seen here, along with the usual reef life of the Andaman Sea. Watch where you put your hands and knees while you are down there: stonefish and scorpionfish are both present, and on a site this shallow, with plenty of coral to hover over, that matters more to the dive than depth or current do.

Marine life and season

  • Reef sharks
  • Sea turtles
  • Groupers
Month-by-month season rating for Hideaway Bay
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimeGoodOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonGoodPrime

Season follows Similan Islands: Similan National Park closes mid-May to mid-October for monsoon recovery; calm seas and peak manta/whale shark sightings run December-March.

Know before you go

  • Stonefish and scorpionfish are both present in the bay; stay off the bottom and watch where hands and knees go on a site this shallow.

Sources

  1. Hideaway Bay — Divezone
  2. Hideaway Bay — Scubago
  3. Barracuda Point/Batfish Bend — Scubago
  4. Similan Islands dive sites — Dive The World

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