Reefwander
A dark butterflyfish with a red tail and white face bar swims between a branching table coral and rounded coral heads — Honeymoon Bay, Similan Islands

Similan Islands · Thailand · Reef · Sand slope · Night

Honeymoon Bay

Staghorn coral and garden eels on a long sandy slope

Photo: luluchouette · CC BY 4.0

Honeymoon Bay is a sloping sandy reef that runs the length of its island's eastern side in the Similans, built mainly of hard coral especially staghorn. It is dived by day and as a sunset or night dive, with sandy patches that hold garden eels and stingrays.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Honeymoon Bay: typical dive 5–20 m (15–66 ft), deepest point 30 m (100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit5 m20 m30 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

8.5672° N, 97.6418° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The reef slopes from 5 m down to more than 30 m, but most of the marine life is found between 5 and 20 m, so the dive runs along the island at that level rather than down the slope. Staghorn coral makes up much of the reef and shelters many different species, while out on the sandy areas garden eels, blue-spotted and Kuhl's stingrays and gobies are found.

Marine life and season

  • Stingrays
Month-by-month season rating for Honeymoon Bay
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeFairOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonFairGoodPrime

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 can be quite strong here, especially around full and new moon.

Photos from Honeymoon Bay

  • luluchouette · CC BY 4.0

Dive videos

Honeymoon Bay dive site, (Koh Miang, Similan Island 4), Thailand, scuba diving · Colin Macdonald on YouTube

Whitebait on Night Dive at "Honeymoon Bay" | Diving in the Similan Islands · Pattaya Divers Reviews on YouTube

Questions divers ask

Is Honeymoon Bay a good night dive in the Similans?+

Yes. The bay is dived by day and as a sunset or night dive, with most of its life on the slope between 5 and 20 m.

Sources

  1. Honeymoon Bay – Similan Island 4 — Indepth Dive Centre Phuket
  2. Khao Lak day trips — Sea-Bees Diving
  3. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap

Photo credits

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