Similan Islands · Thailand · Pinnacle · Reef · Drift
Stonehenge
Boulder field from 24 to 36 m with near-constant current
Area photo: Reinhard Link · CC BY-SA 2.0
Stonehenge sits in open sea between Ko Miang and Ko Payu, with no island alongside to shelter it, and is a field of big boulders standing clear of one another. The rock starts around 24 m and goes down to 36 m, so the whole dive is deep and short by the standards of the park. There is almost always a current, and the traffic it brings is why divers make the trip out.
Where it is and how deep
8.5765° N, 97.6314° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The boulders are swum in between, used as route and as shelter at the same time, and with the top of the rock at 24 m there is no shallow ground alongside to move onto if the plan runs long. Bottom time is short compared with the reef sites in the park and the ascent is made in open water. The current is checked from the boat before anyone gets in, because it is almost always running and can be quite strong.
That moving water is what brings the traffic: whitetip, blacktip and leopard sharks are the draw, with barracuda, giant trevally and rays passing through in the same water. On the rock itself there are lobsters and sea slugs, and the ornate ghost pipefish for anyone looking closely.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Stingrays
- Nudibranchs
- 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
- A current is almost always running and can be quite strong; check it from the boat before jumping in and plan a short dive.
- The site sits between 24 and 36 m with no shallow reef alongside to retreat to, so bottom time is limited and the ascent is made in open water.
Sources
- Stonehenge — Divezone
- Stonehenge — Scubago
More dive sites in Similan Islands
Reef
Shallow coral bay used for snorkelling and night dives
Wreck
Park-scuttled fishing boat ringed by schooling batfish
Staghorn coral and garden eels on a long sandy slope
Reef
Gently sloping bay reef shared by courses and snorkellers
Reef
Three huge rocks with coral slopes, quieter than East of Eden
Drift
Strong-current ridge with soft coral gardens and big boulders
Violet and blue corals on the site's main bommie
Pinnacle
Granite tunnels and arches between islands 6 and 7
Similar dives elsewhere
A current-swept pinnacle from 30 m to within 5 m of the surface
Offshore pinnacle with barracuda, napoleon wrasse and blacktips
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The pinnacle the King Cruiser struck, carpeted in anemones
Untouched hard and soft coral on a rock topping out at 8 m