Similan Islands · Thailand · Pinnacle · Reef · Drift
Stonehenge
Boulder field from 24 to 36 m with near-constant current
Area photo: KOSIN SUKHUM · CC BY-SA 4.0
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 | Good | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Prime |
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
- 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
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Coral garden
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Drift
Strong-current ridge with soft coral gardens and big boulders
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Shallow bay under the duck-shaped rock, with no current
Similar dives elsewhere
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