Similan Islands · Thailand · Reef · Pinnacle
Turtle Rock
Canyons between the rocks, gorgonians below 20 m
Area photo: Reinhard Link · CC BY-SA 2.0
Turtle Rock is a cluster of rocks and canyons off the west side of Ko Similan, the island numbered 8, dived for the gaps between the blocks rather than as a continuous reef. Soft coral, gorgonians and staghorn cover the rock below 20 m, and turtles, lobsters and several species of nudibranch are what divers come away with. The current is normally gentle.
Where it is and how deep
8.6649° N, 97.6397° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You drop onto a group of rocks with canyons running between them, and the dive is a matter of picking your way through the gaps and holding a depth rather than following a reef edge. The usual working depth is 10 to 25 m and the deepest ground reaches about 30 m, so the profile is yours to set. With the current generally gentle, the canyons can be swum at your own pace rather than timed against moving water.
Below 20 m the rock carries soft coral, gorgonians and staghorn, and that band is where most of the dive is spent. Sweetlips, snappers, angelfish and moray eels hold on the structure, garden eels and blue-spotted stingrays sit out on the sand between the rocks, and turtles, lobsters and several species of nudibranch are common enough to plan a camera around. Sharks are seen here as well.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Stingrays
- 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Turtle Rock?+
The normal diving depth is 10 to 25 m and the maximum depth on the site is 30 m. Most of the coral interest, the soft coral, gorgonians and staghorn, sits below 20 m, so the deeper half of that band is where the dive is spent.
Sources
- Turtle Rock — Divezone
- Turtle Rock — Scubago
More dive sites in Similan Islands
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Wreck
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Longest reef in the Similans, over 300 coral species
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Coral garden
Morning light on a shallow coral garden off Ko Bangu
Reef
Granite boulder maze of swim-throughs, caverns and morays
Granite arches at the exposed north end of the chain
Drift
Strong-current ridge with soft coral gardens and big boulders
Similar dives elsewhere
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Coral top at 4 m with an outer sand slope running to 30 m
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A 40 m drop-off on the west side, with 20 to 30 m of visibility