RICHELIEU ROCK

Surin Islands National Park

Richelieu Rock is considered one of the top ten dive sites in the world – and once you visit it you will find out why. Some refer to it as the biggest fish tank in the world since the atmosphere around the rock is almost as if arranged by hand with fish packing the reef in perfect tranquility. For divers embarking on a 4-5 day liveaboard cruise out of Khao Lak or Phuket, Richelieu Rock will most likely be the northernmost point visited, while for cruises launching out of Ranong, it is the first stop after visiting the Surin Islands.

In season and with a bit of luck the chance of whale shark encounters is a definite highlight to any diver exploring the Similans and no other dive site has more sightings reported than Richelieu Rock. Big schools of snappers zip across the soft coral colonies spread all over the site in any imaginable color variation.