November
Offers Exciting Diving Opportunities in the Similan Islands
Khao
Lak, Thailand: November is the best month to dive in Thailand’s Similan
Islands, and to back up this claim, Oktavia Dive Center is diving headfirst
into the start of the season by offering money-saving deals on their reputable
excursions for the first six trips.
Seeing
nature in its natural habitat is best done without the hordes of tourists that
navigate their way to this popular diving hotspot later in the year. There are
many reasons why November is the best time to put on your
fins, spit in your facemask and submerge yourself into the waters surrounding
the Similan Islands, with the primary one being how quiet it is. According to The
Guardian, the Similan Islands rank number nine in their list of the world’s
top 10 dive sites and the area attracts divers of all experience levels like
sharks to chum lines - but not in November.
Oktavia
Dive Center sends its trusty MV Oktavia out from Khao Lak to the
Similans and, according to Office Manager Jamie Walsh, November is the
best month to see an abundance of aquatic animals: “November is a great time to
book a dive trip as the weather is sunny, the water is calm, there are very few
dive boats, the visibility is clear and perhaps most importantly, the sea is
teeming with marine life.” After ferrying more than 500 divers and snorkelers
to the Similan Islands during the 2013-2014 diving season, taking advice from
this well-established local dive company is a safe bet.
He
went on to add: “We want people to enjoy diving with the local manta rays,
turtles and whale sharks and, with few divers in November, we decided to offer
all of our customers who book on the first six trips of the season free equipment
hire and free Nitrox to encourage more people to take advantage of the great
diving conditions.”
The
Similan Islands are open from mid-October to mid-May and they have a powerful
diver-magnetism, as they are widely regarded as being the top diving location in
Thailand. Two weeks before the start of November sees the reopening
of the Similan Islands after a five-month hiatus to ensure the reefs and
wildlife thrive in a human-free habitat. The start of the diving season coupled
with November’s sunny weather ensures that the water is bursting with marine
life. Khao Lak is the most convenient place to use as a jump-off point and, as
November is officially the first month of high season it remains one of the
quietest and therefore best times to visit.
After
starting their operations in 2009, Oktavia Dive Center claims that the
2013-2014 season saw more sightings of whale sharks than in the previous five
years, a prospect that will get divers wiggling with excitement in their
wetsuits. Frommer’s portrays Khao Lak as ‘the perfect gateway to the
Similans’, while Rough Guides label it a ‘convenient yet beautiful
departure point’, and these are perfect descriptions of the area. December
through to May welcomes the majority of the tourists and keen divers to Khao
Lak, with some hotels enjoying 90% occupancy rates over the peak and high
season periods. However, in November, hotels are peaceful, restaurants are
enjoyable and the sun has got his hat on, so a relaxing holiday-buzz can be
enjoyed both on land and under the water.
Plus
the tempting promise of a great diving deal cements November’s claim for being
the best month for diving in the Similans.
************
Contact Jamie
Walsh: info@oktaviadivecenter.com / +66 (0) 83 6340 383
Oktavia Dive
Center Company LTD
5/21 Moo 7, Khao
Lak,
Phang Nga 82190,
Thailand
Phone: +66(0) 83
634 0383
Fax: +66(0) 76 485
389
Email:
info@oktaviadivecenter.com
