Surin Island
Encyclopedia
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s of the Andaman Sea
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
, located 55 km from the Thai
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
mainland. Administratively, the islands are part of Tambon Ko Phra Thong, Amphoe Khura Buri
Amphoe Khura Buri
Khura Buri is a district in the province Phang Nga in the south of Thailand.-Geography:The district is located at the coast to the Andaman Sea as the northernmost district of Phang Nga Province...
, in the Phang Nga Province
Phang Nga Province
Phang Nga is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Ranong, Surat Thani and Krabi. To the south is the Phuket province, but without land boundary to Phang Nga....
of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
The Mu Ko Surin National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติหมู่เกาะสุรินทร์) covers the area of the islands and their surrounding waters. The park is home to one of the most famous dive sites
Diving in Thailand
Scuba diving in Thailand is very popular. Thailand has some reefs and a number of shipwrecks. The number of divers coming to Thailand continues to increase year after year ....
in the world, Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock is a dive site in Thailand situated in the Andaman Sea about 200 km north-west of Phuket. It is part of the Mu Koh Surin marine park although being about 18 km east of Surin island....
. In addition the islands feature pristine reefs, making it home to some of the best snorkeling in Thailand.
Geography
The five islands are Ko Surin Nuea, Ko Surin Tai, Ko Ri, Ko Kai and Ko Klang, with Ko Surin Nuea and Ko Surin Tai being the two main islands in the group. The Thai-Burmese oceanic border is located a few kilometers north of the Park. About 100 km to the south is Mu Ko Similan National Park.Attractions
Nicobar Pigeon
The Nicobar Pigeon, Caloenas nicobarica, is a pigeon found on small islands and in coastal regions from the Nicobar Islands, east through the Malay Archipelago, to the Solomons and Palau. It is the only living member of the genus Caloenas....
and Mangrove Monitor Lizards.
Below the water can be found a very rich and pristine coral reef ecosystem. While small portions of the islands were affected by the 2004 tsunami, most reefs are still quite healthy.
The Surin Islands host to two small communities of the small ethnic Moken
Moken
The Moken , are an Austronesian ethnic group with about 2,000 to 3,000 members who maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture. They speak their own language which belongs to the Austronesian language family.-Nomenclature:They refer to themselves as Moken...
minority, which belongs to the groups known as "Chao Lay" or "Sea Gypsies
Sea Gypsies
Sea Gypsies may refer to:In geography, it can refer to any of several groups in southeast Asia:* Bajau, an indigenous ethnic group residing in Sabah, eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, and parts of Sarawak, sometimes including the people who speak Makassar, and Bugis.* Moken,...
". The Moken population of the Surin Island averages around 150 persons.
Dive Sites
Richelieu Rock, a rock in the middle of the sea, and located about 18 km east of the islands, is commonly referred to one as one of the ten best dive spots in the world. Named after Andreas du Plessis de RichelieuAndreas du Plessis de Richelieu
Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu was a Danish naval officer and businessman who became a Siamese admiral and minister of the navy...
, the first (and only foreign) Commander-in-Chief of the Thai Navy, the remote rock is home to some of the largest marine life species in Thailand. Sightings of whale shark
Whale shark
The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is a slow-moving filter feeding shark, the largest extant fish species. The largest confirmed individual had a length of and a weight of more than , but unconfirmed claims report considerably larger whale sharks...
, manta ray
Manta ray
The manta ray is the largest species of the rays. The largest known specimen was more than across, with a weight of about . It ranges throughout waters of the world, typically around coral reefs...
and shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s are common.
Other Popular dive sites include Hin Kong, Koh Torinla and Koh Chi.
Mu Ko Surin National Park
Mu Ko Surin National Park covers an area of approximately 141.25 km2. It contains the Surin Islands and the surrounding waters. Of the protected area 108 km2 or 80% is sea. The Park was gazetted as the 29th National park of Thailand on July 9, 1981.Access
Access to the Surin Islands Marine National Park is easiest from either Khao LakKhao Lak
Khao Lak ) is a seaside resort located in the Takua Pa district in the Phang Nga province, Thailand and popular as a departure point for liveaboard scuba diving trips to the Similan Islands....
, Khura Buri or Koh Phra Thong in mainland Phang Nga Province
Phang Nga Province
Phang Nga is one of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the shore to the Andaman Sea. Neighboring provinces are Ranong, Surat Thani and Krabi. To the south is the Phuket province, but without land boundary to Phang Nga....
. Travel to the Surin Islands is only safe from November to May. The park is closed in the other months. The mainland office of the park is in Ngan Yong, just north of Khura Buri. Dive operators in Khao Lak offer live-aboard diving trips and day trips via speedboat.