
Surin islands tour by speedboat
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By Sam Wilkinson - Photos by
Stephan Audiger
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It seems that everybody has a dream of getting
away from it all. Perhaps an escape to a mountain
hideaway up in the clouds with eagles as companions;
or perhaps a camping adventure in a northern
wilderness
everybody has the same sort
of escapist dream.
Way more popular than any of its competitors,
however, is a visit to a tropical island and
so when the opportunity turned up to visit Surin
Island in the Andaman Sea on a snorkeling day
trip we leapt at it.
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We're off
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| At Kuraburi
Pier |
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The sun was peeping over the eastern hills of Khao
Lak when our day trips minivan growled into
our hotel car park. Soon, we were heading north to
the port of Kura Buri the closest point of
departure for Surin Island. At the port, day trippers
of various nationalities were getting sorted out with
snorkels and masks and dipping into the coffee and
tea facilities and we didnt have to wait long
before we loaded up into three-engine speedboats and
were heading out due west.
It was thrilling to feel the acceleration of the
three motors once we hit the high seas and when it
was announced that it would take an hour to reach
Surin some 60km away, it didnt take a
mathematical genius to figure out just how fast we
were going. Captain Bird anticipated local
fishing boats wakes and skillfully turned diagonally
into them before getting straight back on course.
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First stop
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| Almost
ready to dive |
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The Kuraburi coastline soon shrank while the looming
hulk of Surin grew on the horizon. We passed a gaggle
of liveaboard dive boats that were exploring the rich
coral and marine life at Richelieu Rock and soon we
dropped a couple off at the National Park and went
to our first dive spot Chong Khad.
Here, without the bracing sea breeze, things definitely
got tropical and we were glad to get into the somewhat
cooling water to gaze at the Moorish idols, sea bass,
cuttlefish and clownfish. All in all, there are some
48 different types of tropical fish at this island
and a laminated photo-album was passed around to give
more idea of what was going on underwater.
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Second stop
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| Snorkeling
at Mai Yai Bay |
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Next stop was Mai Yai Bay and here you can literally
drift along on a current, following this fish or that
a sort of very personal Day in the Life
of Nemo all according to how you feel.
The colours and the refracted sunlight are absolutely
splendid and with the late morning sun sending its
beams through the shoals of fish and the lower-lying
coral theres a hint of sub-aquatic magic in
the air.
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Lunch time at Surin National Park headquarters
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| Mai Yai
Bay view from the beach |
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At midday Captain Bird sounded his horn to gather
all the snorkelers and we were off back to the park
headquarters for a jovial lunch washed down with soft
drinks.
There, the cheerful air to our group soon dissipated
and faltered as the siesta hour raised its sleepy
head.
For some it was an opportunity to explore the rich
and photogenic shoreline, for others it was time to
take a little nap in the shade.
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Bye bye Surin
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| Snorkeling
at Tao Bay |
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Were once again ready for action by 1:30 and
off to Pak Kat Bay where a group of us scour the much
deeper waters for black-tipped sharks. We didnt
see any but we did follow a turtle as it went about
its daily rounds.
The lengthening suns rays add an extra dimension
at this time of day and the underwater world seems
all the more mysterious. For our final stop we dip
into the fantastically turquoise waters of Tao Bay.
If the water is not exactly turquoise its as
close to royal blue as possible. Gorgeous colours.
The captain heads the speedboat due east at 3:30 and
the hour-long dash back is soon over.
More tea and biscuits, then an excellent driver delivers
us safely back to our Khao Lak Resort in time for
an early dinner. The colours and sights of the day
at Surin seem almost fantastic in retrospect and have
lent a magic feel to our stay in this special region.
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Interested in this tour?
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Daytrip or packages (2 days/1 night & 3 days/2
nights) available to this remote paradise near the
border between Thailand and Myanmar.
Back to nature experience in an idylic environment:
turquoise waters & white sandy beaches, Sea gypsies
and wild life, ...
Daytrip: 3,000 Baht
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Photo Gallery of the tour
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Click to see the 31 photos of 'Surin
Islands Tour'
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Surin Islands Location Map
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