Richelieu Rock
Schools of chevron barracuda overhead while tigertail seahorses, harlequin shrimps and ghost pipefish hide in fields of soft coral.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Whale sharks
Advanced≤30 m
Koh Tachai Pinnacle
Dive site in Similan Islands & Khao Lak, Thailand
A hard-coral-topped pinnacle from 12 m where mantas cruise and batfish hang in the current, reached only by liveaboard.
- Max depth
- 40 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Feb–Apr
- Entry
- Liveaboard
- Current
- Strong
The dive
A pinnacle dive from a liveaboard. Known for manta rays and leopard (zebra) sharks.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: sunrise-divers.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- CurrentCurrent can be strong; you need good air management and buoyancy.
- Strong current: dive with a local guide and carry a surface marker buoy.
- The site goes deeper than 30 m: Advanced divers stay above 30 m.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Pinnacle
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Manta rays
- Leopard (zebra) sharks
- Batfish
Season in Similan Islands & Khao Lak
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Feb–Apr.
Source: liveaboard.comWhere is the Similan Islands & Khao Lak?
The point shows the Similan Islands & Khao Lak area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Similan Islands & Khao Lak
Reef
down to 30 m
Turtle Rock
Easy 10-15 m dive in Donald Duck Bay, Island 8, with mild current, turtles and Kuhl's stingrays; great for night diving, especially for beginners.
- Open Water
- Leopard (zebra) sharks
Reef
down to 40 m
Anita's Reef
Gentle sandy slope with coral bommies, garden eels and Kuhl's stingrays, an ideal check-out dive on a Similan liveaboard.
- Open Water
- Turtles
Reef
down to 30 m
Breakfast Bend
Healthy hard coral and abundant fish life, where leopard sharks are common on the reef.
- Advanced
- Leopard (zebra) sharks
Rock formations
down to 35 m
Christmas Point
Boulders, soft corals, arches and passages spread over a huge area, with whitetip sharks often seen in the deeper sand.
- Advanced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Pinnacle
down to 40 m
Elephant Head Rock
The biggest pinnacle in the Similans, named after a rock visible from the surface, with swim-throughs to explore.
- Experienced
- Schooling pelagics
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.
Photo credits
- Richelieu Rock dive site, Similan / Surin, Mr.CMBurns, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
