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Diving Richelieu Rock, Thailand – January 2022

Richelieu Rock is widely considered the best dive site in Thailand and used to be super crowded. In 2022, you can dive it without almost anyone else around.

Glassfish and soft coral bommie, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Glassfish and soft coral bommie, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

Between January 22 to 27 2022 I did a 6 day liveaboard on MV Smiling Seahorse where we spent a superb three days at Richelieu Rock and then moved on to Koh Tachai and Koh Bon.

There was a smorgasbord of macro life on Richelieu Rock – several seahorses and ghost pipe fish of various colours, a ribbon eel and harlequin shrimp were among the highlights – but I was all about the wide angle during our three days there.

Batfish school, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Batfish school, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

Watching the endless dynamic shifts of movement of the glass fish amongst the abundant soft corals is something I never get tired of – or trying to capture in photos (with varying degrees of success). Being there all day for early morning and sunset dives gave the Rock a whole new perspective with the differing light. We had such great visibility for the three days we were there it was perfect conditions.

Pink soft coral and glassfish bommie, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Pink soft coral and glassfish bommie, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

Best of all, for the first day and a half we had the dive site entirely to ourselves, which would be unbelievable in pre-Covid times.

Cuttlefish, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Cuttlefish, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

While none of the Big Stuff turned up during our time we had a fantastic school of batfish schooling at the top of the rock on one sunset dive and the usual resident yellow snappers inside the bay of the horseshoe shaped rock. There was also a pair of cuttlefish who weren’t too skittish.

Fishbowl, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Fishbowl, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

The bay itself was often a literal fishbowl with 100s strong schools of rainbow runners racing through with trevally and jacks chasing around, all within the shadow of the rock and the sunlight pouring down through the clear water.

Fan corals panorama, Koh Tachai, Thailand
Fan corals, Koh Tachai, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

Our couple of dives on Koh Tachai also had great viz but there were some very cold thermoclines. Our guide Camille expertly navigated us through the currents to Tachai’s second pinnacle where there’s some fantastic fan corals in a relatively sheltered spot. A big school of barracuda passed by too.

Glassfish and soft coral, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Glassfish and soft coral, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

Koh Bon was quite quiet by contrast – Koh Bon pinnacle was a bit murky which was a shame as it didn’t show off the bright yellow coral on the pinnacles big rocks. Koh Bon itself had a couple of sea snakes around the ridge but otherwise there was some pleasant noodling over the reef which found an octopus.

Clownfish anemones, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Clownfish anemones, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

The trip was also a photography workshop with presentations by photo pro Alex Tyrrell in between dives on how to improve your technique. I found these recaps very useful at focussing the mind on trying new things. On most Similan liveaboards, you get a day at Richelieu Rock if you’re lucky. So this was a chance to take shots, review mistakes and return back to the same locations to have another go. Alex was also extremely helpful in reviewing people’s camera setups and suggesting improvements.

Yellow snapper sunball, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Yellow snapper sunball, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

The reason why we had Richelieu Rock almost to ourselves is because Thailand temporarily shut its borders during December 2021 and January 2022 due to fears over the Covid omicron variant. (Thailand has now re-opened to tourists as of February 1st 2021).

Fan coral, Yellow Rock, Surin Islands, Thailand
Fan coral, Yellow Rock, Surin Islands, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

About The MV Smiling Seahorse Liveaboard

With the downturn in Thailand dive tourism due to the Covid pandemic, there are currently only a handful of liveaboards regularly operating in Thailand. The Smiling Seahorse has managed to depart for every scheduled trip this season, even with guests having to cancel due to visa problems and so on. If you’ve ever had a boat cancel a trip last minute due to lack of customers, you’ll know this is an impressive achievement.

Glassfish and soft coral closeup, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Glassfish and soft coral closeup, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

The husband and wife team that own and run Smiling Seahorse, Franck and Camille Fogarolo, are celebrating their 10th anniversary of starting their company this month, and it’s easy to see why they get a lot of repeat customers, myself included: the boat has a maximum of 16 divers so there’s always plenty of space, the en-suite cabins are basic but clean and comfy, the showers are hot and the food excellent.

Recommended Similan Liveaboards October 2024 to May 2025

Blue Dolphin Liveaboard

Blue Dolphin Liveaboard A mid-range liveaboard with 7 cabins for 16 people. Check availability and pricing

The Phinisi Liveaboard

The Phinisi Liveaboard A Similan mid-range liveaboard with 7 cabins for 18 people.Check availability and pricing

Smiling Seahorse Liveaboard

Smiling Seahorse Liveaboard A mid-range liveaboard with 8 cabins for 16 people. Check availability and pricing

The Junk Liveaboard

The Junk Liveaboard A mid-range liveaboard with 6 cabins for 18 people. Check availability and pricing
 

There’s a dedicated camera room which is a huge bonus if you’re a photographer. Most of all, the boat staff are great – super helpful and very well versed in getting divers in and out of the water, handling cameras, and dealing with the hundreds of tasks to run a boat smoothly that customers rarely see.

Yellow snapper at sunset, Richelieu Rock, Thailand
Yellow snapper at sunset, Richelieu Rock, Thailand © Chris Mitchell

Franck is on every trip and having one of the boat owners on board means that there is a remarkable attention to detail. Having been on a lot of different liveaboards over the years, and on Smiling Seahorse three times now (each time as a paying guest), it’s obvious a lot of thought and love has been put into running the boat. Problems happen, things go wrong (it’s always worse at sea), but Franck and Camille really care about trying to make sure the trip is as enjoyable as possible. It’s most definitely worth considering the Smiling Seahorse if you want to do a liveaboard in Thailand. You can see their website for more info at thesmilingseahorse.com.

Fan corals and glassfish, Koh Tachai, Thailand
Fan corals and glassfish, Koh Tachai, Thailand © Chris Mitchell



Diving And Travel Insurance

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:: Check the availability and pricing of liveaboards in Thailand and book online.


:: Find the cheapest flights to Thailand - Phuket (airport code: HKT) is the nearest airport for diving the Similan Islands. You can get direct international flights to Phuket or go via one of Bangkok's two airports - Suvarnabhumi (BKK), the main airport, or Don Mueang (DMK), the low cost carrier terminal.


:: Make sure you don't forget to bring any of the essentials for your scuba diving trip with our comprehensive Liveaboard Packing List


:: World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.


:: Find available places to stay in Phuket for before and after your liveaboard on Booking.com - usually you can reserve a room with no upfront payment. Pay when you check out. Free cancellations too.


:: Need inspiration? See our Best Places To Dive In Thailand for ideas of where to go and what to do.


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Similan Liveaboard Reports 2022

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My Recent Dive Trips

  • November 2024: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • October 2024: Forgotten Islands and Banda Sea liveaboard, Indonesia
  • August 2024: Komodo and Saleh Bay liveaboard, Indonesia
  • May 2024: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • April 2024: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • February 2024: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • January 2024:Gangga Island Resort, Indonesia
  • December 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • Mejangan Island, Bali
  • October 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • June 2023: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • April 2023: Maldives liveaboard
  • April 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • February 2023: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2022: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • December 2022: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2022: Komodo liveaboard, Indonesia
  • June 2022: USAT Liberty shipwreck, Bali, Indonesia
  • April 2022: Stonehenge, Koh Lipe, Thailand
  • March 2022: Manta Rays at Koh Bon, Thailand
  • January 2022: Richelieu Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • March 2021: HTMS Chang and Alahambra Rock liveaboard, Thailand
  • February 2020: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • December 2019: Raja Ampat liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2019: Malapascua, Philippines
  • June 2019: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • April 2019: Tulamben, Bali
  • December 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • December 2018: Anilao, Philippines
  • October 2018: Moalboal, Philippines
  • October 2018: Malapascua, Philippines
  • July 2018: Tulamben, Bali
  • May 2018: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • April 2018: Sogod Bay, Philippines

My Less Recent Dive Trips

  • May 2017: Apo Island and Dumaguete, Philippines
  • April 2017: Tubbataha Reef, Philippines
  • April 2017: Sogod Bay, Philippines
  • March 2017: Triton Bay, Indonesia
  • March 2017: Raja Ampat, Indonesia
  • September 2016: Tulamben, Bali at Alba Dive Resort
  • August 2016: Cenderawasih Bay on Damai 1
  • April 2016: Sogod Bay at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort
  • February 2016: Raja Ampat and Banda Islands on Damai 1
  • April 2015: Anilao at Crystal Dive Resort
  • March 2015: Myanmar and Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • May 2013: Similan Islands on Thailand Aggressor
  • April 2013: Tubbataha Reef on Discovery Palawan
  • January 2013: Komodo, Indonesia on MSY Damai
  • August 2012: Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
  • April 2012: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • January 2012: Similan Islands liveaboard, Thailand
  • August 2011: Hanifaru, Maldives
  • June 2011: Tubbataha Liveaboard Hans Christian Andersen
  • April 2011: Similan Islands and Southern Thailand liveaboard
  • April 2011: Carpe Vita Liveaboard, Maldives
  • March 2011: Lembeh Strait, Indonesia
  • December 2010: Menjangan, Bali
  • July 2010: Tofo, Mozambique
  • July 2010: Sardine Run, South Africa
  • May 2010: Sangalaki / Derawan, Tambora
  • March 2010: MV Flying Seahorse, Similan Islands
  • March 2010: MV Orion, Southern Maldives
  • January 2010: Big Blue Explorer, Palau
  • November 2009: MSY Damai, Banda Sea Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MSY Damai, Komodo Liveaboard, Indonesia
  • October 2009: MV Orion, Maldives Liveaboard
  • September 2009: MV Scubanet, Koh Losin, Thailand
  • May 2009: MSY Seahorse, Banda Sea liveaboard, Indonesia
  • March 2009: Sachika Liveaboard, Maldives
  • February 2009: Daytrips, Koh Lanta, Thailand
  • January 2009: MV Jazz, Burma (Myanmar) Liveaboard

Back In The Day Bragging Rights Dive Trips

  • November 2008: Borneo Explorer, Visayas Liveaboard
  • September 2008: S/Y Siren, Komodo Liveaboard
  • August 2008: Ocean Rover, Sulawesi Liveaboard
  • August 2008: NAD Lembeh Resort, Indonesia
  • June 2008: Koh Tao
  • March 2008: Maldives, Bandos Island
  • February 2008: MSY Seahorse, Raja Ampat Liveaboard
  • January 2008: MV Jazz, Burma Liveaboard
  • October 2007: Bali Dive Safari
  • September 2007: Davao, Philippines
  • July 2007: Great White Sharks, Rodney Fox Liveaboard
  • June 2007: Big Blue, Palau Liveaboard
  • May 2007: Whale Sharks at Exmouth, Australia
  • April 2007: Borneo Explorer, Tubbataha Reef Liveaboard
  • December 2006: Komodo Dancer, Komodo Liveaboard

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