New Rules introduced for the Similans National Park
Last week it was announced that the number of visitors to the Similans National Park will be limited to 525 divers and 3850 visitors each day. A ticket system has been introduced where tickets for entry to the National Park can be purchased 60 days in advance by the boat operators but they must provide the guest details which are printed on the tickets and are non-transferable. Details required are:
- Full Name as written in passport
- Passport Number
- Nationality
- Date of Birth
So if you have booked a Liveaboard or day trip please ensure that you have provided these due to the limited spaces available – your agent/dive centre should have contacted you to provide to the boat operators in the Similans Islands.
Dive insurance is also now mandatory so do ensure you are covered to the depths you are certified too – most of the boat operators do offer insurance when you arrive for your trip but not all so best to check ahead. DAN (Divers Alert Network) and Dive Assure are two well known dive insurance companies if you are looking for all year round cover.
Just one last thing, there is now an enforced ‘no single use plastic’ which we think is incredible news to help stop plastics from getting into our oceans. Examples are: Plastic bags, plastic forks, knives, spoons etc, plastic wrapped food/beverage so please do not pack any of the above or please ensure they are in recyclable containers (reusable water bottles are a good example 🙂
Reef Safe Sunscreen
Please also consider the sunscreens you use and check the ingredients (see previous post) to ensure that these are not damaging our coral reefs – Reef Repair can be ordered ahead of your trip and is stocked in our store.
With the start of the Similan and Surin National Park season opening this week until mid-May next year, there’s some amazing diving in this beautiful part of the world and if you haven’t been on a Liveaboard you may wish to consider for your next diving holiday. There are often ‘Early Bird’ deals on or some last minute offers 🙂
