Similan and Surin Islands Enforce Five-Month Tourism Ban

So that's killed all the diving boats.

Doubt they'll be able to keep any boats running for just 7 months a year.

More than 100 million a year in tourist income gone at the stroke of a bureaucrats pen, along with 200,000 tourists.

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

So that's killed all the diving boats.

I wondered if they still operate this season though anyway ?.....gets pretty stormy out there

1 minute ago, Off Piste said:

I wondered if they still operate this season though anyway ?.....gets pretty stormy out there

You think they closed the area for stormy season?

I sort of doubt that, but there's a chance you might be right.

I suppose this will help the eco system develop back to how it should be. Of course, making people unemployed is never good, but then destroying the things that make tourists come won't help. Thailand needs to diversify its industries and pour resources into education.

Just now, BritManToo said:

You think they closed the area for stormy season?

I sort of doubt that, but there's a chance you might be right.

Don't think it's normallyclosed per se, just think that they chose a time of year when the least boats will go out as many days they literally can't and diving is all about visibilty otherwise what's the point..............christ knows

9 minutes ago, Off Piste said:

I wondered if they still operate this season though anyway ?.....gets pretty stormy out there

I remember the Samilan islands being closed for certain parts of the year (typically during the southwest monsoon season from roughly mid-May to mid-October).

The closures applied to diving, snorkelling, overnight stays, and most tourism activities - this is going back 15 years or so.

I'm not sure what the 'change' is here.

20 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

So that's killed all the diving boats.

Doubt they'll be able to keep any boats running for just 7 months a year.

More than 100 million a year in tourist income gone at the stroke of a bureaucrats pen, along with 200,000 tourists.

There are a lot of issues about excessive tourism in a number of countries. Japan and Spain come to mind. These Islands need to be protected. We visited Similan a number of years ago and saw the distructive activities of tourists. They didn't give a <deleted> about the request to protect the natural habitat. Sorry not sorry to hear this is one area Thailand is making an effort to protect.

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I remember the Samilan islands being closed for certain parts of the year (typically during the southwest monsoon season from roughly mid-May to mid-October). The closures applied to diving, snorkelling, overnight stays, and most tourism activities - this is going back 15 years or so.

As far as I know the Similan Islands are closed to the public every year. This annual closure typically lasts about five months, from mid-May to mid-October.

The closure serves to actively protect the environment, allowing the ecosystem, coral reefs, and wildlife to recover. Additionally, the sea is too dangerous for excursion boats during this time due to the monsoon (rainy season with strong winds and high waves).