Fantasea Reef

Fantasea Reef is a granite boulder dive site off the west coast of Similan Island 8 (Koh Similan), Similan Islands National Park, Phang Nga Province, Thailand. Multiple sources report this site has been closed to divers since 2004 as part of a post-tsunami coral regeneration policy, and no source consulted confirms it has since reopened.

Overview

Current status: reported closed since 2004; reopening unconfirmed. Sources describing this site (divezone.net, thailandliveaboards.com) note it was closed following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to allow coral regeneration, and its status as of the most recent reports available remains unclear rather than confirmed open. This is a significant change from how the site was previously described here as an actively-dived intermediate boulder site — divers and operators should verify current park access directly rather than rely on this entry alone.

When described as active, the site features large granite boulders typical of the Similans’ west-facing shores, with a good variety and density of fish and visibility typically in the 20–40 meter range (dive-the-world.com).

Site Information

• Location: West coast of Similan Island 8, Similan Islands National Park, Phang Nga Province, Thailand
• Entry Type: liveaboard
• Site Type: Boulder
• Difficulty Level: Intermediate
• Maximum Depth: 40 meters
• Typical Visibility: 20–40 meters (per historical descriptions)
• Current: Light to moderate
• Best Time: November to May (site reported closed since 2004 — confirm current access before planning a visit)

Marine Life

Sources describe “great variety and density of fishes” generally at this site (dive-the-world.com) without naming specific species reliably attributed to Fantasea Reef. Rather than reproduce the previous detailed species list (clownfish, leopard sharks, Napoleon wrasse, etc.), which could not be corroborated for this specific site, this entry states plainly that no site-specific marine-life report was found beyond a general “high fish density” characterization.

Dive Profile

Historical descriptions place the interesting diving on granite boulders sloping toward a sand and rubble bottom around 40 meters, with good visibility reported. No current, site-specific dive-profile report was located.

Entry and Exit

Historically liveaboard access via zodiac. Given the reported multi-year closure, current entry/exit conditions cannot be confirmed from available sources.

Tips and Recommendations

• Verify with your operator whether this site is currently open before including it in a trip plan — multiple sources report it closed since 2004 with no confirmed reopening
• If reopened, expect a granite boulder dive with generally good visibility (20–40m per historical reports)

Safety Considerations

No current, site-specific safety information was found given the reported closure. If the site has reopened, treat it as a standard intermediate-level granite boulder dive with the usual precautions (SMB, depth monitoring on the boulder slope).

Photography

No current, site-specific photography guidance was found in available sources.

Sources: Divezone, Thailand Liveaboards, Dive The World. Last updated 2026-07-05.