West of Six
8.5911°N 97.6350°E · reef
West of Six (also called West of Eden by some operators) is located on the west side of Similan Island 7 (Koh Payu), Similan Islands National Park, Phang Nga Province, Thailand. This corrects the site’s previously stated location — Koh Payu is Island 7, not Island 6; the “Six” in the name is a historical holdover from before a 1980s island renumbering.
Overview
The site combines giant granite boulders — forming canyons and crevices — with shallow hard coral coverage that several sources single out as some of the best in the Similans (diving-thailand-phuket.com, similandivingtours.com). Depth is reported in the 10–30 meter range. It sits directly across Koh Payu from East of Eden on the island’s sheltered southeast side.
Site Information
- Location: West side of Similan Island 7 (Koh Payu), Similan Islands National Park, Phang Nga Province, Thailand
- Entry Type: liveaboard
- Site Type: Reef
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Maximum Depth: 30 meters
- Typical Visibility: 15–30 meters
- Current: Light to moderate; stronger on the outer west face
- Best Time: November to May
Marine Life
Sources report frogfish, ribbon eels, giant moray eels, fantail rays, turtles, and barracuda at this site, along with Acropora table corals and gorgonian sea fans (similandivingtours.com search consensus). Banded sea kraits and whitetip reef sharks, previously listed here, were not independently corroborated for this specific site in the sources reviewed this pass and have been removed rather than carried forward unverified.
Dive Profile
A standard profile moves from the boulder base on the outer west face into the shallower mixed boulder-and-reef terrain, where the best coral coverage is found.
Entry and Exit
Liveaboard access with zodiac giant stride entry. The west-facing aspect means entry may be postponed or redirected in northwesterly swell.
Tips and Recommendations
- The shallow reef zone is reported as some of the best coral coverage in the Similans — worth prioritizing time here over the deeper boulder base
- Look for frogfish and ribbon eels in crevices among the boulders and table coral bases
Safety Considerations
Current is more pronounced on the exposed outer west face than in the inshore boulder channels. Monitor depth on the outer boulders, where the formation drops steeply. Always carry an SMB.
Photography
The mix of granite boulder architecture and Acropora table coral makes for varied wide-angle compositions. Gorgonian sea fans and crevice-dwelling ribbon eels/frogfish are the best macro subjects reported for this site.
Sources: Similan Diving Tours, Diving Thailand Phuket, Khao Lak Explorer. Last updated 2026-07-05.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
1098 verified species observations (302 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1963 and 2024, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Trimma sanguinellum
- Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura
- Sebastapistes fowleri
- Myripristis murdjan
- Chromis ternatensis
- Trimma fucatum
- Sargocentron cornutum
- Helcogramma · Cryptic Triplefin
- Chaetodon plebeius
- Eviota infulata
- Ecsenius bicolor
- Abudefduf vaigiensis · Sergeant Major
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
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