Similan Island No. 8: Turtle Rock / Waterfall Bay
Turtle Rock is located on the South West corner of the main bay of Island No. 8 Donald Duck Bay. Consequently these 2 dive sites are next to each other and normally dived as one. And if you have been reading the descriptions of the Similan dive sites on this website, then you should know what is coming next.
The dive is best known for a rock that is shaped, YES you guessed it, like a Turtle. Additionally Waterfall Bay has, YES you guessed it, a waterfall. Hence this is yet another example of how the Similan Dive Sites were named back in the 1980s & 1990s when these dive sites were discovered. The Waterfall actually is full during the monsoon season, in fact usually until early January. Therefore this allows boats to refill their fresh water tanks.
Turtle Rock is a nice easy dive site to dive with depths of 10-15m. You will see the abundance of hard corals such as Table Corals, Brain Corals and Staghorn Coral. You are welcome to dive Phuket before your Similans Liveaboard Trip to get you ready. We can put you on one of our Phuket Scuba Diving Trips any time you wish.
Turtle Rock is a great Similan Dive Site for beginners and Night Dives ...
What is the diving like at Turtle Rock / Waterfall Bay at Similan Island No. 8?
Turtle Rock is a pretty simple dive site to find you way around and ideal for beginner divers.
To start the dive we head North as the current runs North to South but is normally very mild here. From here go towards Turtle Rock where there are some large boulders and coral bommies. The dive site does get deeper here, and you can reach depths of up to 30m if you swim West, away from the main site. Thus, it is here, in the deeper water, that you are likely to find Khuls / Blue Spotted Stingrays, Gobies (including the Red & Purple Fire Gobies) and Garden Eels.
And if you are lucky, you may also see a White Tip Reef Shark (especially Juveniles) or a Leopard Shark.
Heading back to the main dive site there are more hard coral fields. Take the time to look around these are it in among the hard corals you will find a lot of the typical Andaman Sea Marine life found in the Similans. Consequently, you can see various different species of Angel Fish, Butterfly Fish, Anemone Fish and Sweetlips. There are also lots of Parrot Fish, Lion fish, Scorpion Fish, Box Fish and Octopus. Out and about are usually plenty of Trevally, Giant Moray Eels, and Trigger Fish. Additionally again if you are very lucky, you might spot an Ornate Ghost Pipefish on this site. The Korean Angelfish have also been spotted on this dive site.
And as with most Similan dive sites, there is usually the odd Turtle around either on the surface or underwater.
What is the Night Diving like at Turtle Rock?
If you are Night diving here you are in for a pleasant surprise!
Turtle Rock is great for Night Diving especially if you are a beginner diver or new to Night Diving. In fact if you have never gone on a Night Dive before, this is one of the best Similan Dive Sites for Night Dives. In particular for crustaceans. You can therefore expect to see types of shrimp including Banded Boxer Shrimps and Dancing Durban Shrimps. There many different species of crabs in addition to the odd Lobster you can see now and then. And if you are lucky you may also find a sleeping turtle in the shallows wedged under a rock.
Around Turtle Rock there are many swim-throughs and caverns, which are mostly between 20-30m. Be warned that some of these swim-throughs are quite small so dive carefully and safely and within your limits, training and experience.
Remember under no circumstances should the swim-thoughs, caves or caverns be attempted at night!
There are many rocks that break the surface so be sure to swim away from the rocks during your safety stop to avoid a long surface swim back to your boat.
Enjoy your diving at Turtle Rock hopefully with some Turtles ...
