Elephant Head Rock is probably the Similan’s star dive site and frequently included in the world’s top fifty dive sites. It is an unbelievable maze of enormous granite boulders with a few of the largest rocks breaking the surface.
Legend has it, one of these giant boulders, from a distance, in the right light, at a certain angle and time of day and of course wind speed, does resemble in part a rampaging elephant: honest.
The currents here can be somewhat tricky, so we advise to check tide charts, because as there are so many large boulders lying in close proximity to each other and with the sea running, due to tidal movements, it is squeezed through the massive stones causing a stronger than normal current.
There are so many swim through’s here, it is fantastic diving, the mega boulders have been moved over the years and have formed the most wonderful and exciting dive site in the Similan’s.
I have spotted quite a few different species of shark here too. Only this year I encountered a couple of Grey Reef Sharks which got my adrenalin pumping my through the veins.
There are also some enormous Barracuda’s lurking about. The Trevallies tend to run riot here as they simply love these currents, it’s a brilliant dive site and a must on any scuba divers wish list. Best dived from on of Thailand Liveaboards.
Elephant Head Rock – Dive Anabel’s logbook
Elephant Head Rock; AMAZING! Again what a stunning dive, the visibility was thirty metres plus, and unbelievably there was no current whatsoever. This dive site is the most well-known and perhaps the most intense that the Similan Islands have to offer; many times it has been voted in the top fifty dive sites of the world; and today Elephant Head Rock did not let us down.
Here is a small account of the stuff we saw down there today. Including (juvenile) Harlequin Sweet lips, Huge Blue Fin Trevallies, Giant Trevallies, the largest Moray Eel ever spotted (it was absolutely huge), watching the Rainbow Runners launch themselves into the hapless Bait Fish.
We also saw a very large school of Surgeon Fish which came by to see us flapping about, then a magnificent pair of large Groupers gave us a swim-by, there were of course numerous different kinds of Wrasses looking for a meal and Parrotfish all of which were chomping on the small hard corals.
As we exited from one of the large swim through’s at 20 metres we came across An Albino Pipefish beautiful; we stayed with it for a few minutes and watched it sway in the gentle drift.
Moving on a little we bumped into a Indian Ocean Trigger Fish which was burrowing out a new hole for itself and also we saw a flamboyant patterned Clown Trigger fish showing off all its strikingly colours.
Another amazing dive amazing dive site can’t wait to come back here but first, where are we going next?
