Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
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Part 2 of 4 of diving the West coast of Thailand. Video clips of diving the Similan Island in the Andaman Sea, 19-21 January 2025. Amazing blocks of granite that look like they were quarried! Lots of fish, including big food fish (just no sharks). Reef-building corals thrive here, but the granite is not covered with reef growth (WHY?? -- see Part 1, not far from these islands).
Some of the most spectacular diving I've done.
Enjoy!!
28 Feb 25 update:
Responses from the coral-list community on the WHY above:
(1) Dr. Tom Goreau responded that coral recruits don't like granite substrata and require a limestone base to thrive.
(2) Dr. Cornelia Roder provided a reference that indicates that strong environmental variation is responsible for differential reef formation on the Similan Islands:
Schmidt, GM et al. 2012. Coral community composition and reef development at the Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, in response to strong environmental variations Marine Ecology Progress Series 456: 113.
Change settings to 2160p60 4K for best resolution, if your system won't skip!
Part 2 of 4 of diving the West coast of Thailand. Video clips of diving the Similan Island in the Andaman Sea, 19-21 January 2025. Amazing blocks of granite that look like they were quarried! Lots of fish, including big food fish (just no sharks). Reef-building corals thrive here, but the granite is not covered with reef growth (WHY?? -- see Part 1, not far from these islands).
Some of the most spectacular diving I've done.
Enjoy!!
28 Feb 25 update:
Responses from the coral-list community on the WHY above:
(1) Dr. Tom Goreau responded that coral recruits don't like granite substrata and require a limestone base to thrive.
(2) Dr. Cornelia Roder provided a reference that indicates that strong environmental variation is responsible for differential reef formation on the Similan Islands:
Schmidt, GM et al. 2012. Coral community composition and reef development at the Similan Islands, Andaman Sea, in response to strong environmental variations Marine Ecology Progress Series 456: 113.
