Lazy Similans: snorkeling among sea turtles

The islands are very beautiful, and we saw lots of beautiful fish and a turtle while snorkeling. But the organization of the excursion itself was poor. We were picked up from the hotel at 8:05 and were at the base by 9. We just sat there waiting until 10:30, doing nothing, surrounded by a bunch of Chinese people. Then 30 minutes of gathering, getting things sorted, and seating. It wasn't until 11:00 that we set off for the islands. Yes, we were provided with something resembling breakfast, but it was a waste of precious vacation time. We'd have been better off sleeping than sitting around for so long. The catamaran was completely packed, fully loaded. First, a Thai woman gives the introduction and shouts something into the loudspeaker for 15 minutes, then the Chinese guide says something similar, I wanted to tip them just to shut up. And at the very end, our Russian guide, Roman, speaks for 3 minutes, and I thank him for his brevity! He conveys all the information quickly. Overall, Roman is great – he creates a light and pleasant atmosphere, adding interesting facts about the islands and turtles.

The excursion was fantastic. The speedboat seats were comfortable. They provided motion sickness pills. Both English and Russian speaking guides were available. The views of the Similan Islands are stunning – the clearest water in Phuket and the surrounding area. We were fed well three times (twice at the pier and once on the seafood island). The snorkeling was also fantastic – they provided a removable mouthpiece in a package, which is very important; they also provided a mask, snorkel, fins, and a life jacket. 10 out of 10