Similan Islands
| Similan Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Waters | Andaman Sea | |
| Geographical location | 8 ° 39 ' N , 97 ° 38' E | |
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| Number of islands | nine | |
| Main island | Ko Miang | |
| Total land area | 7.44 km² | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
Similan Islands ( Thai : หมู่ เกาะ สิ มิ ลัน , Mu Ko Similan ) is a group of nine islands in the Andaman Sea off the Phang Nga Province in Thailand . Their name is derived from the Malay word "sembilan" (nine). The uninhabited islands together with two other islands form the Mu Ko Similan National Park . The sea around the Similan Islands is one of the most beautiful areas in the world for snorkeling and scuba diving .
geography
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Most of the water surface belongs to the Andaman Sea and thus to the eastern part of the Indian Ocean . The archipelago lies in a 24 km long chain running in north-south direction about 70 km from the coast.
geology
The islands are made of granite, they were formed in the Tertiary (about 65 million years ago) by rising lava . They got their current shape through the effects of Ice Age glaciers and the forces of the sea . The islands have partly high and steep mountains , which consist of medium-grain biotite - muscovite - granite and biotite - hornblende - granite . The highest point is 244 meters. The seabed between the islands is on average 60 to 80 meters deep, the ascent to the beaches is different depending on the direction of the compass: in the west of the islands towards the ocean stony, very steep and sloping with boulders and caves, towards the mainland in the east with shallower slopes to large coral gardens and sandbars . The transition to the sea is accordingly: siltless beach bays with very fine, white and clean sand alternate with a wide variety of rock formations .
climate
An average of 3560 millimeters of rain falls per year. The precipitation contrasts with an evaporation rate of 1708 millimeters. The rainy season lasts from mid-May to October. The southwest monsoon then brings strong winds and high rainfall, with the highest average rainfall of 540 mm in September. For safety reasons, the national park is closed to visitors from May 16 to October 31 each year. The tourist season from December to April is dry and pleasant, with virtually no rainfall in January and February. Midsummer lasts from mid-February to mid-May. The annual average temperature is 27 ° C with an average humidity of almost 83%. The hottest month is March with an average of 34.4 ° C, while the coolest month of November has an average temperature of 24.3 ° C. The water temperature fluctuates between 30 ° C in summer and 28 ° C in winter.
tide
The tidal range is indicated as follows
| Mean water level | Middle Spring Flood (MHWS) | medium jumping low water (MLWS) | Mean nip flood (MHWN) | Middle Nipp Low Water (MLWN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.29 | 3.20 | 0.76 | 2.43 | 1.59 |
Consequences of the tsunami
The seaquake in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 was the third strongest ever recorded and triggered a series of devastating tsunamis on the coasts of the Indian Ocean: An earthquake measuring 9 to 9.3 on the Richter scale with waves up to were up to 35 meters high and had effects up to over 5000 km away. In terms of geomorphology, the coastline and the sediment transport, considerable effects on the Similan Islands were expected. A field study seven to nine weeks after the tsunami showed, however, that the waves on the surface of the islands left far less damage than on the mainland (for example in Khao Lak ): the coastal fringes were hardly changed and very little sediment was washed away. One suspects the reasons for the special mechanism of this earthquake, which triggered a comparatively small shock impulse on the water masses due to the very large earthquake area. In addition, the shallow water in the earthquake zone and the sea depth of the shore of the affected zones are responsible for this: The shallow depth west of the islands had already significantly weakened the wave energy. The tsunami differs significantly from the consequences of many primeval tsunamis in the Holocene in the region of the Atlantic Ocean.
Underwater, however, many corals were broken and covered by sand, especially the dive sites "Christmas Point" (island 9) and "Deep Six" off island seven (island 6 forms the anchor bay east of island 4 with island 5) and around Island nine. For the first time, a high incidence of an unknown fungal infection (the soil fungus Aspergillus sp. ) Was found in Anella fan gorgonians, which only partially regenerated. Volunteer divers helped with the cleaning, scientists give a destruction rate between 30% and 80%. The consequences of the natural disaster are being investigated in long-term studies by a United Nations program. For the province of Phang Nga, the study at 72 representative locations showed that 29% of the corals were undestroyed, 39% were slightly damaged and 32% were moderately or severely damaged, with the damage being significantly smaller than originally feared.
Mu Ko Similan National Park
The National Park Mu Ko Similan ( Thai : หมู่ เกาะ สิ มิ ลัน ) is a National Park in the province of Phang Nga , southern Thailand . It is named after the archipelago of the nine Similan Islands, which together with two other islands form the national park. The Marine National Park was established on September 1, 1982 as the 43rd national park in Thailand.
Flora and fauna
flora
In the forests on the islands, the beach forest turns inland into tropical rainforest . Important species here are Manilkara spec. (see also Breiapfelbaum ), Cordia subcordata and Tournefortia argentea .
fauna
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A large part of the seabed around the islands is covered by coral reefs , which are inhabited and formed by corals and sea anemones. The survival of the complex ecosystem is based on the symbiotic relationship with the alga zooxanthelle , which converts sunlight into nutrients. However, certain environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, light and wave activity must be right for this. There are stony corals , sea fans Flap Fans, soft corals , lobsters , crabs , squid , sponges , sea cucumbers and giant clams . Among the vielzähligen coral reef fish include the butterfly fish , clown fish , angelfish , grunts and tilefish , even Gelblippen- sea snakes are found.
Topography of the islands
The islands in the chain are numbered from south to north, but each have their own Thai names beginning with Ko (for island in Thai). Your description in detail from north to south:
Ko Bangu
Ko Bangu (pronounced Ko Ba-Ngu , Thai : เกาะ บา งู ), or "Island Nine" ( Ko Kao , เกาะ เก้า ), is a popular diving object; At the northwesternmost end of the northernmost Similan Island there is the so-called "Christmas Point" ( คริสต์ มั ส พ อย ต์ ), a rock formation surrounded by soft corals and sea fans , between which pelagic fish can be found. The water depth is between 20 and 35 meters, the highest point is 90 meters. The maximum extension from east to west is 1.3 km, from north to south 900 meters. The area covers 70.2 ha .
Ko Similan
Ko Similan ( Thai : เกาะ สิ มิ ลัน ) is the eponymous island. It is also called "Island Eight" ( Ko Paed , เกาะ แปด ) and with just under four square kilometers is the largest of the nine islands with the highest elevation and several bays. The sand is white and snorkeling is very possible. The rock formation "the sail" ( หิน เรือ ใบ ) is a symbol of the Similan Islands and can be climbed. From the rock there is a good panoramic view of the Ao Kueak Bay ( อ่าว เกือก ). The average depth of the sea is about 25 meters, the maximum extent 4.5 km in north-south and 1.6 km in east-west direction. The national park administration offers accommodation on this island. In the west of the island are the "Fantasy Rocks" or "Fantasea Reef", one of the most popular diving spots for scuba divers at a depth of six to 40 meters: subterranean rocks, completely covered with soft corals, sea lilies and gorgonian fans and populated by fish: gey rays , coral groupers , Sweetlips, snapper , blue triggerfish and lionfish in the reef walls, mackerel and jackfish in the sea in front of it. The area covers 382.9 hectares .
Ko Payu
Ko Payu ( Thai : เกาะ ปา ยู ), also "island six" ( Ko Hok , เกาะ หก ), has one of the most popular diving spots on the eastern side because it is rich in species. There are both hard and soft corals, sea fans, and many types of schooling fish. The island has no beach, its highest point is 116 meters, it is 700 m wide and 1.3 km long. The area covers 45.7 ha .
Ko Hin Pousar or Ko Hua Kalok
Ko Hin Pousar ( Thai : เกาะ หิน ปู ซาร์ ), also "island seven" ( เกาะ เจ็ด ), further name "Ko Hua Kalok" (literally skull island , incorrectly also Huwagralok , in Thai: เกาะ หัว กะโหลก ), is an approx. 400 m wide and 300 m long elephant head-shaped granite rock. Below this rock, divers will find caves and rock holes six to 36 meters deep and other unique underwater rock formations and creatures such as blue-spotted rays and flag-tailed gobies, slime fish and thread snails. The area covers 7.16 hectares .
Ko Haa
Ko Haa ( Thai : เกาะ ห้า ) is around 200 by 200 meters and has a huge underwater rock overgrown with soft corals. Conger eels can be observed in the immediate vicinity, sticking their heads out of the 32-meter-deep sandy seabed. The area covers 1.95 ha .
Ko Miang
The Miang Island ( Thai : เกาะ เมียง ) is "island four" ( Ko Sii , เกาะ สี่ ) and the seat of the national park administration with a small information center on the islands in Haad Yai Bay ( หาดใหญ่ ). Its sandy beach is in the middle of the island in front of the administration and accommodation buildings. In addition to permanently installed tents, there is a freshwater spring, a restaurant with an attached shop and a boat rental. A hiking trail leads through the tropical rainforest with information boards on flora and fauna. The path, which also opens up the 128 meter high summit, leads to the second bay, Haad Lek ( หาด เล็ก ) on the east side of the island. Numerous boats anchor here overnight. The island is almost two kilometers long and 1.2 kilometers wide. The area covers 70.8 ha .
Ko Payan
Ko Payan (also: Ko Pa-Yan, Thai : เกาะ ปา หยัน ) or "island three" ( Ko Saam , เกาะ สาม ) is around 400 m wide, 300 m long and has no special features. To the east of this are the "Shark Ridge Rocks", rock peaks that are home to several species of shark, including the whitetip reef shark, the leopard shark and silver tip sharks. The area covers an area of 4.32 hectares .
Ko Payang
Ko Payang (also: Ko Pa Yang, Thai : เกาะ ปา ยัง ), or "island two" ( Ko Song , เกาะ สอง ) is a wedge-shaped island that is almost two kilometers long, ten meters high and 500 meters wide. It has no special features and no diving spots. The area covers 73.1 ha .
Ko Huyong
The Huyong -Insel ( Thai : เกาะ หู ยง ) number one ( Ko Nueng , เกาะ หนึ่ง ) is closest to the island of Phuket and has the longest white sand beach of the island group. However, this section is closed to tourists as it is a place for the protected green turtle to lay eggs . Thai marines take care of the eggs in their own station. The clutches are dug up and guarded in protected terrain until the young turtles are big enough to be released into the sea. The seabed of the 102 m high, 1.8 km long and 700 m wide island is ten to 15 meters deep, soft, hard and fan corals grow. The shallow depth allows the sun's rays to penetrate to the bottom, resulting in a rich submarine life. The area covers 88.2 hectares .
Diving tourism
The water quality and visibility, which extends to a depth of 30 meters, as well as the flora and fauna of the islands attract numerous divers. The best time to visit is between November and April. The park is closed from May to October - on the one hand for safety reasons due to the high waves, on the other hand to allow the national park to regenerate.
The currents around the Similans are considerable. One-day and multi-day tours are offered, and night dives are popular. There are ten designated deep diving sites. Boats usually start from the nearest port, Thap Lamu , but also from the island of Phuket, which is about 100 km south-east . The islands can be reached in about 1½ to 3½ hours. In addition to private tour operators, there are also regular ferry boats to the mainland and smaller boats for transport between the islands. Several boats also anchor overnight in the popular bays of the islands.
Most divers spend the night directly on the ships ( liveaboard with filling of the compressed air bottles). On islands four and eight, the national park administration offers showers, toilets and accommodation options, from stone bungalows with air conditioning to tents. Camping outside of these accommodations is prohibited for nature conservation reasons. Since May 2018, the Thai marine protection authority has banned overnight stays on the Similan Islands. The ban is justified “with an overwhelming number of tourists who have now wanted to go to the island”.
See also
literature
- Kenji Satake, Emile A. Okal, José C. Borrero: Tsunami and Its Hazards in the Indian and Pacific Oceans . Birkhäuser Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-7643-8363-3
- JG Pattanayak: Marine sponges of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India . In: Records of the Zoological Survey of India Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata 2006, ISBN 81-8171-119-X
- Parnupong Norasethkamol, Polpich Komson, Sesivie Pinyowit, Chutinun Mora, Nudee Vangsirirungruang: Pocket Divesite: Similan including Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock . Vacation in Design Verlag, 2nd edition, Bangkok 2006, ISBN 978-974-94905-6-3
- Stefan Eckhardt, Niklas Reese (eds.): Flooded again !: Social, global and ecological dimensions of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean. An overview . Asian Foundation, Essen 2005, ISBN 3-933341-28-0
- Rainer Krack: Phuket and the surrounding area . Reise Know-How Verlag Rump, Bielefeld / Brackwede. 7th edition 2005, ISBN 3-8317-1322-7
- DV Rao, Kamla Devi: A pictorial guide to butterfly and anemone fishes of Andaman & Nicobar islands . Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata 2004, ISBN 81-8171-027-4
- Similan Islands In: Monty Halls: Diving Worldwide . BrunoMedia Buchverlag, Cologne 2004, ISBN 3-9809607-0-6 .
- DV Rao: Guide to the reef fishes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands . Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata 2004, ISBN 81-8171-021-5
- Klaus Becker: Thailand: diving and beach guide . Reise-Know-how-Verlag Rump, Bielefeld / Brackwede 4th edition 2003, ISBN 3-8317-1155-0
- DV Rao, Kamla Devi: Studies on the soft corals (Octocorallia: Alcyonacea) of Andaman Islands, Bay of Bengal In: Records of the Zoological Survey of India 206, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata 2003, ISBN 81-85874-91-3
- Dinlakā Sārikkabut: Khūmư̄ sat læ phư̄t nai nǣo pakārang mū ko̜ Surin læ Similan = Guide to coral reef fauna and flora of Surin and Similan islands . Bangkok 1998
- Paul Lees: Thailand - Diving & Travel . Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 1997, ISBN 3-7688-1061-5
- Denis Gray (inter alia): National Parks of Thailand . Communications Resources Ltd., Bangkok 1991, ISBN 974-88670-9-9
- Moo Ko Similan National Park . In: Sue Wells, Charles RC Sheppard, Martin Jenkins (Eds.): Coral Reefs of the World: Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Gulf . United Nations Environment Program, IUCN Conservation Monitoring Center, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1988, ISBN 2-88032-944-2 , p. 380
Web links
- National Parks of Thailand: Mu Ko Similan National Park. Retrieved September 28, 2011 (in English).
- Dive site maps and dive site information Ko Similan National Park. Retrieved November 21, 2015 (in English).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Augusto Gansser: Cup Tones / Schalensteine . Publishing house Dr. Christian Müller-Straten, Munich, ISBN 3-932704-66-5 , p. 75
- ↑ a b c d Similan Islands . In: Monty Halls: Diving Worldwide , pp. 182-185
- ↑ a b Thai National Park Administration : Mu Ko Similan National Park ( Memento of the original from June 5, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed September 24, 2008
- ↑ Hydrographic Department of the Royal Thai Navy: Thailand Andaman Sea Similan-Island ( Memento of the original from November 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Map, measured in 1979, published in 1994.
- ↑ Dieter Kelletat, Sander R. Scheffers, Anja Scheffers ,: Field Signatures of the SE-Asian Mega-Tsunami along the West Coast of Thailand Compared to Holocene Paleo-Tsunami from the Atlantic Region . In: Pure and Applied Geophysics . tape 164 , no. 2 , October 3, 2007, p. 431 , col. 413 , doi : 10.1007 / s00024-006-0171-6 .
- ↑ S. Phongpaichit, S. Preedanan, N. Rungjindama, J. Sakayaroj, C. Benzies, J. Chuaypat, S. Plathong: Aspergillos of the gorgonian sea fan Anella sp. after the 2004 tsunami at Mu Ko Similan National Park, Andaman Sea, Thailand . In: Coral Reefs . tape 25 , no. 296 . Springer Verlag, 2006, doi : 10.1007 / s00338-006-0104-y .
- ↑ Suchana Chavanich u. a .: Assessing Tsunami Damage to Indian Ocean MPAs: Efforts Underway to Find Answers Amid Chaos (PDF; 89 kB). In: MPA NEWS . Vol. 6, No. 7 February 2005.
- ↑ Tsunami Damage to Coral Reefs. Guidelines for Rapid Assessment and Monitoring ( Memento of the original dated March 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . International Coral Reef Initiative / International Society for Reef Studies, January 2005
- ↑ Elizabeth Pennisi: SOUTH ASIA TSUNAMI: Powerful Tsunami's Impact on Coral Reefs Was Hit and Miss . In: Science . tape 307 , no. 5710 , February 4, 2005, col. 657a , doi : 10.1126 / science.307.5710.657a .
- ↑ Opening times of the Thai national parks ( Memento of the original from September 13, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed September 28, 2011.
- ^ Closure helps parks revive . In: Bangkok Post , May 19, 2009, accessed May 19, 2009.
- ↑ Thailand does not allow overnight guests on Ko Similan . In: orf.at, May 31, 2018, accessed May 31, 2018.
