North Point

North Point (also known as Rocky Point) sits on the northern tip of Similan Island 9, in Similan National Park, Thailand, and is the northernmost dive site in the Similan Island Archipelago. The site is built around submerged granite boulders mixed with fringing reef closer to the island shore, with rock formations creating holes, swim-throughs, and overhangs. Depths run from 10 metres in the shallows to around 35–40 metres, with a small pinnacle out in deeper water — the "North Point Pinnacle" — whose deep rocks are covered in giant sea fans and which very few divers reach. About 300 metres to the northwest lies a second pinnacle, fully covered in soft corals and giant sea fans, with its top at roughly 30 metres dropping steeply to 40–45 metres, putting it beyond recreational diving limits. In the southern section, two channels formed by boulders standing side by side lead into a shallow fringing reef of staghorn and hard corals.

Marine life at North Point spans both macro and large pelagic species. The boulder walls shelter Ghost Pipefish and Pygmy Pipehorses, sandy areas hold gardens of eels and stingrays, and turtles are regularly seen feeding on staghorn coral in the reef garden. Octopus and cuttlefish are frequently encountered, leopard sharks rest in the sand channels around the outer pinnacle, and sharks can be spotted swimming in the sand channel on the approach to the North Point Pinnacle.

Currents at North Point range from weak to strong, and the site is exposed, so conditions can be demanding — particularly on the return from the outer pinnacle, where there is no shelter. Visibility runs 20–25 metres and water temperature sits between 27–29°C. The varied topography and range of conditions make the site workable for beginners in calmer, shallower sections while still offering challenging dives for advanced divers in the deeper areas.