Thailand
Surin Islands
Sea gypsy villages floating above coral reefs where whale sharks cruise the drop-offs.
The Moken call themselves the people of the sea. They live in stilt houses above the reef, dive without tanks, and read currents the way farmers read soil. The Surin Islands in the northern Andaman Sea are where their world and the underwater world overlap — sea gypsy villages floating above coral gardens where whale sharks glide through the channels.
The Surin Islands are a group of five islands in Phang Nga Province, forming the Mu Ko Surin National Park. The archipelago hosts one of the last traditional Moken sea nomad settlements in Thailand — a stilt village on Koh Surin Tai where families maintain their fishing culture under increasing pressure from modernisation. The surrounding coral reefs, severely damaged by the 2004 tsunami, have recovered to become some of the healthiest in Thai waters. Whale shark encounters are common between November and April, particularly around Richelieu Rock — considered one of the world's top dive sites. Accommodation is limited to national park tents and basic bungalows. Liveaboard boats offer multi-day dive trips through the archipelago.
Friends
Liveaboard dive trips through Richelieu Rock and the Surin reefs are a multi-day group immersion. Whale shark encounters, Moken village visits, and beach camping create the kind of shared experience groups plan reunions around.
Couple
Snorkelling the recovered reefs, visiting the Moken stilt village, and sleeping in a tent on the beach under the Andaman stars — the Surins offer raw romance without any resort packaging.
- The Moken sea gypsies still live in stilt houses over the reef — one of the last traditional communities in the Andaman.
- Whale sharks pass through the deep channels between November and April — snorkelling encounters are common.
- The coral reefs recovered faster here than anywhere else in Thailand after the 2004 tsunami.
- National park camping on the beach is the only accommodation — no permanent structures beyond the ranger station.
Moken-style fish slow-roasted over driftwood fires on the beach.
Simple rice boiled with seawater and pandan leaves.
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