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 A
national park since 1981, the Surin Islands are famous for excellent
diving and sport fishing. There are five islands in all, but he
two most popular are Ko Surin Neua (north island) and Ko Surin Tai
(south island). The Surin Island chain is located about 60 km off
the west coast of Phang-nga Province. The park office and visitor’s
center are on the southwest side of Ko Surin Neua at Ao Mae Yai,
where boats find safe anchorage.
The official camping ground is on the south island,
and the best diving is in the channel between the north and south
islands. The south island is also occupied by a village of Chao
Nam or ‘sea gypsies’. The Chao Nam hold a large ceremony,
involving ancestral worship, on Ko Surin Tai during the full moon
month of March. There have been reports of the island being closed
to visitors during that period.
In January 1997 the Chao Nam, known locally as
‘Morgans’, were banned from diving for seashells to sell
to tourists visiting the island. Harvesting the shells was having
a negative impact on the environment of the park. Not harvesting
the shells is having a negative impact on the financial health of
the Morgans as they relied on the profits to buy gasoline on other
supplies.
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Accommodations at the park bungalow are 100 baht
per person, or camping sites are available for 40 baht per person.
The park also offers a three-meal package of mostly seafood for
250 baht. The Surin Islands, being somewhat difficult to reach and
far removed from the normal travel pattern of tourists, have been
kept among the most undeveloped and pristine islands found anywhere.
 You
can charter boats to the Surin Islands from Patong beach in Phuket.
A regular charter boat from Phuket takes 10 hours, or you can take
one of the Songserm express boats during the diving season that
takes a little over three hours but charges 1600 baht per person.
If you have more than a few people it’s cheaper to travel to
the village of Ban Hin Lat where group tours can be arranged. It
also greatly reduces the boat travel time to reach your destination.
You can charter a boat to the Surin Islands that operate from the
Chumphon pier in the village of Ban Hin Lat. A 15-meter boat that
takes up to eight people can be chartered for 5000 to 6000 baht
return -- and it takes four to five hours each way. Travel to the
Surin Islands by boat is generally only considered safe between
December and early May, between the two monsoons.
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