Koh Bulone Snorkelling Trip

Introduction

The only snorkelling daytrip in Thailand to rival this one for coral diversity is the one which runs from Koh Lipe.

	While it's difficult to rank the Lipe and Bulone sites in terms of the quality of the coral, there is one huge and very significant difference between a snorkelling daytrip from Lipe and a snorkelling trip from Bulone.
On a snorkelling trip to Bulone you will probably have each site to yourself, which is unlikely to happen on Lipe, even if you take a private charter. If you join a join-on trip on Lipe in high season, you'll have to share each site with lots of other boats.
	Even if you charter a boat on Lipe, you won't completely escape the crowds, which we guarantee you will do with a charter snorkelling trip from Bulone.

"We at Andaman Sky Co., Ltd, owners of this website, offer snorkelling trips to all the snorkelling destinations on the Thai Andaman coast, from Burma to Malaysia. This one is, in my opinion, the best value, and the most enyoyable."

Snorkelling Sites

White Rock

The Thai word for 'staghorn coral', when literally tranlated back into English, means 'seven colour coral', and most of these colours are represented here, with pink, red, blue, white and lots of purple on vivid display.

	While the diversity of coral species isn't so high here as on nearby Lipe, there are way more fish than on any of the sites near Lipe. It feels a bit like being in an aquarium, without the cat pawing at the glass. The 20 cm long green fish with the electric blue fins are particularly pretty - we think they are parrotfish, but are not sure.
If you want to investigate fish species, check out our fish identifying search tool, which includes all the fish in the sea around Thailand.

Yellow and black bannerfish stream by, their banners following their graceful glide among the corals. Severel different species of baitfish swim around in huge schoals. This is a great snorkelling site, where you can expect to see tens of thousand of fish at a time, plus a fabulous variety of staghorn coral. The water can be a little choppy, so it might be an idea to snorkel in a life vest here, unless you are a strong swimmer.

The White Rock resembles, maybe fancifully, Scotland's Loch Ness monster, carved in stone. Click on the image, or on any of the images on this or any other page, for a closer look.

Bulone Lung

This site offers the widest variety of coral species we are aware of on the Andaman Coast of southern Thailand - and we've snorkelled everywhere from the Burmese to the Malaysian border, so we are qualified to express a worthwhile opinion.

	The reason is simple, in that the coral here is carefully protected by the local sea gipsy community. Six years ago there was much less coral here, and some far-sighted fellow decided to do something to improve the situation, in order to attract snorkellers here. At an ensuing council of sea gipsy elders it was decided to ban fishing and anchor dropping around this site, with the result that the coral has regenerated at an amazing rate, to such an extent that this site ranks as Thailand's top site for viewing hard and soft corals.
The sponge corals are particularly impressive here (see the image on the right), the brain corals are huge and finely wrought (see the above image), the mountain corals look like massive melting blocks of iridescent marshmallow, and the table corals are big enough for a small tribe to set place-mats at (see image below).
	This is the best site for coral diversity in Thailand, for those parties who like to snorkel pretty much solo. While the highlight at this site is the corals, there are also a large range of fish on display, though not in the same numbers as at White Rock.

Bulone Guy

	There is great snorkelling off this beach and, for parties that don't include infants or people with mobility issues, the beach is one of our favourite Robinson Crusoe-style lunch-spots.
Those visitors with tots or mobility issues are recommended to snorkel here, then have lunch on Bamboo Island instead (see below). For those who do lunch here on Bulone Guy, it's very unlikely that you'll have to share this beautiful beach with anybody else - if you do, please let us know and we'll buy you a Thai dinner for two, including a kilo of oysters, as compensation.
	As if the conucopias of underwater wonders on diaplay at the first two snorkelling sites wasn't enough, Bulone Gay is also a fantastic site. It is home to the biggest nemos we've ever seen (see image above), and to a fair few of nemo's clownfish cousins too, all nervously scuttling in and out of their anemome homes, wary lest they become lunch to another reef-dweller.
The delicate tree corals swaying in the current are one of the coral highlights here, along with the butterflyfish (see above) and the mother-of-pearl-coloured mountain corals glowing luminescently in the dappled sunlight.
	The beach is as sweet a spot as can be imagined for lunch. The rocks here are gorgeously coloured, and have been eroded into unusual shapes which resemble heiroglyphics etched out of the stones, with the heiroglyphs standing proud of the different coloured rock beneath. See the image above.
There is a minor natural wonder at each end of the beach. The view to the right is as shown in the image on the right. The view to the left is pictured above.

Bamboo Island

The beach here is great for swimming for people of all ages and at all times of day, but the snorkelling isn't so great. The beach is very sandy and broad, and lots of the sand swirls around underwater, creating visibility problems. There is a lovely viewpoint over the Andaman Sea, which is pictured on the left.

It's debatable whether or not to include this visit in the itinerary. For parties which don't need the toilet and don't include infants or the infirm, there's not much point in coming here, you might as well spend more time at the previous three sites.

Itinerary

Note that this is a sample itinerary, which may be varied according to the customers' requirements. As it is not a join-on trip, but a charter, there is no need to stick to the schedule, you can alter the schedule as you go along.

Prices

THB 1,800 / adult, THB 500 / child (5 - 11 years old). Children 4 years old and under are free of charge. Minimum charge - THB 3,600. Note that these are the prices for a private charter, not for a join-on trip.

The tour price includes hotel pickup and dropoff, equipment and a guide. Please buy and bring drinks and lunch from your resort.

Booking

You can book this trip when you get to the island, if the boatmen aren't busy, by contacting us. In low season the boatmen won't be busy, so you will certainly be able to book, although it might will be impossible to go because of the weather. If you are only due to be on the island for a few days in high season, it is not unlikely the boatmen will be busy and we will have you to tell you "sorry, no can do". So, if you want to be sure of booking this trip during high season, you should book in advance, contact us to do so.

As it is a charter trip, you get the whole boat to yourself, which means you can get much more comfortable. Anybody with experience of longtails boats will agree that, while they are uncomfortable when shared with a dozen other people, they are great fun and perfectly comfy, with up to half a dozen on board - everyone can get a full bench to themselves, or sunbathe in the prow. With a charter, you don't need to wait about for other people to get in the boat, and no-one will hurry you up to get back in the boat.

Charters are a way more enjoyable way to go snorkelling than join-on trips and, here on Bulone, they are inexpensive too.

Andaman Sky, Co., Ltd, 23/8 Moo 2, Ao Nang, Thailand