While this probably isn’t my best photo from snorkeling at Koh Phi Phi, it was one of those times when I was able to just “hang around” while a bunch of tropical fish were swimming by.

I have to be quite honest in stating that taking pictures of fish is far more challenging than I thought. If the fish aren’t moving away from you rapidly, the tides will often change very quickly before you can even get off a shot. The only way I had any luck taking pictures of the fish was by brute force, which meant that I literally snapped over a thousand pictures to get to the 400 or so snorkeling pictures I have on my Flickr account.

A couple of alternatives to snorkeling in Koh Phi Phi would include Koh Surin and Koh Similan. These islands are only open from November to April,  about two hours away by boat from Phuket, and you will most certainly have smaller crowds present than you will find at Koh Phi Phi (you can even choose to camp there…but you have to book camps/bungalows well in advance).

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Similan Islands: Thailand

Originally uploaded by dbillian

I don’t know what the name of this fish is, but the people leading the snorkeling trip said that this fish will bite if it feels like it is being followed.

The Similan Islands are a beautiful, remote area to do some snorkeling (or diving) off of the western coast of Thailand (about two hours by boat from places like Phuket or Khao Lak); my wife and I booked an overnight stay there, something I would recommend if you are going to spend a fair amount of time in or around the Phuket area. While Phuket is indeed beautiful, the Similan Islands provide a good opportunity to get away from the crowds.