Chinese Wall is named after the jumble of granite boulders stretching out from the southern point of Similan Island No. 4. The boulders drop down to 27m and their crevices are home to large giant moray eels and refuges for Bumphead unicornfish. The eels are often being groomed by cleaner shrimps. The shrimps’ claws pick off bits of algae, loose flesh and parasites; an act as much like doctoring as grooming.
To the west of the wall are coral gardens rising to 12m. In the shallows further to the west are more boulders forming crazy overhangs, swim-throughs, tunnels and caves. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to see the two meters long resident group of white tip reef sharks lurking in their hideouts. Also known as Bird Rock, Chinese Wall is one of Similan Island diving’s best kept secrets.
The Chinese Wall is a spectacular and dramatically shaped wall dive, mainly focused around one huge granite rock sloping down from the islands southern tip to a depth of 40m.
Being at the very south tip of Island # 4, the currents can sometimes be strong here. Making a free descend close to the island, you follow the wall down, which also gives you shelter for currents. The wall itself is between 5-10m high and leads down to a number of boulders in different sizes, spread around on the sandy bottom.
Reaching depth you should look out for reef sharks, Leopard sharks as well as for big rays such as Marbled, Blotched, Jenkins and Eagle Ray. It’s not unusual to see Cobias hanging around as well. On your way down and up you will most likely encounter bigger reef fish such as Unicorn fish, big Parrotfish, giant Trevally, and large schools of fusiliers.
Reaching shallower depths, you can choose to go west, where you find a steeper coastline with small granite formations and rocks spread out, or east, where you find a patch reef going in to a small bay. Since the Chinese Wall is a site where you preferably will go a little deeper, it’s normally a shorter dive then usual.
Snorkeling: The Chinese Wall is good for snorkeling provided you snorkel in the bay and around the west part of the site. The surface current can be strong.
