Thailand
The Surin Islands are a continental archipelago of five islands in the Andaman Sea, protected as Mu Ko Surin National Park and famous among divers for the nearby dive site Richelieu Rock.
The Surin Islands lie about 55 km from the Thai mainland in Phang Nga Province and were designated Thailand's 30th national park in 1981, later expanded in 2007 to roughly 141 square kilometres, of which about 76 percent is ocean. Richelieu Rock, a submerged limestone pinnacle around 45 km from the mainland, lies within the park's waters and is known for whale sharks, manta rays and dense soft coral growth. The park is seasonally closed, open only from 15 October to 15 May.