A horseshoe of purple soft coral-covered limestone that barely breaks the surface at low tide, the most colourful pinnacle in…A horseshoe of purple soft coral-covered limestone that barely breaks the surface at low tide, the most colourful pinnacle in the Andaman Sea. Whale sharks in February-April, tomato anemonefish carpets, harlequin shrimp, seahorses, ghost pipefish and huge schools of chevron barracuda. Reportedly named by Jacques Cousteau after the French cardinal, for the purple soft coral that resembles his robes. Devastated by the 2004 tsunami, it recovered strongly, and the Thai government now closes the whole park for five months a year. Anchorage: Liveaboard; Surin/Similan park closed roughly mid-May to mid-Oct. Hazards: Liveaboard; Surin/Similan park closed roughly mid-May to mid-Oct. Altro