Thailand again!
We had a week off for the Chinese New Year (CNY) and Tim, Marc-Andre (MA), Laura and I went to Thailand for a little diving and relaxing!
Check out the photo album for more pics!
I had spent the last CNY diving in thailand and decided that the only way to make it better was to go in great company! I did want to dive some new sites, so we bought a package to live and dive off a boat for 4 days: the diving was to be in the Similans (where I spent time diving last year) as well as a few other locations -Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, and a wreck dive.
It was really fantastic diving. We got to (briefly) see a Manta Ray! I cannot, in words, say how cool that is! I also got to catch a glimpse of a Leopard Shark (unfortunately, only our divemaster and I saw it; by the time we got the attention of the others, it had gone; visibility was not great that dive). Other interesting sightings: we saw a frogfish (not a very pretty fish, but apparently quite rare); a cleaner wrasse cleaning a grouper; nice crab at night; moray eels out hunting at night; and the wreck dive was really nice: saw groups of lionfish, tons of stonefish, and a jellyfish swimming nearby the wreck!
Before we got on the boat, Laura was hesitant about spending that much time on a tiny dive boat doing nothing but diving and relaxing. As we headed back to the coast of Thailand, she agreed that she could have spent even longer on the boat.
After the diving , we decided to head south to an island called Koh Lanta to hang out for the remainder of our week before going back to Phuket to catch our flight home to KL. This island was very similar to Malaysia's Langkawi: we spent time on the beaches, going to BBQ's (having BBQ'd Barracuda steaks), cruising around on motorbikes, trekking to a nearby waterfall, exploring a century-old part of the town, relaxing and playing cards.
Check out the photo album for more pics!
I had spent the last CNY diving in thailand and decided that the only way to make it better was to go in great company! I did want to dive some new sites, so we bought a package to live and dive off a boat for 4 days: the diving was to be in the Similans (where I spent time diving last year) as well as a few other locations -Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, and a wreck dive.
It was really fantastic diving. We got to (briefly) see a Manta Ray! I cannot, in words, say how cool that is! I also got to catch a glimpse of a Leopard Shark (unfortunately, only our divemaster and I saw it; by the time we got the attention of the others, it had gone; visibility was not great that dive). Other interesting sightings: we saw a frogfish (not a very pretty fish, but apparently quite rare); a cleaner wrasse cleaning a grouper; nice crab at night; moray eels out hunting at night; and the wreck dive was really nice: saw groups of lionfish, tons of stonefish, and a jellyfish swimming nearby the wreck!
Before we got on the boat, Laura was hesitant about spending that much time on a tiny dive boat doing nothing but diving and relaxing. As we headed back to the coast of Thailand, she agreed that she could have spent even longer on the boat.
After the diving , we decided to head south to an island called Koh Lanta to hang out for the remainder of our week before going back to Phuket to catch our flight home to KL. This island was very similar to Malaysia's Langkawi: we spent time on the beaches, going to BBQ's (having BBQ'd Barracuda steaks), cruising around on motorbikes, trekking to a nearby waterfall, exploring a century-old part of the town, relaxing and playing cards.
posted by Leon at 4:22 PM
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