Thiện Dive Logbook

Year one Review of RfA Instructor Development

2011-07-29T12:35:00.000+07:00

Rumble fish Adventure officially recognized as a PADI 5* IDC on 17th August 2010. As our first full year anniversary is approaching, we looked back at the successes of our interns and candidates who came to train with RfA at our new facility, and with the help of our partners at Scuba Junkie, Malaysia and Barefoot Scuba, India.

Recognizing our Candidates Success

We measure our successes on what our candidates do after their course, not on a passing percentage. Similar to the previous 5 years, many of Course Director Thien's former candidates can still be found working in the dive industry throughout Asia and the Americas. RfA graduates are found in the Maldives, Cambodia, the Philippines, California, Florida, the Red Sea, and beyond. Some are now PADI Course Directors. Many others are now owners of their dive businesses, and managers of dive centers and liveaboards.

Where are our 2010-2011 graduates today? We succeed when our candidates succeed. So today, you can find almost all of our past year graduates teaching throughout Asia Pacific. Our recent graduated instructors and divemasters can be found at:

Mermaids Liveaboard in Komodo and Bali, Indonesia (Jose, October 2010)
Sipadan/Mabul, Scuba Junkie, Malaysia (Kay, Paul, Rowan, Ella & Kat, November 2010)
Barefoot Scuba, Andaman Islands, India (Gaurav, November 2010)
Gil Meno, Indonesia (Sandra, November 2010)
Sunny Cove, Singapore (Gary and David, December 2010)
Phukest.com, Talinn, Estonia (Martin, December 2010)
Blue Coral Diving, Hoi An, Viet Nam (Patrick, February 2011)
Rumble fish Adventure, Phuket, Thailand (Chris, February 2011)
Weekend instructor, Melbourne, Australia (Travis, February 2011)
Sipadan/Mabul, Scuba Junkie, Malaysia (Sven, Jo, Monica & Richie, February 2011)
Khao Lak Scuba Adventure, Khao Lak, Thailand (Dave, March 2011)
Scuba Jam, Bangkok, Thailand (Asa, April 2011)
Orca Dive Club, Mumbai, India (Denzil, May 2011)
World Wide Dive & Sail, Manado, Indonesia (Kassandra, July 2011)

'Stand out in the Crowded' Businesses of Diving

Why divers chose RfA for their PADI Pro training? It's probably because of our fair and honest business philosophy. They can count on us to do the right things for the clients and the environment, and to live by these policies:

We practice and support 'fair pricing practices.' We highly encourage all of our guests to shop our competitors.
We expect individual effort and creativeness during training under challenging real world conditions.
We are lovers of the sea, an 'ECO company' and encouraged our candidates to be as 'green a diver' as they can be.
Our Course Directors and Instructors are divers, not classroom lecturers! So our candidates actually learn to teach and supervise in the ocean, under real life dive conditions, not from power point presentation!
We don't work for free, so therefore our candidates are expected to be the same. There's no FREE education. So, don't expect to work for free in exchange for experience from us. If you teach for us, you get compensated!
Our divers safety and fun are our main priorities!
We have a "Price Match Guarantee," do let us know if you receive the same written offer at a lower price, we'll match it.
And finally, we educate our candidates 'the business of diving' in 'a real business', ours! Because we started where they were, as active dive instructors.

Final words

Hearty Congratulations to RfA 2010 and 2011 graduates. Thank you for the opportunities to meet and learn from you as much as you might have learned from us. We look forward to support all of our past candidates in anyway we can with their passion, and goals. Remember to keep diving green!

From Similans to Malapascua to Mabul

2011-07-01T02:00:00.000+07:00

What a great first 6 months of 2011 for us here at Rumble fish Adventure!

RfA celebrated the start of our 10th year in diving with 3 weeks of diving, covering 3 countries. Aboard our chartered yatch, MV Scuba Explorer, we welcome back our friends and colleagues from around the globe to help us 'dive' into our next decade in style.

Our second leg brought us to Malapascua, the Philippines, diving with our friends at Evolution. as this was my first dive trip into this great reef corner, we achieved our objective in seeing the graceful Thresher shark at Monad Shoal. The house Reef just outside of the dive shop proved to be great 'shooting ground' for our photographers, capturing fantastic macro species from seahorses, lobsters, shrimps and rarest of nudibranches.

Finally, we stopped into Semporna for a few last dives with our friends at Scuba Junkie. Mabul didn't fail to impress with wonderful dives at the Mabul's Artificial Reef, Kapalai House Reef, and Lobsters Wall.

Click here for some photos of the dives.

Thank you to our colleagues at Gillmanoids Kuala Lumpur, our friends from the Marriott USA Kristina, Clae, Andrea, Kody, Wes, our RfA Club members Dan, Renee, Dave and our former IDC candidates Ron, Johnathan and Patrick for coming and making the celebration a memorable experience.

Most Dive Sites Remain Open in Phuket & Similans

2011-01-23T17:25:00.000+07:00

Khao Lak Dive Operators Forum Official Statement to the confusion surrounding aspects of the sudden closure of a number of Andaman dive sites. The Forum represents 26 Dive Operators in the Khao Lak Area.

Due to higher than normal sea water temperatures in 2010, some of the hard corals around the Similan and Surin Islands have been damaged by coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is a well-known phenomenon and has occurred several times in various parts of the world over the past century. The term covers an event where the symbiotic colored algae living inside the coral are released due to stress (high temperature, for example). When the algae have been released, the coral appears white, hence the term ''coral bleaching.''

If you would like to have more information about coral bleaching please click on the following link to see a presentation from Dr Mark Eakin, the Coordinator of NOAA's Coral ReefWatch program. www.climatewatch.noaa.gov

In the Similan and Surin Islands, the highest impact has been on hard corals in shallow water, where the sea temperature is generally higher than in deeper water. Members of the KLDOF have been very happy to observe a speedy recovery of certain types of coral, especially soft corals, which appeared to have suffered from the bleaching effect as well. Corals located deeper than 12 meters have suffered no or very little damage.

We as dive operators are passionate about the environment in which we live and work. Therefore we are very concerned about the condition of the reef. It is proven that there is absolutely no connection between diving and coral bleaching, but we feel the need to be even more careful around the reef to prevent further stress.

With more than 25 named dive sites, the region offers ample opportunity to dive and snorkel. Our recommendation would be to temporarily close the dive sites most affected in the Similan Islands, namely East of Eden, Beacon Reef and Breakfast Bend.

These dive sites are located on the east side of the islands. Dive sites on the west side have only been minimally affected and have many colorful corals and a wide range of marine life.

Famous dive sites such as Elephant Head Rock, Koh Tachai Pinnacle, and Richelieu Rock still offer great diving. The stag horn coral at Koh Bon has been affected; however there have been a record number of Manta Ray sightings this season.

In addition, we think it would be worth considering re-opening some of the dive sites around the southern Similan Islands, such as Fantasy Reef, which has had a number of years to recover.

Simultaneously, the KLDOF has contacted several scientists, organisations and universities specializing in monitoring and improving coral health. In previous coral bleaching events there has been successful recovery of damaged reefs, as the temperature drops.

Projects are being started to monitor the development of the corals and other individual projects are ongoing.

We will continue to observe all rules and regulations implemented for this region and offer our assistance to the National Park Head Offices involved. Additionally, we will re-enforce our strict rules for visiting divers on the boats operated by us, in terms of the policy ''absolutely no touching, feeding or harassing marine life and no rubbish thrown overboard''.

We, the dive operators and dive community in Khao Lak, are eager to do everything within our possibilities to protect and conserve the wonderful underwater world.

Khao Lak, Thailand, January 22nd, 2011

My opinion:

Similarly to any of the past events across the planet, major medias are always taking simple announcement and blow it out of proportion. Here is the list of a few mis-leading articles currently published across the Web, without much facts or actual researches in regards to the closing of reef in Thailand. It is highly recommended that you contact local dive centers and operators for 'REAL NEWS':

http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/asia-pacific/21415-Thailand-closes-dive-spots-due-reef-damage.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1349235/Thailand-bans-scuba-divers-damaged-coral-reefs.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70J1R120110120

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/thailand-closes-popular-dive-spots/story-fn3dxity-1225992513448

http://ww.bangkokpost.com/news/local/217417/18-dive-sites-closed-to-save-coral-reefs

End of 2009, Random photos & mumble jumble

2009-12-31T17:15:00.000+07:00

One year on, after we finally registered Rumblefish Adventure with PADI, we surpassed our goal in bringing more focuses to our unique diving markets. With the end of the year, it was my first year without spending much time in the Similans (just 3 short days), teaching less beginner courses, and increased my time in diving and training younger divers (under 12 & over 50 :-).

With December came to a close, we were grateful to host Khatty's first organized dive group. Nine new divers and a few more certified advance, it was a great fun weekend of diving, cruising, and BBQ.

And of course to our friends at Gillmanoids KL, they were our inspiration for making the most fun out of dive planning, eating, and laughing. Can't wait to see where we go next!!!

Jr Advance Course: with My God Daughter

2009-12-30T16:57:00.000+07:00

My oldest friends, Tin & Huong, dropped in for a visit again after a few years. Alison came back to finally gotten the chance to dive with me, or is it vice versa? I completed her Jr Advance Course, and marveled at how grown up she was now, and also one spectacular swimmer. Her Butterfly Strokes were 'symphony of graceful motions.' Her brother Ethan was then nine years old, so we took him for his first scuba experience, as a Bubblemaker. Needless to say, he refused to breath without a reg after the dive :-)

More photos of the kids are at my FB page and Picassa Album.

1st - 10th December IDC

2009-12-15T16:31:00.000+07:00

Celebrating the end of 2009 with 8 new Instructors, GoPro Thailand & Pro Tech biggest and most successful class. With various backgrounds and unique personalities, the team achieved 100% success at the IE.

Congrats to Myk, Sarah, Nils, Matt B, Andy, Alan, Jessie and Ann-Katrin. Best of wishes and successes in your endeavored into the Dive Industry.

Our success was contributed greatly by our team: IDC Staff instructor Kevin Black, RFA Ops Manager Miz, Pro Tech Ops Manager Max.

View photos of the team in action at my FB page.

Barefoot Scuba IDC 2009, Andaman Islands India

2009-11-27T14:00:00.000+07:00

25th November
Confined water at Elephant Beach, Havelock

Dive 117: the Wall
Max Depth: 21.6m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

26th November
Dive 118: Johnny's Gorge
Max Depth: 25.9m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m

Dive 119: Jackson's Bar
Max Depth: 10.9m ; Bottom time: 73 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m

Comment: Supporting Barefoot Scuba in launching India's first ever PADI IDC in the Andaman Islands. Huge Congrats to the team at Barefoot for their 100% successful first PADI IDC and IE Program. More photos of the candidates (Manish, Romissa, Damien and Olivier) in action are at My Facebook Photos Album. Check them out.

King Cruiser & Shark Point, Training dives with Gavin

2009-11-16T15:52:00.000+07:00

Dive 114: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 30.7m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 115: Shark Point
Max Depth: 17.0m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 116: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 19.5m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Open Water Course with Nuj, Thanin & Daryl

2009-11-15T15:28:00.000+07:00

14th November
Dive 110: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 9.1m ; Bottom time: 31 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 111: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 5.1m ; Bottom time: 17 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

15th November
Dive 112: Raya Yai, Lucy's Reef
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Dive 113: Raya Yai, Bay 2
Max Depth: 15.8m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Comment: My first PADI eLearning OW course with Nuj, her son Thanin and Daryl, all from Singapore. Keeping with my passion of teaching and molding kids to be future Padiwans, both kids were awesome in the water. Now, I'm looking forward to some fun dive trips with them in the future.

8th & 12th November IDC training dives

2009-11-12T15:23:00.000+07:00

8th November
Dive 108: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 5.1m ; Bottom time: 70 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

12th November
Dive 109: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 5.1m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comment: A big congrats shout out to Kylea, Sergi, Mario and Gavin for successfully completed the IDC and Instructor Examination. A truly international program was assisted by Bibi (IDCS Grad of GoPro Cambodia 08) with his superb Spanish speaking skills. Also, coming through in the mix was Daryl, completing his IDC Staff Course. See some photos of the gang in action at my Facebook Photos Album.

Gillmanoids Invasion on Halloween

2009-11-01T06:48:00.000+07:00

Friday, 30th
Dive 103: Lucy's Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 22.8m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m

Dive 104: Bay 2, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 23.4m ; Bottom time: 53 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m

Saturday, Halloween's Day
Dive 105: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 20.7m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 106: Shark Point
Max Depth: 17.6m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 107: Anemone Reef
Max Depth: 15.2m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comment:
the gang from KL came to dive :-) Sophi, Mogan, Sabrya, Remar, Ian, Maggie, Marc. Ivy, Andrew, Alicia & Ashima invaded Phuket dive sites. somuch fun and really good dive conditions for the 2 days... Photos of the dive trips are posted on our Picassa website. Click here to view.

Specialty Instructor Course dives

2009-10-22T23:22:00.000+07:00

Monday, 19th October
Dive 098: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 30.7m ; Bottom time: 33 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10m

Dive 099: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.2m ; Bottom time: 36 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 100: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 18.9m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10m

Wednesday, 21st October
Dive 101: Raya Yai, Bay 3
Max Depth: 35m ; Bottom time: 37 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m

Dive 102: Raya Yai, Bay 2
Max Depth: 25m ; Bottom time: 53 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 20-30m

Comments: Good dives with Dave, Yeang, Richard & Freeze. Simon & Natalie came along for their excursion dives, from Sihanoukville, Cambodia. There were loads to see at the Phuket Triangle, swimming leopard sharks over pinnacle 2 at shark point were our highlight of the day.

13th-14th: October IDC Training Dives

2009-10-16T10:22:00.000+07:00

Dive 096: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.1m ; Bottom time: 59 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 097: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.1m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comment: IDC Presentation OW Training dives with the guys, Davy, Yeang and Nash. John (IDC Staff from Seatrek Penang) & Freeze (DMT) assisted both days. Kevin 'Kiwi Diver' came along to sharpening up his evaluation skills. Nice condition at Kata for both days, ideal for our training sessions.

September OWSI Program

2009-09-11T10:17:00.000+07:00

Dive 094: Bay 1, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 23.1m ; Bottom time: 41 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30m

Dive 095: Bay 2, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 6m ; Bottom time: 16 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20m

Comment: OWSI Program open water training dives with Peter Wong, Assistant Instructor from our friendly dive center partner, Sunny Cove Singapore. Our DMT, Freeze, and TDI tech instructor, Arndt came along to Raya Yai Island to assist in the course.

Celebrating number 100th with Andrew

2009-08-27T12:13:00.000+07:00

Comment: Deep, DUP and Wreck dives with Alex & Alla. Andrew came along to play the difficult student, and also logged his 100th Dive. Lucy's Reef was spectacular, especially out in the artificial reef at 22m. A beautiful Yellowtail Seahorse hung out in the sand for over 2 months now, bent stick pipefish, seamoth, Indian Walkman, school of baracudas, batfish etc. are all in just a small area. Condition for the 2 days were incredible, flat seas, 30-40m viz, and no one come to dive... Great Summer Dive Season! See Alla's photos here, and Alex's photos of the Andaman Eagle Wreck here.

Tuesday, 25th August
Dive 090: Bay 1, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 21m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30m; EANx32

Dive 091: Lucy's Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 22.8m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30m;

Wednesday, 26th August
Dive 092: Andaman Eagle Wreck, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 25.6m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30m, EANx32

Dive 093: Bay 4, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 21.9m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20m

Kids & Family Day aboard MV Aquart III

2009-08-17T11:28:00.000+07:00

Comment: A great day with the kids at Raya Yai Island, taking Laura, Jack & Elliott for a couple of DSD dives. They were natural, finning and buoyancy control like an Open Water Certified diver. I'm looking forward to see them getting back into the water on their next holidays. Should be a blast for me to introduce three more super cool Aquakids into the wonderful world of Scuba. Thanks Johnathan for the photos, since I got my hands full :-)

Dive 088: Bay 1, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 3.9m ; Bottom time: 33 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20-30m

Dive 089: Bay 2, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 5.4m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m

August IDC Open Water Sessions

2009-08-13T04:50:00.000+07:00

Comment:Alex, alla and Rico fine-tuning their teaching and control skills for 2 days in Raya Yai Island. Dive conditions for the 11-12 August were fantastic, flat seas, little wind, and great viz. Click here to see more pictures on Rico's facebook album.

Tuesday
Dive 085: Bay 1, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 7.6m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 086: Bay 2, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 10.3m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Wednesday
Dive 087: Bay 2, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 7.9m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

king Cruiser - Shark Point Area

2009-07-29T11:50:00.000+07:00

Comment: An almost perfect day in Phuket, sunny skies, calm seas, and super nice cool breeze for our boat ride to the Shark Point Area. The king Cruiser has sunken a little bit deeper. On Nittrox 32%, Matt J and I spent the majority of our dives between 30m-19m, with the only shallow area at about 15m, where the wheel house used to be. Soon, this dive site is going to be an advance level,with Nitrox require to get any decent dive time on it, CooL! Shark Point and koh Doc Mai were nice as usual. I saw 3 swimming leopard sharks at shark Point, first time in a long time that happened. The beautiful red Frogfish is still at the same coral, at 13.3m, 3om from the second cave :-) See some photos during an Advance Course here.

Dive 082: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 30.7m ; Bottom time: 38 min; EANx: 32%
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 083: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.5m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 084: koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 19.2m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Raya Yai Island

2009-07-22T20:07:00.000+07:00

Tuesday, 21st July
Comment: A windy day stirred up the sea that rocked the boat during the our crossing from Chalong Bay to Raya Yai East Coast. We were alone on the Andaman Eagle Wreck for the entire dive. We also had Lucy's reef all to ourselves for the second dive. Bent Stick pipefish were all over in the sand near the artificial reef.

Dive 080: Andaman Eagle Wreck, Bay 2
Max Depth: 27.7m ; Bottom time: 51 min; EANx: 32%
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 081: Lucy's Reef, Bay 3
Max Depth: 23.7m ; Bottom time: 52 min; EANx: 32%
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Phi Phi Islands Overnight Trip

2009-07-17T21:23:00.000+07:00

Comment: Great idea to go to Phi Phi with Alex & Matt, doing some dives, hanging with the cool people in Tonsai Village, meeting some new friends. Well, Seasick was the norm for our 2 days, huge waves, and Greta was rocking all the wrong way! However, Leopard sharks, turtle, seahorses & frogfish at KDM made up for the rough boat ride. Click on the photo to see Alex pictures, posted at his FB page.

Wednesday, 15th July
Dive 074: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.9m ; Bottom time: 50 min; EANx: 34%
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 075: Koh Bida Nok
Max Depth: 20.7m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 076: Phi Le Point
Max Depth: 16.7m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Thursday, 16th July
Dive 077: Koh Bida Nai
Max Depth: 20.4m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 078: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 22.5m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 079: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 20.1m ; Bottom time: 53 min; EANx: 33%
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Cu Lao cham Island, Viet Nam

2009-07-10T20:20:00.000+07:00

Thursday, 9th July
Dive 072: Signal Point
Max Depth: 23.4m ; Bottom time: 65 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 073: Undersea Island
Max Depth: 17.6m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Comment: Hoi An is located about 45 minutes south of central Viet Nam's largest city, Da Nang. It is my favorite place to visit when I come home for holidays each year. With dive gears already with us, Miz and I finally plunged in and do a dive trip in between our feasts and shopping excursions in the Old Town. If you have been following with my log of our latest dive excursion, you would have known that my camera photo mode was fried in Sipadan. So, for the rest of the diving, it was video mode only. Dive condition for our day was practically perfect, flat sea, sunny skies, and pretty good visibility. Topography of the 2 dive sites we visit is similar to what we have in the Raya Islands in Phuket. There were fish life, though not as densely as you might see in the Andaman Sea. Some videos from the dives can be viewed at my YouTube page.

25th - 28th: Borneo Bound

2009-06-29T20:30:00.000+07:00

Thursday, 25th June (Boheyan)
Dive 060: Green Marker
Max Depth: 29.8m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 061: Coral Wall *
Max Depth: 22.5m ; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 062: Timba Timba, Sting Ray City
Max Depth: 15.2m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Friday, 26th June (Mabul)
Dive 063: Seaventures **
Max Depth: 18.5m ; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 064: Froggies **
Max Depth: 12.8m ; Bottom time: 77 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-15m

Dive 065: Artificial Reef *
Max Depth: 16.4m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Saturday, 27th June (Sipadan)
Dive 066: South Point *
Max Depth: 36.2m ; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 067: Barracudas Point **
Max Depth: 31.4m ; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 068: Barracudas Point **
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Sunday, 28th June (Mantabuan)
Dive 069: Black Corals Garden *
Max Depth: 25.3m ; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 070: Sham Sham
Max Depth: 20.1m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 071: Corner *
Max Depth: 14.3m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Comment: 4 days of diving from Semporna, Borneo with Scuba Junkie. We covered 4 different islands, starting with Boheyan, Mabul, the famous Sipadan, and Mantabuan. Except for the windy condition on the first day and dive, the entire trip was spectacular. Mabul was great for macro, saw Mandarin fish at noon, around 4m depth at Froggies. The marine life underneath Seaventures' ugly Platform were quite exquisite. Sipadan delivered more than I have expected with one of my absolute best dives, whale shark, turtles, white tip reef sharks, and school of 1000s barracudas and jacks "rocked my senses" for 66 minutes. Mantabuan is on my highly recommended dive sites for this area. Macro life are awaiting with great variants of nudibranches, leaf scorpionfish, juvenile batfish, plus the usual colorful angels and butterfly fishes that are not seen in the Andaman Sea. Some of the dives photos are uploaded to my Facebook Album.

21st - 23rd: Open Water Course with Marcel

2009-06-24T17:29:00.000+07:00

Monday, 22nd June
Dive 056:Lucy's Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 11.8m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 057: Staghorn Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 12m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Tuesday, 23rd June
Dive 058:Lucy's Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 18.2m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 059: Home Run, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Comment: A wonderful 3 days OW course with Marcel and his son, Eric whose completed his Advance Course at the same time as his father. The guys hung around to dive with my good buddy and former Calypso IDC candidate, Dave "the Legend" Ryan, for a couple of days. Base on their feedback, Phi Phi rewarded the guys with sharks and more. Great start to a new hobby for Marcel. I look forward to catching up with them later this year :;-) Eric's photos from his Digital Photo Adventure dives are posted at my Picassa Album.

I Got Gold From PADI :-)

2009-06-02T01:50:00.000+07:00

Well, actually it's a Gold Status Award for 2008 Course Director Frequent Trainer Program, the same one I received in 2007.

I know, it sounds like a membership for one of the airlines, and it's nice to get higher recognition because there are some perks to be had. In the airline world, that means racking up lots of miles by flying lots of time to get a free flight. In "our diving education" world, it means notching loads of new instructor certifications, and get some "nice break" in fees.

Regardless of the perks, I like being Gold! However, to my former and future candidates, I will have a very difficult time reaching Platinum anytime soon, as I am still aiming for 6 IDC programs per year, with each program no more than 4 candidates.
It has been my philosophy since Pro Tech Divers and I joined force, "when it comes to high Quality Education, less is more." So, to my Pro Tech and Cambodia's first ever IDC 18 successful candidates in 2008 (that's 2.57 of you in the 7 programs :-), thank you for the opportunity to dive together. And I 've learn much from you, as much as hopefully you have learned from us.

So here to 2009, as we are looking to increase our average to 3.33 per program. We're at 2.75 per program for the first half of the year already. So, who's up to help me reach this goal?

27th - 29th Wreck, Deep & Navigation

2009-05-31T00:12:00.000+07:00

Wednesday, 27th May
Dive 052:Andaman Eagle Wreck, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 26.8m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-25m

Dive 053: Lucy's Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 23.7m ; Bottom time: 54 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Friday, 29th May
Dive 054:Andaman Eagle Wreck, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 26.8m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20-25m

Dive 055: Home Run, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 22.8m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Comment: A couple of really good diving days with Will & Liam for their Specialty Instructor training. We got to dive the Andaman Eagle Wreck in Bay 2 of Raya Yai, practically by ourselves each time. Some photos from the dives are posted at my Facebook album. Friday was a sad day, as I begged farewell to my Suunto Vyper. It decided to "stop diving" on my second dive, ending my 8 years relationship, 4 battery changed and thousands of dives logged... Guess she was broken hearted because of the arrival of my new partner, the Stinger!

16th - 18th: May IDC 2009

2009-05-22T09:53:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 16th May
Dive 048:Raya Noi Bay
Max Depth: 5.7m ; Bottom time: 29 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20-30m

Dive 049:Banana Bay, Raya Noi
Max Depth: 8.2m ; Bottom time: 46 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20-30m

Monday, 18th May
Dive 050:Lucy's Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 22.8m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 051: Bay 1, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 8.2m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

a Day with Andrew Johnstone

2009-05-08T09:11:00.000+07:00

Dive 045: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 31m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 046: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.9m ; Bottom time: 46 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 047: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 22.2m ; Bottom time: 46 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comment: A fantastic day diving in May, the weather was cloudy and the sea was flat. We arrived on the King Cruiser just in time for almost slack tide, which meant no current. Andrew is retired, and recently fell in love with diving. He held his air usage very well as my dive buddy, thus allowing us to extend our bottom time on all 3 dives. Amazing fish life at the wreck, leopard sharks are back at Shark Point (we saw three), and the red frogfish and white seashorse are still on the wall at Ko Doc Mai. Few photos of the day are on my Picassa album.

19th: Reef Monitor Project

2009-04-20T09:43:00.000+07:00

Dive 044: Kata Beach Reef - North Side
Max Depth: 9.4m ; Bottom time: 71 min
Water Temp: 31c; Visibility: 1-4m

Comment: Big thanks go out to Nico, Tomo, Chris, and the 2 ladies dive instructors from Kata Diving Service for joining us this morning. Appreciation also to Liam (our surface support) and Taku for driving. Data were gathered, tallied and submitted to coralwatch.org. We'll return in October to see what has changed after the surfing season complete.

15th - 16th: Phi Phi & Shark Point Area

2009-04-20T09:14:00.000+07:00

Wednesday, 15th April
Dive 039: Koh Bida Nok
Max Depth: 20.1m ; Bottom time: 59 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 040: Pilong Wall, Koh Phi Phi Le
Max Depth: 17.6m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Thurday, 16th April
Dive 041: koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 23.4m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 042: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 23.4m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-15m

Dive 043: Shark Point
Max Depth: 21.0m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-15m

comment: Hanni & Joey from singapore, Nuala & Andy (my open water students from 2002) dropped in for a visit and a few dives. Bida Nok was great as a first dive, easy condition, nice viz and great show of fish. We spotted a green turtle feeding on corals at Pilong Wall. Nuala & Andy went to the Similans on the second day, leaving me diving with the 2 beautiful but goofy :-) gals from Sing. We found a couple of Leopard sharks at Shark Point (Joey's main objective of diving in Phuket was met), low Viz didn't allow us any good photo opportunity. See some of the photos at our Picassa Album. And, enjoy a video clip of the girls clowning around on the King Cruiser Wreck.

11th April: Raya Yai Island

2009-04-13T19:44:00.000+07:00

Dive 037: Staghorn reef
Max Depth: 12.8m ; Bottom time: 22 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 038: Siam Bay
Max Depth: 10.6m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

7th - 8th April: Sharkpoint & Phi Phi

2009-04-09T19:31:00.000+07:00

Tuesday, 7th April
Dive 032: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 31.4m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 033: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.2m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 034: koh Doc Mai *
Max Depth: 19.2m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Wednesday, 8th April
Dive 035: Koh Bida Nok *
Max Depth: 24.6m ; Bottom time: 56 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 036: Pilong Wall, Koh Phi Phi Le
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comments: Two days of diving with Mikael, came back to visit for the umpteen times from Denmark. After so many dives at our local sites, I am still in awe of the amazing life I see each time I go under... We literally swam into a couple of Leopard sharks, swimming around, unfortunately, to current and low Viz didn't allow us any photo opportunity. See the latest dive condition and marine life at My Facebook photo album.

25th March: Nusa Penida, Bali

2009-03-27T12:08:00.000+07:00

Dive 030: Manta Point *
Max Depth: 13.7m ; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 031: Ped *
Max Depth: 23.7m ; Bottom time: 69 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30m

Comment: A little escape to Bali for me to recharge the system. After much searching for a confirmed dive trip anywhere for 2 days, I was able to joined Atlantis International Bali for a daytrip to Nusa Penida (with the help of Emmanuel & Virginie, our Beuchat Asia Pacific Team). Jerome, of Atlantis, was gracious host. Guy was my dive guide, and did try his best to keep me in check from straying "solo" throughout the dives. Well, Manta Point did not disappoint, as 4 various sized mantas come by often during the 64 minutes dive. They were as friendly to divers as fish can get, hanging in the surge & current for the crowd to take photos. Ped was a nice dive site, with fantastic visibility. The drift dive took us across some of the healthiest reef I've seen in the region. Only sad part of the dives were the amount of plastic bags floating on the surface and caught on corals underwater... the need to educate the evil of plastic bags continue to be a challenge for so many of us dive pro in the region.

17th March: Specialty Training Dives

2009-03-18T11:32:00.000+07:00

Dive 027: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 30.7m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 028: Shark Point
Max Depth: 20.7m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 029: koh Doc Mai *
Max Depth: 15.8m ; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comment: few Photos for the day are posted on Our Picassa Album.

14th March: Raya Yai (East coast) on MV excalibur

2009-03-15T11:18:00.000+07:00

Dive 025: Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 21.3m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 026: Lucy's Reef
Max Depth: 16.4m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15-20m

Comment: A day trip out fun diving with my buddy Mike D from VN. Carey (from VN) & Rainer (a Phuket Expat) also joined us for the "boys day out" on sea Bees day trip boat. I haven't dive with Mike since our last dive together in Nha Trang back in 2004, so the day was quite special for me. Carey was one of my OW students back in 2002, and it was great to also drop in with him. Sunshine, blue skies, flat sea and clear water made the day as perfect as it can get. And since it was Mike's Birthday, the celebration continued late into the night ;-)

7th - 9th March IDC 2009

2009-03-10T10:39:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 7th March
Dive 023:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

Monday, 9th March
Dive 024:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 6.0m ; Bottom time: 68 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comment: Mattias (Swedish), Valeriy (Ukrain via Kiwi land), Joacim (Swedish) joined me for the March IDC Program. Anders from South Sea Diving came on to assist the Swedish contingent while completing his IDCS training. Mattias & Val came through the IDC and performed very well at the IE. Joacim came down with a bad flu and fever on the last day of the IDC, thus he missed out on the IE. Fortunately, we'll see him again in just a few months to finish up what he had started so well... a few photos of the boys are on My Facebook album. Anders also posted his photos on South Sea diving, click here to view them.

25th-26th February: PADI Specialty Instructor Course

2009-02-27T21:39:00.000+07:00

Wednesday, 25th February
Dive 018: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 5.7m ; Bottom time: 31 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 019: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 5.7m ; Bottom time: 25 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Thursday, 26th February
Dive 020: King Crusier Wreck
Max Depth: 31.7m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 021: Shark Point
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-15m

Dive 022: koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 18.9m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m
Comment: Joecim (DMT) and Kazu (IDCS) joined me as players for the specialty training dives. Unfortunately the candidate who the dives are planned for the boat trip was a no show. But, we did 3 fantastic dives with me witnessing Kazu performing a perfect demo of the "Underwater vomitting through your Reg Distinctive Specialty" Skill :-) on top of the King Cruiser Wreck. I was bummed that I did not switch my camera quick enough to video mode, it would have been a video of the year. See some photos from the dives at my Facebook album.

16th February: Koh Pu & Kata Reef

2009-02-17T09:25:00.000+07:00

Monday, 16th February
Dive 016: Koh Pu (North side)
Max Depth: 19.5m ; Bottom time: 46 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 2-5m

Dive 017: Kata Reef *
Max Depth: 9.7m ; Bottom time: 85 min (2009 record)
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

comment: North side of Koh Pu was littered with nudibranches (most common was risbecia pulchella), however, the thermocline condition made taking photo a huge disappointment. I couldn't get my Sea & Sea DX860G to perform any miracle. However, the dive at Kata Reef was one of my best dives in years, and also one of my longest on a single tank, with still 70 bar left after 85 minutes. See my video clip of the juvenile shrimpfish, to darn small for photo. At 3m in the sandy bottom, just off the south side of the reef, a couple of small outcrops of hard corals were where we found 4 Ornate ghost pipefish, a cuttlefish and 3 gangly lionfish preventing me for 15 minutes from coming close to the crevices for a shot at the ghost pipefish. I spent 35 minutes here, after planning to head back to the beach. See the photos at my Facebook album. How's that for a beach dive :-)

7th - 9th February IDC 2009

2009-02-15T21:12:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 7th February
Dive 014:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.7m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Monday, 9th February
Dive 015:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.4m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comment: Nick (Swedish via Oakley Diver, Thailand), Jeff (England) & Young Gyi (Korean via Eden Divers) joined me for theFebruary IDC program. Jinhoon (Korean via Eden Divers) came to help out as a translator while completing his IDC Staff course concurrently. The boys did well & took all of the stress and challenges in stride. There are quite videos available for your viewing leisure at My Youtube page. Enjoy and Happy Chinese New Year!

31 Jan - 1 Feb: Two days in the similans

2009-02-02T20:34:00.001+07:00

Saturday, 31st January
Dive 009: East of Eden, Island #7
Max Depth: 22.2m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-30m

Dive 010: West of Eden, Island #7
Max Depth: 21.9m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 26c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 011: Anita's Reef, Island #5
Max Depth: 19.5m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 30m

Sunday, 1st February
Dive 012: Breakfast's Bend, Island #9
Max Depth: 24.3m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 20-30m

Dive 013: North Point, Island #9
Max Depth: 25.9m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 20-30m

comments: Dropped into East of Eden for my check-out dive in the similans at 8:13am on the last day of January. Visibility was spectacular as always, and condition was favorable, with a medium current pushing us North. Khao Lak Scuba Adventure was nice enough to let me spend a couple of nights aboard MV Manta Queen II while waiting for my guests to arrive in the Marine Park. Hannah, Boy, Dan and the Captain were superb in helping us sorting out the meeting point in the Similans for the dives.
Gabriel, P. Toon, and Gabriel Sr. from the MY Olympia (aka the Twinpalms One) joined me for the second to fifth dives of the weekend. Gabriel Sr. (Papa) was an amazing diver, at 70+ years old, he was much more comfortable swimming under water than probably walking on land:-) He had much fascination in Groupers, as I was shown on every dive where they were hidden. Few of the photos for the dives are posted on my Facebook album for January random shots.

19 - 20 January: Phi Phi Overnight Trip

2009-01-21T15:21:00.000+07:00

Monday, 19th January
Dive 004: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.5m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 3-5m

Dive 005: Koh bida Nok
Max Depth: 19.5m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 006: Whale Shark Wall, Phi Phi Le
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 59 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 10-12m

Tuesday, 20th January
Dive 007: Koh bida Nai
Max Depth: 30.4m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 008: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 25.3m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comment: Two days of diving and working with Mogan on specialty training, it was a needed retreat for me. I was suffering from "scuba withdrawal" going on 2 weeks without any diving. Few photos are with my 2009 Random Photos Album at Facebook. Check out what's in the water now in Phuket & Phi Phi. Water temperature was quite colder than usual, averaging 27c for all of the dives.

10-12 January: 2009 First IDC Program

2009-01-13T03:03:00.000+07:00

.
Saturday, 10th January
Dive 001:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 6.0m ; Bottom time: 34 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 5-10m

Monday, 12th January
Dive 002:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 7.0m ; Bottom time: 32 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 003:Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 7.0m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 27c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comment: Mogan (Gillmanoids, Malaysia), Kiam (Diventure, Singapore) & Chris (RFA, Thailand) joined me for the first IDC program of 2009. Remar & Ian (Gillmanoids, Malaysia) came to help out, with Remar completing her IDC Staff course concurrently. The boys survived the 12 days challenge with very little "scars" to show :-) There are quite a few photos of the program posted on my Facebook photos album. Also, videos are available for your viewing leisure at My Youtube page. Enjoy and Happy 2009!

31 December: Last dive of the year

2009-01-01T06:01:00.000+07:00

Dive 147:Koh Pu (Off Kata Beach)
Max Depth: 12.5m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comments: I spent my last minutes underwater in 2008 with my fav diver, Sophiya aka "Aqua Girl." Condition definitely was not ideal at Koh Pu, with surges & low viz due to plankton. We spotted quite few surprises, including this rare Nudibranch (see photo) that I'm yet to identify, squat cleaner shrimps, Maldivian Sea Snails, cuttlefish etc. With my second dive here in December, and finding 3 different nudibranches that I have never seen, I am so looking forward to make this small island dive site as our regular weekly excursion.

28-29 December: RFA & Gillmanoids Dive Festival

2008-12-30T17:29:00.000+07:00

Sunday, 28th December
Dive 142: Raya Noi (Marina Bay)
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 36 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10m

Dive 143: Raya Yai (Bay 5)
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Monday, 29th December
Dive 144: Koh Bida Nok
Max Depth: 11.8m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 145:Koh Bida Nai
Max Depth: 12.8m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 15-20m

Dive 146:Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

16th December: Laurie & Chris Bautista

2008-12-16T17:45:00.000+07:00

Dive 140: Shark Point (Hin Musang)
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10m

Dive 141: Koh Doc Mai (Flower Island)
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

7th - 10th December: Fun dives with Itt, Eve & Neng

2008-12-10T15:57:00.000+07:00

Sunday, 7th December
Dive 135: Ko Pu, East Side
Max Depth: 12.5m ; Bottom time: 33 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 136: Kata Reef
Max Depth: 9.1m ; Bottom time: 41 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Tuesday, 9th December
Dive 137: Raya Yai, Bungalow Bay
Max Depth: 11.5m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 138: Raya Yai, Bungalow Bay
Max Depth: 11.2m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Wednesday, 10 December
Dive 139: Kata Reef (Night Dive)
Max Depth: 8m ; Bottom time: 41 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

3rd December: Inspecting MV May Dream

2008-12-03T17:43:00.000+07:00

Dive 134: Ko Hei (Coral Island)
Max Depth: 10m ; Bottom time: 31 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

29th November: First Dive at For Sea AirWreck

2008-12-01T11:00:00.000+07:00

Dive 132: Dakota (D2) Plane
Max Depth: 21.9m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 2-5m

Dive 133: Dakota (D3) Plane
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 2-5m

Comments: A windy day off Bangtao Beach, Phuket for the celebrated first dive at the newly sunk wrecks. The dive site is officially named For Sea AirWreck Dive Site (despite the politically motivated TDA - CMAS organization attempt to call it something else). Descending into the stirred up sandy bottom, visibility was at best 5m or so. We reached the Dakota D2 at 20m, sighting it for the first time. The plane is intact, sitting upright, secured tightly by ropes and cement blocks to the bottom. The interior is easily penetrated, wide open with opening for sunlights from both sides. Its body however is littered with "self-proclaimed" stickers and banners by TDA & CMAS, creating an ugly image (looks like all of those damm bill boards selling property on the island) for the artificial reef. Please support in the conservation of our Andaman sea, AVOID businesses who support or associate with any organization whose is "placing graffiti" on dive sites promoting their own self-indulgence dive businesses.

Due to the tide changing & windy conditions, the wreck is quite challenging for beginners or inexperience divers. However, I do foresee if condition is favorable later in the season, this is one fantastic dive site for wreck lovers. To dive this dive site, please contact any dive businesses who support Thailand For Sea Foundation, the non-profit organization whose interest is to raise awareness to the plight of the seas surrounding Thailand.

Photos: Dakota D2 (top); Broken Self-proclaimed TDA & CMAS canvas sign that can hurt unsuspected turtles (middle); Dakota D3 (bottom)

more photos are found at my Facebook album.

27th November: Ko Doc Mai with Kristina, Clae & Andrea

2008-11-29T10:14:00.000+07:00

Dive 130: Ko Doc Mai (Soft Coral wall & Garden)
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 48 min (32% EANx)
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 131: Ko Doc Mai (Caves Side)
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m (32% EANx)

Comments: A quick 2 dives trip to Ko Doc Mai with Kristina, Clae & Andrea from NorCal. The ride out was a little bouncy, as the morning wind was still blowing. Current for the dive was heading North to South, about 2 knots. Visibility was less than usual due to the windy condition. The Soft Coral wall was spectacular as always, with school of thousands of bigeye snappers (lutjanus lutjanus) hanging out over the coral garden. Nudibranches were in abundance, especially the Glossodoris and Phyllidia species. Video clip of the Snappers are posted at my YouTube page. Click here to view.

Photos: Glossodoris atromarginata (right) & Phyllidia melanocera (left) (Also known as: Phyllidiella pustulosa)

15th - 16th November: RFA Dive Fest with Gillmanoids

2008-11-19T11:03:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 15th: Raya Yai Island
Dive 124: Bay 3 to Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 21m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20+m

Dive 125: Lucy's Reef to Bay 4
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20+m

Dive 126: Homerun Reef
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Sunday, 16th: Phi Phi Islands
Dive 127: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 19.2m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10m

Dive 128: Ko Bida Nai
Max Depth: 14.6m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 129: Lohsama Bay
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comments: Kata was invaded by our friendly Gillmanoids from KL over the weekend. The gang came in to finish a couple of students for the OW course and also brought along a bunch of troublemakers :-) to keep the whole festival lively. Elia & Abhi completed their OW course under the direct supervision of Sabrya & Ian. They encountered green turtle, leopard shark, and for Abhi, manta on his 3rd diving day... not too bad for a newly certified diver. RFA was joined by my buddy Dave Garrett (SF) the timid Elin (Sweden) who were completing their courses also, my brother Trung (SF) & his fiance Amee (BK) whose came along for the ride to Phi Phi Islands.

The fun players from Gillmanoids: Sharman, Ashima, Nick, Remar, Andrew, Alicia, Mogan & the "aquaGirl" Sophi.

From Rumble Fish, the players were: Danny, Chris, Peter & Moi! More photos are found at my Facebook albums.

8th - 10th November: IDC OW Practical Training

2008-11-11T10:48:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 8th
Dive 122: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.4m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Monday, 10th
Dive 123: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 6.4m ; Bottom time: 83 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comments: Felix & Maria were joined by our first 2 Japanese Candidates: Naoko & Keiko for the IDC training dives. GoPro Thailand Japanese program was conducted by Course Director Tom & IDC Staff Yumi.

2nd - 3rd November: Eve's Jr Advance Course

2008-11-04T10:38:00.000+07:00

Comments: Eve & her friend Collette completed her Jr OW course with me in November 2006. Eve returned this year to continue on to her Jr Advance level, and was joined by Neng and Tu as our second instructor. We did the course over 6 dives, in two of the best dive destinations locally, Ko Bida Islands & the Raya Islands. Eve saw her first shark, a 1m Blacktip, yellow tiger-tailed seahorse, 5 different species of nudibranchs, green turtle, and she took some wonderful photos of a swimming reef octopus (see photo below) on her first day in the Bida islands.
Chris, our DM joined us on the second day as Neng dive buddy. Raya Noi rewarded us with 30+m viz, school of hundreds of yellowtailed baracudas, yellow-lip seakrate, and wonderful coral gardens in Banana Bay. Her last dive in Raya Yai was memorable, we found swimming bluespotted stingrays, 2 beautiful Ornate ghost pipefish, a nudibranch I'm still trying to identify, and the locally popular bent-stick pipefish. She's now a proud Jr advance diver at 14, just 1 more year and we can go deep, to check out her "narcosis tolerance :-)" View more photos at my Facebook album.

Sunday, 2nd: Phi Phi Islands

Dive 116: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 117: Ko Bida Nok
Max Depth: 15.8m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 118: Ko Bida Nai
Max Depth: 14.9m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Monday, 3rd: Raya Noi & Yai Islands

Dive 119: Banana Bay, Raya Noi
Max Depth: 21.3m ; Bottom time: 53 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive 120: Raya Noi Bay
Max Depth: 14.9m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive 121: Bay 2 to Staghorn Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

A Couple Days Under pressure

2008-11-02T09:03:00.000+07:00

Friday, Halloween 2008
Feeding my urge for compressed air on Halloween, I hopped aboard MV Scuba Explorer for an inspection trip, and also completing Mehdi's Specialty Instructor Courses. Coming along for the trip were Chris Stout (DMT) & Brendan Lund (Sept08 Grad). I literally had to will the wind to stop the night before, which luckily it cooperated, allowing the boat to make it to Hin Muang / Hin Daeng in the open seas. The 2 rocks were not as spectacular as I had seen them in the past, could be due to the westerly wind still blowing up waves, stirring up the seas. Hin Muang has some coral damages, though it looked more like a natural problem rather than human cause. Still a good dive sites worth visiting...

Dive 109: Ko Ha Yai (number 5), the Cathedral
Max Depth: 30.4m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 110: Hin Muang (Purple Rock)
Max Depth: 29.2m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 111: Hin Daeng (Red Rock)
Max Depth: 21m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 112: Hin Daeng (Red Rock)
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Saturday, 1st November, 2008
Dive 113: Ko Bida Nok
Max Depth: 24.3m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 114: Ko Bida Nai
Max Depth: 16.7m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 115: Anemone Reef
Max Depth: 18.9m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5m

Comments: We overnighted in Phi Phi and dive the Bida islands on the second day. I haven't been out this way for awhile, so it was good to check up on the marine life, and also fine-tuning my search skills for those macro creatures. Found the black tigertail seahorse on the wall off Bida Nai & the usual leopard sharks chilling out in the sandy bottom.

OWSI Training, Back in Kata Beach

2008-10-14T15:29:00.000+07:00

Dive 108: Kata Beach North Reef
Max Depth: 7.6m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

comment: OWSI training dives with Ryan & Kaiming from Sunny Cove Singapore. Joined the dive were my DMT Chris Stout, and our current staff, Danny P. This is my first dive at Kata since april. Condition was outstanding, calm seas (very early for the Andaman Sea this season), and lots of small creatures waiting to be photographed.

IDC Training Dives in Cambodia

2008-10-05T09:21:00.000+07:00

Excerpt from PADI Surface Interval Archive - Regional News:

POSITIVE RESULTS FROM THE FIRST-EVER IE CONDUCTED IN CAMBODIA
The Kingdom of Cambodia warmly welcomed PADI’s first-ever Instructor Examination held in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, from 2^nd to 4^th October 2008.

All seven competent candidates completed their IDC and IE in Cambodia, one of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing muck dive destinations. The programs were conducted under the direct supervision of Thien X. Do, PADI Course Director and PADI 5-Star Dive Centre, The Dive Shop, who supported the group’s logistics.

The international candidates included Shina Sakata, Mehdi Seridji, Lucy Plant, Ashley McKenty, Simon Herbert, and Paul Bremner. This celebrated event also graduated 2 new IDC Staff Instructors, David Polley and Birkan Tanis.

Additionally Bora Ran is recognised to be the first ever Cambodian Khmer (the main ethic group and language of Cambodia) to achieve the respected PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor level. The successful completion of the EFR Instructor Course in Cambodia will now place eight new EFR Instructors to demonstrate their CPR/First Aid training skills in Sihanoukville.

Ko Tas (Snake Island), Sihanoukville
28th Sept 2008

Dive 106: the Pier
Max Depth: 5.7m ; Bottom time: 25 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 0-3m

Dive 107: the Pier
Max Depth: 5m ; Bottom time: 30 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 1-3m

Comment: A perfect location for control training during the IDC. Visibility started at 3m & reach zero beyond 5m. Condition challenges presented me with the great opportunity to elaborate and expand on "judgment call" for the new candidates, know when to make the change. Seven candidates attended the IDC, and successfully passed the IE on the weekend of 2-4 October. See our Photos album on Facebook.

One Diving Day in Cambodia

2008-09-23T08:59:00.000+07:00

Koh Rung, Sihanoukville
Dive 104: the Corral
Max Depth: 9.7m ; Bottom time: 69 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 1m

Dive 105: Vietnamese Bay
Max Depth: 11.2m ; Bottom time: 65 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 1m

Comment: Arriving to begin the first ever PADI Instructor Development Course in Cambodia, I was able to get a day of diving in. A typhoon lashing out in Taiwan caused condition to be quite murky. We got about 1m viz for the day. The Corral didn't disappoint, with seahorses hidden in various urchins among the sandy bottom. Found a fantastic juvenile flabellina, about 0.5cm in length. More photos are found at my Picassa album.

16th - 17th September: Specialty Instructor Training Program

2008-09-17T18:03:00.000+07:00

Tuesday, 16th: Raya Yai Island
Dive 99: Andaman Eagle Wreck
Max Depth: 27.4m ; Bottom time: 42 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 100: Home Run Reef
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-10m

Wednesday, 17th: A-S-K Triangle Area
Dive 101: Anemeone Reef
Max Depth: 25.3m ; Bottom time: 59 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-20m

Dive 102: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.2m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5-15m

Dive 103: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 5m

6th & 8th September: IDC training dives

2008-09-09T08:10:00.000+07:00

Friday, 6th: Ko Hei
Dive 97: East Side
Max Depth: 7.3m ; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Monday, 8th: Ko Hei
Dive 98: Coral Island Resort West Side
Max Depth: 8.2m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 3-5m

Comment: We chartered a speedboat for the 2 days. The guys, Andy, Brendan, Richard & Steve, had a bit of brain-lapsed in the first day of open water presentation. The second day was much better with control & delivery, though there were still moments of "duh" under water. Much work still needed to tie all of the loose ends together... Some video clips of the guys delivering their presentations for Rescue Course and Adventure in Diving are at my Youtube. Take a look!

27th - 28th August: Alistair Jr Advance Course

2008-08-29T13:19:00.000+07:00

Wednesday, 27th: Raya Yai Island
Dive 92: Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 15.8m ; Bottom time: 42 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15m+

Dive 93: Home Run, Bay 1
Max Depth: 13.7m ; Bottom time: 41 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 15m+

Thursday, 28th: King Cruiser - Shark Point Area
Dive 94: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 21.6m ; Bottom time: 23 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m+

Dive 95: Shark Point *
Max Depth: 14.9m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m+

Dive 96: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m

Comments: Alistair, a Gillmanoid's Sea Star original member dropped in for a couple days of diving. He hasn't dive since his 4th dive after his jr OW course, so there were lots to be done for his Jr Advance. Unlucky for Alistair, he got me as his instructor :-), so now he saw how Sophiya got tortured during her time diving with me in Phuket.
The weather was a lot wetter this month, with rain on and off during both of our diving days. The occasional wind stirred up the sea for a bit of bouncy boat ride. Alistair did very well, handling some of the more challenging conditions: current, thermocline, low viz etc. at the King Cruiser Wreck & Ko Doc Mai. He saw his first shark (2 leopards), and sorta overcame his fear of "BiG FiSh" though i'm not sure if he'll swim up close to anything larger than his arm :-) More photos of Alistair's trip is located at my Picassa Album.

14th - 16th August: Gillmanoids Invasion

2008-08-17T08:31:00.000+07:00

Thursday, 14th: Phi Phi Islands
Dive 86: Shark Point *
Max Depth: 15.8m ; Bottom time: 37 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Dive 87: Ko Bida Nai *
Max Depth: 14.3m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m+

Friday, 15th: Raya Noi Island
Dive 88: Raya Noi Bay
Max Depth: 15.5m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 40m

Dive 89: Banana Bay
Max Depth: 14m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 40m

Saturday, 16th: Raya Yai Island
Dive 90: Andaman Eagle Wreck* & Bay 2
Max Depth: 24m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Dive 91: Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 13.1m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Comment: Can't get any better for the monsoon season this year! We had a great 4 days of fantastic weather for diving. A leopard Shark swam at us minute after we descent at Pinnacle 1, got the kids excited immediately. Alex & Gary were doing their fish ID adventure dive, so one easily recognized. First day back in the water for Sophi, newly nick-named Twerp, she saw 2 leopard sharks & hung out with a Green turtle for a few minutes. Raya Noi on the second day was spectacular, I haven't seen 40m viz in a long time. It's a drift dive for the group, where we also saw the "Moiseys" doing their OWC skills in clear blue water. Alex & Gary got the opportunity to dive the Andaman Eagle Wreck on the third day, their first wreck dive. Good viz & nice current extended our dive easily, as we drifted lazily across Staghorn Reef for the group last dive of the trip. More photos of the trip is located at my Picassa Album.

10th August - Koh Doc Mai, King Cruiser & Shark Point

2008-08-11T12:06:00.000+07:00

Dive 83: Koh Doc Mai
Max Depth: 24.6m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Dive 84: King Cruiser Wreck *
Max Depth: 21.6m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Dive 85: Shark Point *
Max Depth: 19.2m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m+

Comment: Beautiful day for diving, flat sea and sunny skies! I was joined by Brem & Maaike, from the Dive Shop Cambodia (their first dive in the Andaman), Saskia, and Brendan, my current padi-wan DMT. Condition also was fantastic under water. We got 20m+ Viz for all 3 dive sites, and very little current. King Cruiser has collapsed a little bit more now, as the stern where the toilets are located, sunk another 5m or so deeper. It's one storm away from falling to the bottom. Brendan did a good job getting the gang through Ko Doc Mai for the first dive. The bow of the King Cruiser is covered with thousands of snappers. We saw a pair of hunting baracudas on pinnacle 1 of Shark point, and the safety stop, a 1.5m leopard shark cruised by to show of his graceful swim... Overall, cool diving day. Photos are uploaded to my Picassa album.

See a video clip of the car deck, in the King Cruiser's Bow:

19th - 21st July: Wreck & Deep Courses

2008-07-21T18:48:00.000+07:00

Danny led Richard through his specialty training dives for Deep and Wreck at Racha Yai Island. Conditions were spectacular again, with the guys having a great time going through all of the tasks and skills. Brendan joined the courses as a DMT and responsible for some awesome photos of the Andman Eagle Wreck in Racha Yai, Bay 1. Check it out in Brendan's Picassa album.

Phuket July Condition: Calm Sea & Sunny Skies

2008-07-12T15:41:00.000+07:00

July weather has been spectacular, with calm wind, flat sea, 30m visibility in the Racha Islands area, and whale shark sightings daily in Phi Phi and Shark Point Marine Sanctuary. I love LOW SEASON :-)!!!

8th July, 2008
Koh Bida Nok, Phi Phi Island
Comment by Danny Pilling - Awsome dive, bad viz from lots of plankton and quite strong currents, sound bad?? NOT FOR WHALE SHARK ENCOUNTERS!! Perfect conditions and hey presto, there she was. Encountered in the first 10 minutes of the dive, then after we returned to the boat, she decided to come check us out, thus rewarding us with 10-15 minute snorkel swim encounter. Awsome!! Low Season just got better!!!

6th - 7th July - Racha Yai Island

2008-07-07T21:15:00.000+07:00

Sunday, 6th July
Dive 79: Bay 1-2 *
Max Depth: 12.8m ; Bottom time: 42 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30m+

Dive 80: Bay 2 - Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 10.3m ; Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30m+

Monday, 7th July
Dive 81: Home Run Reef *
Max Depth: 18m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30m+

Dive 82: Staghorn Reef *
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 42 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30m+

Comments: After almost 4 weeks without Scuba, I got my "nitrogen fixed" again thanks to Livia Vo (from Texas by way of Singapore), coming to visit us for her referral OW course. The first week of July has been spectacular, beautiful weather, calm breeze, flat sea, and unbelievable visibility. Patrick Lee (from Singapore) joined in on our second day of the course to finish off his dive 3-4. Want to see how nice the trips were? check out the photo album at picassa below:

Open Water Course 7th July

12th June, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

2008-06-16T12:31:00.000+07:00

Dive 77: the Corral, Koh Rung **
Max Depth: 13.4m ; Bottom time: 80 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 78: Unnamed site, Koh Rung
Max Depth: 22.8m ; Bottom time: 33 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 3-5m

Comment: After almost 20 days going without getting wet, I was in full "Nitrogen withdrawal" before the plunge for a couple of muck dives in Cambodia. Meeting up with Paul (friend & former Instructor candidate) at the Dive Shop, he has intrigued me with the opportunity to dive with seahorses. Yes, you read it right, it's plural... A 2 hour boat ride to Koh Rung with the rain pestered us the entire day, we descended into a sandy bottom, starting out at 11m depth. Appropriately named by Paul (he discovered the site among many others), "The Corral," it delivered spectacularly!
Common seahorses (adults, pregnant, and juveniles) are spotted every couple of minutes during the dive. Octopus hidden in every other clam shells, crevices, sand and can be seen by any beginners. Then there were a Balloon shark, crabs (all over the place), nudibranch, flatworms, and the rare found of a leafy or weedy filefish ... As unlucky for me, I failed to charge my battery properly, thus within 30 minutes into the dive, my camera was done :-(

Marine life spotted were: Hippocampus kuda (common seahorses, there were 9 different sightings, with 2 beautiful juveniles), Chaetoderma penicilligera (leafy or weedy filefish), ocellated (spotted) octopuses (they were in every other clam shells), a pipefish that looked like Acentronura gracilissima (graceful or bastard seahorse), Cephaloscyllium umbratile (balloon or swell shark, often found in Japan and very uncommon in the Indochina Sea) can also be Cephaloscyllium sufflans
Nudibranches: Bornella stellifer, Pteraeolidia ianthina, Thecacera pennigera

Come dive with the Dive Shop, located on the road to Serendipity Beach, right next to the well-known the Monkey Republic Bar, Restaurant and Guesthouse. The Dive Shop's DM & Instructor, Bora, Shina and Paul, are on hand to help you spot all the little critters.

UPDATE: Click here to download and read Asian Divers' Feature on diving in Cambodia by Sol Foo, the Editor.

If you're interested in looking further into travel to Sihanoukville, Cambodia, some helpful info are: accommodation ranges from 8-15 USD, food costs 2-3 USD per meal (try the Cambodian Lok Lak, it's tasty!), and Anchor Beer costs 1 USD per bottle in the bar (0.75 cents at happy hour). A day trip for diving runs about 50 USD for two dives. And lastly, there's plenty to do in the beach town when you're not diving...cool beach bars, wooden huts with hammocks, music clubs, and even a couple of casinos to keep anyone entertain.

Sihanoukville, Cambodia is a "must dive location" for all macro photographers and rare marine life seekers! I can't wait until my next trip back in September.

See what photos I barely got in the album at Picassa:

the Corral, Sihanoukville

22nd - 23rd May - Racha Yai Island

2008-05-24T10:07:00.000+07:00

Thursday, 22nd May
Dive 73: Bay 2, Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 74: Bay 1, Andaman Princess Wreck
Max Depth: 22.2m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 10-15m

Friday, 23rd May
Dive 75: Bay 2, Andaman Eagle Wreck
Max Depth: 27.1m ; Bottom time: 38 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 76: Bay 3, Lucy's Reef
Max Depth: 20.1m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 15-20m

Comments: Much better weather in the last few days, with the wind calming down, and the sea is flat. making a very enjoyable trip for our returning diver, Kelly O from Santa Cruz. Visibility was still quite murky post full-moon, thus 5-10m were the norm for the wreck dives. At the safety stop, we hung out with a school of neon fusiliers, getting cleaned by a couple of Cleaner wrasse, Click here to see the short video clip. Condition improved tremendously at Lucy's Reef, blue water and good sunlight for more opportunities to swim lazily with a school of yellow-tailed barracudas. More photos of the 2 days diving are posted at Picassa, click the link below:

Racha Yai 22-23 May

20th May - Racha Yai Island

2008-05-21T08:57:00.000+07:00

Dive 71: Bay 2, Andaman Eagle Wreck
Max Depth: 26.9m ; Bottom time: 37 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 72: Bay 2, Andaman Eagle Wreck
Max Depth: 26m ; Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5m

Comment: a new wreck sunk recently in bay 2 off Racha East coast. She's a wooden sailboat, sunk in 26m, near the cement blocks area, creating a new attraction for Racha Yai. More photos will follow when condition improve.

9th-10th May: Phi Phi Island

2008-05-11T01:30:00.000+07:00

Friday, 9th May 2008
Dive 66: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 24m ; Bottom time: 37 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 67: Bida Nai, Phi Phi Islands
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-15m

Dive 68: Lohsama Bay, Phi Phi Le Island
Max Depth: 17.0m ; Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Comments: A good and not too difficult first dive for Will & Margaret. Ko Doc Mai cooperated with mild current and enough marine life for a check-out dive. Ko Bida Nai was a bit strange, as we began the dive in very milky condition & vis. However, turning the corner into the swim-through, the vis cleared out and allowed a very nice view of the coral garden. Green turtle, yellow-lined snappers, and various pufferfish (seal face, mapped, common etc.) are among the features of the dive. Lohsama Bay surprised me! I haven't been on this dive site in a few years, however, this dive was excellent! Cloudy skies and stormy condition made it as if it was a night dive. With flashlights on, the canyon presented 6 different nudibranch, slugs & flatworms! It was as if I was diving in Indonesia :-) an awesome dive for the macro enthusiasts, and a hidden gem for photographers looking for an easy & shallow site with loads of life.

Saturday, 10th May 2008
Dive 69: Bida Nok, Phi Phi Islands
Max Depth: 23.1m ; Bottom time: 44 min (32% EAN)
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 70: Table Coral City, Phi Phi Le Island
Max Depth: 21.6m ; Bottom time: 48 min (32% EAN)
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m

Comments: Ah, what a gorgeous morning, sunshine, blue skies, and urgh... lots of wind! Ko Bida Nok surface was very choppy, with waves & swells of 2-3m. Descending into the sandy bottom just outside its small cove, we bumped into a green turtle :-) The rest of the dive was quite relax, a bit of surge, and also mild current moving us along nicely. Marine life features: Bluespotted stingray, pharaoh cuttlefish, feeding jacks, and a 2m leopard shark relaxing in the sand at the end of the dive. Moving to Table Coral city, on the east side of Phi Phi Le to hide away from the wind and waves, for our second dive of the trip. Great patches of coral pinnacles, featuring the "damsel fish" in various families: tomatoes & western clownfish, skunk & clark's anemonefish, soldiers fish (part of the squirrelfish family), and a resting Hawksbill turtle.

More photos at Picassa, click on the album below:

Margaret & Will PP dive adventure

2nd May: Offspray adventure to Phi Phi

2008-05-02T21:01:00.000+07:00

Dive 64: Bida Nai, Phi Phi Islands
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m
Comment: Dive featured a Blacktip reef shark (1.5m) & green turtle. Coral garden was spectacular as always, and school of blue-lined snappers hung around atop the staghorn coral field, trying to fend off attacks by jack trevallies from the blue.

Dive 65: Table corals City, Phi Phi Le*
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10m
Comment: My first dive here at this dive site. It's a gem! Nicely stacked cement cubes to creating a pyramid like artificial reef. Table corals, sea fans, and staghorns are healthy in shallows, right up to 3-4m along the wall. Marine life feature: friendly tiera batfishes, 4 different versions of anemone fish (western clownfish, clark's anemone, tomato anemone, and skunk anemone). Video of "Lavena & the clownfish" below:

See more at the photo album below:

Phi Phi Adventure 2nd May

May Day, 2008: MSDT PREP

2008-05-02T20:47:00.000+07:00

Dive 62: Scuba Cat Wreck Bay 2, Racha Yai Island**
Max Depth: 31.9m ; Bottom time: 35 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m
Comment: Spectacular Visibility for our deep dive. The wreck is in great shape. With very mild current, we had no trouble spending our full 20 minutes exploring the hull and the inside.

Dive 63: Do Little Do Bay 3, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m
Comment: Must see TV... check out the action scene between "kung fu Joe vs Johny trigger fish" below:

25th - 26th April: Open Water Course

2008-04-28T18:43:00.000+07:00

Friday, 25th April 2008
Dive 58:Bay 2 Staghorn Reef, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 15.2m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20m

Dive 59:Bay 1, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 8.5m ; Bottom time: 54 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 20-30m
Comment: A bit windy today thus creating some swells on the east coast of Racha. The dives though are till fantastic. Ed, Maria & Courtney were all under weighted in the first dive, thus took a while to sort out before we finally descent and start the dive. Second dive was mostly skills demonstration, though I did spot a short-nose bent stick pipefish at the end of the dive.

Saturday, 26th April 2008
Dive 60:Bay 2, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 18m ; Bottom time: 46 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30m

Dive 61:Bay 1 Home Run, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 22.2m ; Bottom time: 50 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30m
Comment: Spectacular weather today, sunny skies & a little cool breeze. The OW students, Ed, Kanade & Courtney, started to get this divin' thingy :-) superb buoyancy control, and the condition was excellent for their adventure to their deepest depth of the course, 18m. I went with Maria to find the eluded Ornate ghost pipefish down near the wreck in Bay 1. We were rewarded with a good 10 minutes alone with this beautiful creature. See the photo album for the course below (click on the image):

Openwater Course, 25-26 April

Monday, 21st April: A day with Emily & Tim Aiken

2008-04-24T15:27:00.000+07:00

Dive 56: Lucy's Reef, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 13.7m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m
Comment: Emily logged her 50th dive, woo hoo! With about 2 months in between the my last dive with the kids, they are now 2 veteran divers, with enough "bubbles" under their belt. The long 2.5 hours boat ride to the East Coast of Racha Island gave me plenty of time to listen to travel stories, and answering as best as I can, all of Tim questions on marine life :-). See more photos in the album for the day, click on the photo below:

Aiken, Tim & Emily

Dive 57: Bay 2, Racha Yai Island
Max Depth: 13m ; Bottom time: 75 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20-30m
Comment: Both Tim & Emily logged their longest bottom time for a dive. Tim & Emily wanted Ornate ghost pipefish, bent stick pipefish, flounders, and of course a seahorse for their last dive in Thailand. Well, Bay 1 of Racha Yai didn't deliver all. However, a peacock flounder arrived in time to check one of the list. Tim did spot the Nudibrach (center photo below) that took me a couple of days to ID (Risbecia pulchella). Till next time, we'll see about the seahorse & Ornate ghost pipefish when they return for their advance course.

12th-13th April, Pro Tech IDC

2008-04-24T15:16:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 12th April 2008
Dive 54: Kata North reef
Time: 40min; Depth: 6m
Temp: 29C; Visibility: 15-20m
Comments: Open water presentation for Danny, Joe, and Adam. The session focused strictly on the open water course, with emphasis on organization, control, and assisting students to meet performance requirements.

Sunday, Thai Songkran Holiday.

Dive 55: Kata North Reef

Time: 60min; Depth: 6m
Temp: 29C; Visibility: 15-20m
Comments: This session focused on the upper level training, with more emphasis in the adventure in diving & rescue courses. The guys also had the opportunity to conduct the CESA, Navigation, and lift bag use workshop.

29th March - 3rd April: Celebes Sea, north Sulawesi

2008-04-11T20:31:00.000+07:00

Saturday, 29th March 2008
Dive: 37

Dive Site: Batu Mandi (Pulisan)
Max Depth: 21.6m; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 25-30m

Dive: 38
Dive Site: Sahaung 1 (Bangka Island)
Max Depth: 21.0m; Bottom time: 64 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 25-30m

Dive: 39
Dive Site: Batu Gosoh (Bangka Island)
Max Depth: 18.9m; Bottom time: 62 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 25-30m

Comment: A great dive site for a check out dive! We descended easily into a sandy bottom, littered with coral heads to start the trip. Renee, Jisook, Fred, Lisa and Mehdi needed the easy start to get back into the swing of things. The sandy slopes gave way to a wall dive, and finally a corals garden, angled deep into the blue off the main island of Sulawesi. Bangka Island rewarded us with good visibility, tranquility as we were the only boat in the area, and wall dives similarly to Bunaken. Easy condition and good drift dives.

Sunday, 30th March 2008
Dive: 40
Dive Site: Eddy Point (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 25.3m; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 41
Dive Site:Batu Bulan (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 22.2m; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 42
Dive Site: Pehe (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 19.8m; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Comment: By Renee St.Clair - Perhaps the greatest draw for many of us coming into the trip was the opportunity to dive at the base of a live, steaming volcano at Siau Island. It last erupted in 1992 sending reddened lava flowing into the sea. As if breathing clouds into the sky, the volcano greeted us with puffs of smoke and streams of steam, its slopes adorned with palms and greens, paying tribute to the fertile soil below. Our dive sites were Eddy Point and Batu Point, both of which were abundant with reef fish and coral, among which we again found our share of nudibranches and an orangutang crab—clearly named for its red, furry appearance. Moored in Pehe Bay, we finished the day with a muck dive, which proved to be a favorite for its many surprises, including a pair of ornate ghost pipefish, a family of squid, playful/aggressive anemone fish, and razorfish which appeared to be dancing in rhythm to a beat we mere divers could not hear.
A surprise awaited us after our first dive as we were ferried via the zodiac to a natural, volcanic hot spring, where our dive computers quickly measured 36 degrees Celsius. One brave sole among us, Simon, ventured onto the rocky lava shoreline, where his dive boots just barely withstood the penetrating heat. We joked that the metal screws holding his surgically repaired ankle would conduct the heat and fuse the bones. It was here too that we would end our day of diving toasting to fellow diver Dan's birthday with a round of iced cold local Bintang Beer surrounded now by fast friends who truly shared a unique day of diving and celebration. For Dan, it was a day that started with a hand drawn birthday card, an island shaped rice “cake” at topped not with candles, but celery “palm trees”. This birthday will not soon be forgotten.

Monday, 31st March 2008
Dive: 43

Dive Site: Underwater volcano 1 (Mahegetang Island)

Max Depth: 29.5m; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 44
Dive Site: Underwater volcano 2 (Mahegetang Island)
Max Depth: 24.3m; Bottom time: 54 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 45
Dive Site: Bukide (Siau Island)
Max Depth: 24.6m; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Comment: We woke up to a spectacular morning with clear blue sky and calm sea. The day looked promising for our dives at the underwater volcano. Dropped off by the zodiac, the site is an amazing plateau, grew straight out from the deep blue, vis was in the neighborhood of 40m+. Hard corals, lava rocks, and patches of black sand made up the topography of this dive site. Current is quite tricky here, thus we spent most of the dive on East side of the plateau. Common marine life here: school of jack trevallies, snappers, fusiliers, and the occasional giant baracuda & Napoleon Wrasse stalking its preys in the blue. The hot steam bubbling through the lava rocks at the top of the plateau gave us the sign for what's brewing underneath us, Mt. Mahegetang is alive...

Tuesday, April's Fool 2008
Dive: 46
Dive Site: New Lava Flow 1 (Ruang Island)
Max Depth: 26.2m; Bottom time: 69 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 47
Dive Site: New Lava Flow 2 (Ruang Island)
Max Depth: 23.4m; Bottom time: 56 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 48
Dive Site: Zakarias Rock (Biaro Island)
Max Depth: 23.4m; Bottom time: 66 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Comment: DOLPHINS at dawn, hundreds of them passing through the channel between Ruang & Biaro Islands. We made attempts to sneak to swim with them, however most were unsucceessful as they wanted nothing to do with us homosapiens. The dive site is as its name, fresh lava flow from the recent eruption, both on the surface and underwater. Marine life here is made up of spectacular colors from the healthy reef and corals. Vis continue to be in the 30-40m range, so even with a cloudy day, there are more than enough light to bring this beautiful colorful land beneath the sea. Keep your eyes out for nudi, they are everywhere...

Wednesday, 2nd April 2008
Dive: 48
Dive Site: Nudi Reat-Reat (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 22.2m; Bottom time: 67 min
Water Temp: 28c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 49
Dive Site: Hair Ball (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 20.7m; Bottom time: 65 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 50
Dive Site: Jahir (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 19.2m; Bottom time: 74 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 51
Dive Site: Aer Prang (Lembeh Strait)
Max Depth: 21.9m; Bottom time: 63 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Comment: There's enough written about this magical body of water North of Sulawesi. The Strait, between Lembeh Island and Sulawesi, is home to some of the rarest, weirdest, coolest, strangest creatures in the planet. If you are a diver, this dive location should be at the top of your wish list. So, no mumble jumble from me, go dive it and see for yourself... More photos in my album at Picasa.

Wednesday, 3rd April 2008
Dive: 52
Dive Site: Pangulingan (Manado Tua Island)
Max Depth: 28.6m; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive: 53
Dive Site: Lekuan 1 (Bunaken Island)
Max Depth: 26.5m; Bottom time: 65 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 30-40m

Comment: Returning to port, our last dives of the trip were in the Bunaken Island area. Manado Tua rewarded us with a relax morning dive. Our non-photography group found a sleeping nurse shark (first & only one of the trip), while the rest continued with our hunt for the best nudibranch to add to our collection. Our final dive at Lekuan 1, Bunaken, the 3rd dive on our 22 dives trip where we shared the dive site with others, was as how we remembered it. Clear blue 40m visibility, bottomless wall, and the resident hawksbill turtle were there to greet and beg us farewell!

I can't wait until next year... Destination: Borneo!

Easter Sunday, 23rd: Racha Yai Island

2008-03-25T08:34:00.000+07:00

Dive: 35
Dive Site: Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 33.2m
Bottom time: 40 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 15-20m
Activities: Deep dive with Danny, logging his deepest depth in the sandy bottom of Staghorn Reef. We touched 33 meters, mild thermocline, and fantastic viz to help us navigate back to the reef.

Dive: 36
Dive Site: Home Run, Bay 1
Max Depth: 22.8m
Bottom time: 46 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 15-20m
Activities: Practice Marking the re-location of the Andaman Princess wreck out side the bay. A mild thermocline keep the temp around 28 at depth. An easy current drifted us for the rest of the dive, giving Danny the opportunities to spot the usual reef suspects for his photos collection. A small pod of Bottle nose dolphins cruised pass the boat & hung out for a good 10 minutes near bay 1.

Saturday, 22nd: Kata Beach

2008-03-25T08:24:00.000+07:00

Dive: 34
Dive Site: Kata Beach North Reef
Max Depth: 5.7m
Bottom time: 34 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 15m
Activities: Navigation, Search & Recovery skills practice with Danny. He did very well on lift bag use, however, the jackstay search practice was slightly off course. Map is courtesy of my friends at Pocket Divesite.

Tuesday, 18th: Phi Phi Overnight (Day 2)

2008-03-20T06:28:00.000+07:00

Tonsai Beach at dawn, Phi Phi Don Island.

Dive: 31
Dive Site: Ko Bida Nai (*)
Max Depth: 30.4m
Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 20-25m
Activities: Best dive of the trip! Spectacular viz after we left our sandy bottom at the start of the deep dive. Blue spotted stingray, yellow lip sea krate, a couple sighting of leopard sharks & a green turtle wedging itself in between layers of a table coral were in the first 10 minutes of the dive.

Dive: 32
Dive Site: Shark Point
Max Depth: 18.5m
Bottom time: 53 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 5-10m
Activities: typical shark point, beautiful coral life & school of fish returned. The eel rock still reward us with gang of white eyes morays swimming & feeding. Current picked up, thus the drift dive went a bit quick from pinnacle 1 to 2.

Dive: 33
Dive Site: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 17.6m
Bottom time: 48 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 15m
Activities: Stronger current, but manageable. It's the usual wall dive without any spectacular spotting this time.

Monday, 17th: Phi Phi Overnight Trip (Day 1)

2008-03-20T05:29:00.000+07:00

Dive: 28
Dive Site: King Cruiser Wreck
Max Depth: 30.7m
Bottom time: 39 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 5-10m
Activities: Deep dive with Danny & Jisook, Danni also came along for a fun dive. Condition was quite good, mild current, and Greta was the only boat on the wreck when we got there. More debris fell off the ferry, littering the port side with more hiding places for common lionfish. A school of juvenile yellow tailed baracudas swirling near the bow, creating quite a cool spot to hover & watch the feeding action.

Dive: 29
Dive Site: Ko Bida Nok
Max Depth: 21.3m
Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 15m
Activities: Viz improved when we descended down on the west side of Bida Nok. A mild current moved us along, blue spotted stingrays, soft anemone corals, school of yellow tailed tuna cruised the reef & fed on glassfish. A relaxed easy dive ending in the bay between the Bida islands.

Dive: 30
Dive Site: Maya Wall, Phi Phi Le (*)
Max Depth: 16.4m
Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 29c
Visibility: 10-15m
Activities: I have not dive this dive site recently, the last time was quite a few years ago. boulders, deep canyon, & swim through were the typical topography at the north end of Phi Phi Le. The dive is changed to wall, with whip corals, gorgonian seafans, and various types of hard corals lining the wall and boulders. We spotted a leopard shark chilling out at 12m, Jisook, Danni & Danny first encounter with this specie. A must dive site for those who frequent PP, if you can persuade a dive operator to take you here.

Sunday, 9th: Kata Beach

2008-03-10T18:42:00.000+07:00

Dive: 27
Dive Site: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.7m
Bottom time: 47 min
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 5m
Activities: So, I got my camera ready, as the previous day, the reef was just absolutely gorgeous. Well, my battery died with just 2 test shots at the surface, and condition changed dramatically in just 25 hours. Green water returned, and viz went to 5m or less. Either way, Gayatri & Danni got to play with lift bags and compass, with Dave Purkeypile joined to play student.

Saturday, 8th, Kata Beach

2008-03-08T20:41:00.000+07:00

Dive: 26
Dive Site: Kata Beach Reef (*)
Max Depth: 5.7m
Bottom time: 35 min
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 20m
Activities: Open Water Training Dive Presentations & Practical training with our March 08 IDC candidates. It's a "Girls Rule!" program, with Gayatri from India & Danni from China. Windy condition created a bit of choppiness for the surface skills, but both candidates prepared well, and handled the condition beautifully. My current Jedi in training, Danny Pilling, played the DM role very well... The action continues tomorrow with lift bag use and navigation workshop.

Wednesday, 27th: Racha Yai Island

2008-02-28T23:21:00.000+07:00

Dive: 24
Dive Site: Racha Yai, Bungalow Bay
Max Depth: 14.3m
Bottom time: 54m
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 10m
Activities: Naturalists dive with Jisook. Sea condition remained green, and colder than usual. Tried to locate the Cement Blocks "artificial Reef" in the middle of the bay, but was not able to. Highlight of the dive is a swirling school of the yellow tailed baracudas & a couple of blue spotted stingray in the deserted sandy bottom of this bay.

Dive: 25
Dive Site: Racha Yai, Staghorn Reef (*)
Max Depth: 13.7m
Bottom time: 52m
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 20m+
Activities: U/W navigation dive with Jisook, assisted by Danny Pilling, my new jedi! She did exceptionally well, kick counts, turns, and completed all skills with no mistake. Quite cool! Nice mild drift took us from Bay 3 into Staghorn corals field. Danny wanted a picture of Nemo, and was rewarded with more than he could shot. I did not bring camera for this dive, as I had reel and a bit of swimming to do with the navigation practice.

Sunday, 24th: Racha Noi Island

2008-02-27T00:40:00.000+07:00

Dive: 21
Dive Site: Racha Noi Bay, East coast
Max Depth: 30m
Bottom time: 54 min.
Water Temp: 26C
Visibility: 20m+
Activities: Adventure dive with Jisook, deep dive. Cold and green were the condition in Racha noi today. It was 2 days after full moon, so we expected strong current. However, it was a mild water movement, moving N to S, but thermocline dropped the temperature from 28c to 26c, making the deep dive quite short at depth. Marine life of interest: a gang of butterfly fish hovering without a care in the world plus the usual reef fish chilled out on top of hard corals & swam in between the crevices of rocks & boulders.

Dive: 22
Dive Site: Banana Bay, East coast
Max Depth: 20.7m
Bottom time: 52 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 20m+
Activities: A drift dive that lost its luster. So much for the tide table helping us predicting the current. A moderate drift was expected, but we were surprised with zero current! Spent a good 10 min. getting my nails manicured by my fav red-striped cleaner shrimps. Jisook got worried when we bumped into a "really" huge giant morray toward the end of the dive, massive dude about 2m long and as wide as me!

Dive: 23
Dive Site: Racha Yai Home Run Reef
Max Depth: 21m
Bottom time: 43m
Water Temp: 28c
Visibility: 20m+
Activities: Jisook & I went to the wreck off bay 1 on the East Coast of Racha Yai. It's an old wooden boat, the Andaman Queen, now is splited in half. On the way to the wreck, we spent 5 min. with a Mantis Shrimp, taking a stroll in the middle of the sandy bottom. The wreck was full of yellow lined snappers. A pair of cuttle fish, turned ivory in color, slowed us down on the way back to homerun reef.