a Day with Andrew Johnstone

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.

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

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.

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

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)

16th - 17th September: Specialty Instructor Training Program

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

Saturday, 9th: Shark Point Marine Sanctuary

Dive: 14
Dive Site: Ko Bida Nai, Phi Phi (*)
Max Depth: 22.5m
Bottom time: 48 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 20m+
Comments: Dive with Mogan to Fantasy Garden, saw a blue spotted stingray and leopard shark immediately after swimming out of the swim through. The garden was covered with school of yellow-lined snappers, common lionfishes hanging and hiding from the current behind giant gorgonian sea fans, and barely seen the school of resident pickhandled barracudas in the blue. Current went mad, where I can't tell if it was head north or south, we were trapped in between both, inside the bay, like a washing machine!

Dive: 15
Dive Site: Shark Point
Max Depth: 15.8m
Bottom time: 48 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 10-5m
Comments: Sophiya's 50th dive! And remember that white eyed moray eels rock in my previous logged dive? well, they are still alive and kicking. Back scatters, low viz, and loads of water movement made the dive quite challenging for my young jedi. Though she still logged one of her longest dive yet...

Dive: 16
Dive Site: Ko Doc Mai, West side
Max Depth: 11.5m
Bottom time: 28 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 10-5m
Comments: Surge, low viz, and just difficult condition for us to enjoy the dive, ended it early half way through for safety reason.

Wednesday, 6th: King Cruiser Wreck & Shark Point Marine Sanctuary

Dive: 6
Dive Site: Ko Doc Mai (*)
Max Depth: 27.1m
Bottom time: 54 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 15-20m
Activities: Private buddy dive with Michael, a guest from the Twinpalms Phuket Resort.
comments: windy and huge waves for the morning ride out to the dive sites. The wall was excellent, very mild current, decent viz, and the usual suspects appeared as always. By the soft coral wall, a school of big eyes trevallies (50-60cm) cruised through, seen them that big for first time here at this dive site.

Dive: 7
Dive Site: the King Cruiser Wreck (*)
Max Depth: 24.6m
Bottom time: 34 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 15-20m
comments: wind died down a little bit, but the waves were still quite large creating a bit of challenges for the exit. The wreck was fantastic, we were the only boat there with just 6 divers. Nudibranches were out and about on the starboard side, spotted them easily today. A new school of juvenile yellow lined snappers moved into the center of the collapsed area, making it quite difficult for divers to navigate through.

Dive: 8
Dive Site: Shark Point (*)
Max Depth: 17m
Bottom time: 46 min.
Water Temp: 28C
Visibility: 15-20m
comments: Tide changed and current picked up heading south from pinnacle 1 to 2. The "white eyed moray eels" rock was incredible. There are now about 100 eels living in the crevices and cracks, common lionfishes moved in below, and glass fish are still in abundance, objects of lunches for the rest...