SCUBA DIVING – 3rd liveaboard in the Similan Islands: Jan. 23-27

I enjoyed my second liveabord in the Similan Islands on the Manta Queen so much that I decided to GO AGAIN – so I’ll be going on my THIRD LIVEABORD (Jan. 23-27) in the Similan Islands with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures on the Manta Queen this season – leaving tonight :)

On the last liveaboard (Jan. 18-22) everything was wonderful: the scuba diving, the crew, the people, the food, the boat, the weather. Even though we didn’t see any “big fish”, i.e. sharks, manta rays, and whalesharks, I had a truly wonderful time! I could get used to this lifestyle

PS: Due to this change of plan I’m trying to change my flight to New Zealand from Jan. 29 to Feb. 4; hope it works out.

PPS: I’m sorry I haven’t replied to many of your e-mails in a while – I’m totally backlogged! Sorry! I’ll try to catch up and respond before I leave Southeast Asia and head to New Zealand!

SCUBA-DIVING – PART II: liveaboard Jan.18-22

I’m so excited - I’m going scuba diving again with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures here on Thailand’s West coast

I’ll be on the boat Manta Queen from Jan. 18 – 22, 2009. I’ll be doing 4 dives a day the first 3 days and then 2 dives on the fourth day – at the Similan Islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, and hopefully Richelieu Rock (my favorite) if the weather is good and the sea calm enough to go there – which wasn’t the case the last two trips from what I heard. I’m really looking forward to this second liveaboard and hope it’ll be as good as the one back at the beginning of November If you want to know more about the company, boat, dive sites, etc. check out their website:

www.khaolakscubaadventures.com

By the way, I uploaded some more pictures this week, but they’re still from back in November when I was traveling in Laos. My favorite pics are the ones from the Gibbon Experience – staying in a treehouse and zipping through the jungle for 3 days :)

Take care!

LIVEABOARD – DAY 4 and OBAMA is president-elect

Today we only had 2 dives, the first at Koh Tachai, and the second at Koh Bon. Koh means island, by the way. Both dive sites had a current (Stroemung) and I’m happy that I’m getting better at diving with currents; I feel I’m starting to get the hang of it On the last dive we saw a banded sea snake swimming past us  – quite amazing  And here is what wikipedia says about this snake:

“These snakes are very dangerous and can kill you if you get bitten, as they can deliver 10 – 15 mg of venom – of which 1.5 mg is sufficient to be fatal (the venom is about ten times more potent than the Rattlesnake. As they have small, undeveloped fangs, they are known to cause a rash on the attacked area, which consists of small little bumps. Fortunately, most members of this family are docile, and scuba divers commonly encounter this snake with no problem, though they can be curious and approach the diver.”

Well, fortunately, the snake we encountered was not curious and just swam past us in a very elegant manner…

Around noon we left Koh Bon and headed for Khao Lak. Getting closer to the mainland cell phones were working again and so we finally found out who the 44th president of the United States was going to be: OBAMA!!! I was delighted and I could barely believe that he really made it

As we arrived at the harbour around 15:30 it rained, well, actually it poured. I started to wonder when this year’s rainy season was going to end?! We got off the boat, got our shoes back, and drove back to the dive school in Khao Lak. Then I picked up Priska from her dive school, the Seadragon Dive Center, where she had just finished her “Open Water”. 3 days ago she had moved to the NANG THONG BAY RESORT at the beach and I was going to stay with her for the next couple of days – as sharing a room is cheaper. And you won’t believe what an amazing room we got for only 800 baht (a little more than $20, less than 20 euros), simply amazing!!! Especially as I had been staying in dorms (Schlafsaal) with shared, cold showers and outdoor basins before!

At 8 pm I take Priska to meet Davide, Sebastien, Antonio, Dirk and David and we go out for dinner (Jai restaurant) - a fun evening, but after dinner I’m all of a sudden so tired that I almost fall asleep at the table…

LIVEABOARD – DAY 3: RICHELIEU ROCK – the best!

So, it’s true: Richelieu ROCKS!!!

Today we did all 4 of our dives at Richelieu Rock and it was GREAT!!! There was a current each dive, but I consider it good practice. It’s unbelievable how much variety there is at this amazing dive site; you don’t know where to start looking: the different types of anemones and the various fish that live with them amaze me and then there is so much more to see. One of the most fascinating moments for me was when we saw 2 sepia (cuttlefish) swimming around us, not being bothered by our presence at all. I could have watched them forever, but there was more to see and so we moved on…

At the end of the 2nd dive I got stung by a jellyfish in the back/hollow(?) of my left knee (Kniekehle); so I got some vinegar from the cook and that helped!

Today’s nightdive was changed into a sunset dive and that was a truly lovely dive, we even saw an octopus

Unfortunately, Jenna got sick after the 3rd dive and so she got my bottom bed and I had to move to the guys’ 4-bed cabin with Sebastien and Davide for the last night And before I fell asleep, I thought once more: RICHELIEU ROCKS

LIVEABOARD – DAY 2: Similan Islands + SWIMMING with TURTLES!

Another great day, pretty much the same as yesterday:

Dive # 1: Shark Fin Reef

Dive # 2: Elephant Head Rock

Dive # 3: Three Trees: lots of stressed-out triggerfish  and later 2 leopard sharks

Then we leave the Similan Islands and head North.

Dive # 4: NIGHTDIVE – Koh Tachai

But the coolest thing about today was the break after lunch: The cook threw the leftovers from lunch into the water which normally only attracts fish, but this time also TWO TURTLES swam to our boat and then we all jumped into the water with our masks and snorkels and we were SIMMING WITH THE TURTLES! The smaller one was a little shy, but the bigger one kept coming back, swimming towards us repeatedly. I must admit I was a little scared at first because the turtle was quite big (you’ll see the pictures soon!) and it kept swimming towards me (I thought it was going to bump into me or bite me or something like that) and the other people snorkeling. But once I realized that it was a very friendly turtle I became more relaxed and started to touch it as it swam by. Later I became so fascinated by the turtle that I started feeding it a banana. It was one of the most amazing moments in my life, to watch this turtle so closely. It was almost unreal! I spent one hour in the water – until we had to get back on the boat for the next dive briefing. PICTURES WILL FOLLOW

By the way: Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Mama!

Starting my SCUBA-DIVING LIVEABOARD to the Similan Islands :)

Having breakfast at the “Stempfer’s Cafe” because the have delicious German wholewheat bread! Later I update my blog in an internet cafe (1 baht per minute) – it’s less expensive here than on Ko Phi Phi, but still more expensive than in Bangkok. At 5 pm I meet Priska for dinner, and at 6:30 pm I go to KHAO LAK SCUBA ADVENTURES because I’m going on a 4 DAY / 4 NIGH LIVEABOARD – scubadiving in the Similan Islands I’m so excited! I have been very much looking forward to this trip for quite a while now!!! So, there I meet:

- the dive-instructors/divemasters: Chris from Belgium, Andrea and Rodriguez (Dodi) from Spain, and Tik from Thailand; Vicky from New Zealand (the videographer); Neil from the US (might work for the company in the future)

- the divers: Jenna (Northern Ireland – my roommate), the guys: Sebastien (France, lives in Switzerland), Davide (Italy), Antonio (Spain), Laurent (France), Javier (Spain), Dirk and David (Germany), the couples: Karen & Jason (UK), Samantha & Steven (UK), Melanie & Armin (?) (Switzerland), a couple from the Netherlands (forgot their names).

After a 30-minute-drive we arrive at the harbour, take off our shoes (NO SHOES for the next 4 days) and get on the boat, the MANTA QUEEN I, where we will be spending the next 4 days doing nothing but SCUBA-DIVING, eating & drinking, sleeping and relaxing – and talking about the dives (4 dives per day, 14 dives altogether)

Jenna and I are lucky as we are upgraded from a 4-bed cabin to a 2-bed cabin She is really nice and it turns out that she also did one liveaboard before – just like me – with CDC (Cairns Dive Center) in Australia. What a funny coincidence!

Before we take off a small ritual takes place at the front of the boat and then we leave the harbour – it’s pitch-dark and quite amazing how the captain finds his way in the middle of the night…

Just before I fall asleep to the rocking of the boat and the sound of the engine, I remember that it’s ELECTION DAY TODAY in the US and I wonder whether Obama is going to make it… I will only find out in 4 days as there is no cell phone reception out in the Andaman Sea.