Just got off the boat from a trip through Thailand’s Similan Islands. It was a fantastic week of diving, but that’s pretty much a given with the Similans. I’ll be posting more details and updating the site over the next few weeks, but here’s one of my favourite videos I captured during the trip.

I’m not sure if this moray is ticklish, or if the shrimps are pinching it, but it’s certainly tolerating the services of these two cleaners. One brave crustacean even goes into the eel’s mouth!

It’s our last day on board the Colona VI. Our last dive is Anita’s reef, and it’s a great way to finish the trip. The giant stack is indeed very interesting, but I actually have the most fun “riding” the currents over the boulders during my safety stop. It’s a bit of a thrill ride. When we surface, the clouds are gathering and it begins to rain. It’s just a short shower, but it’s a good sign that our trip is over. We return to Phuket via Khao Lak.

About the trip: The boat for this trip was the Colona VI, from the Colona Group. The Colona was comfortable enough, with twin bunk rooms that had en-suite bathrooms. The crew and the dive masters were excellent, which makes the Colona an excellent value for money. The boat makes regular trips to the Similans in season. See their web site for the schedule.

We wake to another calm morning, although the horizon is looking a bit cloudy. The hope was that we would be able to make the run up to Richelieu Rock today, but the seas are too rough. The Rock is very exposed, and can only be safely dived in calm seas. So, we’re going to have to skip the best site in the region for now. The dive master gives us the option of diving Tachai Pinnacle again, but those that dived it yesterday are in no mood to repeat it, so there was unanimous agreement to return to Koh Bon and dive the West Ridge again.

The currents are running in a different direction this morning, so even though we dive in at about the same spot, we see a completely different side of the reef. The thermoclines are still there, and in addition to the other fish I saw yesterday, I see my first blue-spotted ray skirting the edge of a patch of staghorn coral.

From Koh Bon we head back to Similan 8 for another drive on Three Trees. In addition to the fish I saw on the first dive here, this time I spot a large, lone crown of thorns starfish. It’s quite a sight. The last dive of the day is another visit to East of Eden.