With twelve intrepid divers from all around the world, we set out on a new itinerary that took us from Phuket all the way to Khao Lak, traversing the Similan and Surin National Parks along the way. We had guests from Switzerland, Sweden, France, Canada, and the United Kingdom, all with one common goal – to explore the vibrant and diverse underwater world of the Andaman Sea. We want to give a big shoutout to our repeat guests, Jeremy and Clara, for choosing to dive with us again. And a warm welcome to Kristoffer and Mairead, who came to visit their friend Mint and ended up having the adventure of a lifetime with us! |
On the second day of diving, we headed to the northernmost islands of the Similan National Park, exploring Koh Bon in the morning and Tachai Pinnacle in the afternoon. We saw white tip reef sharks, huge Jenkin's Whiprays, Barracudas, Ornate Ghost Pipe Fish, commensal shrimp carrying their eggs, and even a squad of Smalltooth Emperors with their friend Bluefin Trevallies hunting on the reef. Talk about a diverse ecosystem! | As we slowly made our way north, we explored some of the best dive sites in the park, including West of Eden and Elephant Head Rock. The former boasts an incredible coral garden, while the latter offers swim-throughs between huge boulders. We even got lucky enough to spot two ribbon eels completely out of their holes, swimming on the sand. So beautiful! The final dive of the day was either a sunset dive in Koh Bon or the famous Blackwater Dive away from the reef around our pumpkin. And once again, Lady Luck smiled upon us, allowing us to meet a paper nautilus! Can you believe it? |
The following day, we headed towards the world-famous dive site Richelieu Rock in the Surin National Park and dived around the horse shoe shape reef for the whole day. Barracudas and Trevallies were hovering over the reef, swimming in between the mass of glassfish trying to get protection from the corals. Yellow, purple and red soft corals are growing all over the rocks, sharing the space with some different type of hard coral. Nudibranchs, juvenile fish, so many different crustaceans and loads of moray eels find some shelter in the cracks. |
On the final day of diving, we explored the Boonsung Wreck for the two final dives, and it was a fantastic way to end the trip. We saw bamboo sharks, Kuhl's Stingrays, Cuttlefish, Nudibranchs, Octopuses, Crabs, Shrimps with their partner gobies digging the sand, and lots of juveniles seeking shelter on the wreck. We want to thank everybody who chose The Smiling Seahorse to explore the Andaman Sea with us. It was an absolute pleasure to share our lifestyle with you all. We hope to see you again soon for more underwater adventures! |