Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai & Two Amazing Blackwater Dives
Another special trip onboard MV Smiling Seahorse! On the agenda, a total of 15 dives: 10 dives at Richelieu Rock, 2 dives at Koh Bon, 1 at Koh Tachai and 2 amazing blackwater dives.
With such a packed itinerary, there was plenty to look forward to. Richelieu Rock alone offers an incredible variety of marine life, from tiny macro creatures to large schools of pelagic fish. Add Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and the mysterious world of blackwater diving, and this was shaping up to be a very special week underwater.
Richelieu Rock: Macro, Wide Angle and Everything in Between
At Richelieu Rock, it is always difficult to decide which lens to use before jumping in. The marine life is so diverse, from the smallest critters to the biggest pelagic visitors, that choosing between wide angle and macro can feel like an impossible decision!
So we alternated between the two, trying to make the most of every dive. Our regular underwater friends were all there and ready to pose for the cameras: harlequin shrimp, a giant frogfish, ghost pipefish, seahorses and plenty of other small reef creatures.
We even found a few adorable baby harlequin shrimp this time around. And, much to everyone’s delight, the giant frogfish was back after hiding so well during our previous visit. Two pairs of ghost pipefish were also spotted, along with a tiny baby seahorse and an adult yellow tiger-tail seahorse.
And then there were the cowries. So many cowries! They seemed to be particularly abundant during this trip.
Crystal-Clear Visibility and Big Fish Encounters
Visibility was excellent, with around 30 metres of crystal-clear water on most dives. These conditions made it possible to fully appreciate the scale and beauty of Richelieu Rock and gave our videographers a fantastic opportunity to capture some spectacular encounters.
Several huge tornadoes of jacks swept around the rock, while schools of barracudas cruised through the blue. One lucky group even enjoyed a beautiful encounter with a passing eagle ray.
Our First Blackwater Dive
The 8th dive of the trip, on March 11th, was something completely new for us and for many of our divers: a blackwater dive.
Instead of exploring a reef during the night, blackwater diving takes place above deep water, where the darkness becomes a backdrop for an extraordinary nightly migration. Tiny ocean creatures rise towards the surface, and with the right conditions, divers can encounter animals that would almost never be seen on a conventional reef dive.
For many of us, this was our first experience of this strange and fascinating underwater world. The anticipation was high as we descended into the darkness, surrounded by nothing but the beam of our lights and the open water.
From Koh Bon to Koh Tachai
After our time at Richelieu Rock, we moved on to Koh Bon for two dives. The famous pinnacle is well known for its dramatic underwater walls, colourful reef life and encounters with larger pelagic animals. It was a welcome change of scenery after so many dives concentrated around Richelieu Rock.
We then headed towards Koh Tachai for another dive, adding yet another of the Andaman Sea’s iconic dive sites to the itinerary.
Two Blackwater Dives, One Very Different Experience
With two blackwater dives included in the trip, there was plenty of time to discover just how different these dives can be from ordinary night diving. There is something special about hovering in open water after dark, never quite knowing what will appear in the beam of your torch.
It is also a completely different challenge for underwater photographers. Instead of framing a colourful reef or waiting for a familiar fish to settle on a coral head, the subject may suddenly appear from the darkness and disappear just as quickly.
That combination of mystery, anticipation and the possibility of seeing something genuinely unusual is what makes blackwater diving so addictive. For our divers, these two dives added a completely different dimension to an already varied week of diving.
A Week Packed With Underwater Highlights
Fifteen dives may sound like a lot on paper, but the variety of this trip made every dive feel different. From tiny harlequin shrimp and ghost pipefish at Richelieu Rock to huge schools of jacks, barracudas and an eagle ray in the blue, there was always something to look for.
Add the colourful reefs of Koh Bon and Koh Tachai and the strange creatures of the open ocean at night, and this was a fantastic reminder of just how much variety there is in Thailand’s Andaman Sea.
If you would like to experience these dive sites for yourself, check our current cruises schedule and liveaboard itineraries to see our latest trips and available dates.
