Whale Sharks, Manta Rays and Blackwater Diving: An Incredible Andaman Sea Liveaboard Adventure
We started this fantastic cruise from Tap Lamu Pier with a lovely mix of international divers from Austria, Germany, France and England — and what a treat this week was!
Day 1: Surin Islands and a Green Sea Turtle
We woke to an amazing sunrise in the Surin Islands. Our first check-out dive was at Koh Chi, followed by Torinla Rocks. After lunch, during our surface interval, we were greeted by a large male green sea turtle.
Our next dives were at Yellow Rock, and we finished the day with a night dive at Ao Pragaad.
Amongst other highlights, we had the chance to see big schools of fusiliers, trevallies and batfish, as well as lobsters and colourful nudibranchs. It was a fantastic introduction to the week ahead.
Day 2: Four Dives at Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock was our spot for the whole of the second day. The sea was calm, allowing us to enjoy four beautiful dives — and there was so much to see!
Between ghost pipefish, peacock mantis shrimp, longnose emperors and trevallies hunting together, it was a wonderful show for everyone, even for the most experienced divers who have visited Richelieu Rock throughout the season.
The chef and his son prepared us a wonderful barbecue to end this perfect day. To accompany this superb dinner, Franck prepared us a rum-based cocktail.
Music, a great atmosphere and fun discussions made this superb evening one we will remember.
A Big “Surprise” on Day 3!
We started the third day with two dives at Koh Tachai Pinnacle, with its large granite boulder formations on the south side and a beautiful coral garden to the north, where many schools of different reef fish kept us entertained.
Our third dive of the day was at Koh Bon. Diving the West Ridge, we spent the whole dive with a majestic oceanic manta ray and a spotted eagle ray, swimming a ballet around all the divers from the boat.
Wow! Everyone came back on the boat with stars in their eyes, excited to share the moment and their photos with the other guests.
Manta Rays and a Blackwater Dive
While the plan was to do only one dive at Koh Bon, we decided to stay and meet the manta again!
But that day was also the day we had planned a blackwater dive, and many people found it hard to choose between a manta dive and blackwater diving. So we decided to do both!
After dinner, we headed offshore to the edge of the continental plateau for a perfect blackwater dive. What a great experience it was to see these pelagic and deep-sea creatures that we would never otherwise encounter.
We saw a sea butterfly, a paper nautilus, tunicates, jellyfish, a pelagic sea snake and so much more. It was a first for most of the divers, and everyone loved it!
What a funny feeling it is to float motionless in this dark, but far from empty, space.
Day 4: Another Manta Encounter at Koh Bon
For our last diving day, we decided to go back to Koh Bon Pinnacle and Koh Bon West Ridge. And guess who decided to greet us again?
If you are thinking manta, you’d be correct!
A friendly manta ray spent more than 20 minutes swimming gracefully around us. On the second dive at West Ridge, our hopes were high to see Mrs Flappy again, but no luck this time.
A big thank you to Mother Nature for these two magnificent dives with these gentle giants!
A Final Dive at Boonsung Wreck
It was time to head back, but with a quick stop and dive on our way at Boonsung Wreck.
There we saw honeycomb moray eels, white-eyed morays, nudibranchs with weird shapes and patterns, a school of yellowtail barracuda, massive schools of rainbow runners and snappers, and all the porcupinefish you could imagine.
The dive on the wreck was fantastic and concluded this perfect week so well!
To top it all off, Franck gave us an amazing photo presentation documenting the trip and all the incredible things we had witnessed, while we ate yummy burgers during our smooth journey back to the pier to say our goodbyes.
Congratulations to Adrian, Laura, Jean Louis and Noelle for completing their Nitrox certifications, and well done Xavier for your fantastic improvement with Franck’s photography coaching.
