The MV Smiling Seahorse is ready to cross the seas!

7/11/2018

We had to try our new boat, so we decided to do a "test cruise" in the Surin islands and Richelieu Rock...
We were so happy to welcome our first customers on board: Marco, Rico, Jialan, Justin, Patrick, Marc and Meredith.

The boat was all shiny, with huge spaces ;)
A gigantic sofa to chill and look at the sunsets ...

A fantastic sundeck with hammocks, good for the afternoon naps ;)

A dive deck so large that you could loose your buddy ;)

Underwater, our famous photographer was not on duty, still we borrowed a few pictures from our customers;
The visibility was great and the schools of fishes everywhere ...
Jacks, emperors, barracudas ...

Smaller size but as impressive!

Cuttlefishes were mating, what an amazing show!

And some other nice encounters ...

We had our famous barbecue night with a bunch of happy people! Followed by a little party on our new dance floor ;)

Hope to see you soon ;)

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Our latest newsletter: update on our new boat

30/9/2018

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Our schedule for 2018 / 2019

I guess the big news is the launch of our new boat!

A warm welcome to MV SMILING SEAHORSE

As planned, she will go on her first cruise at the end of October. We are so excited!!!

The boat is still at the shipyard now and we are working hard on the last details:
- 5 star hotel cotton beddings and nice curtains are being stitched
- photos to decorate the photographer's room being printed
- air con units thoroughly tested...
enough to keep us busy until the season starts!

Let me introduce you to MV Smiling Seahorse.
25 x 6.4m, 4 decks: a lot of space for only 16 divers!!!

Now lets take a tour, one deck at a time...

Roof top
On the top, you'll find the giant sundeck with it's nice shaded area to welcome hamacs and sunbeds soon...

Upper Deck:

The upper deck will host the dinning area as well as the standard cabins for guests and dive guides.
In the saloon you can see at the back a large sofa area which will soon be covered with plenty of cushions to make it THE spot for a lovely nap!
The 4 large tables to dine, play cards or study your dive courses...a bar on each side and a large buffet. As you can see there is still plenty of room to dance or play some box games...

Here is a photo of the Superior cabin.
We have though about a smart bedding system so they can either be set up as double bed for couples (giving a large shelve on top for your luggages) ...

... or as 2 bunk beds giving a lot of room on the floor for your bags and such, and because we know you like space there are also 2 big shelves for your personal belongings.

Main Deck:

Deluxe cabins on the main deck are identical to the Standard cabin but have an ensuite bathroom.

And the master cabins, at the front have a double bed, an ensuite bathroom and a giant panoramic window forward.
Sorry I don't have pictures of the finished cabin just yet but here are the windows!

The main deck will also be the place you'll find our infamous chef in the kitchen (below right of the stairs), next to the photo room (left of the stairs).

Our dear photographers will find plenty of charging sockets, a large rinsing tank just for them and their toys, large desk to work their tools and individual storage baskets for all their photo gear.

It's also from the back of the main deck that we will go diving!!!
Here is the latest photo of our dive deck, the rack in the middle will accommodate plenty of oxygen for nitrox blending and emergencies management.
We just installed the two Bauer Mariner compressors in the engine room and are currently setting up the filling system.

We will have a platform and a davit for our brand new, larger dinghy and some fins-friendly ladders...

Lower Deck

The lower deck will be the kingdom of our super crew with large, comfy quarters at the front and modern engine room at the back. We will take along with us up to 16,000L of water, 6,000L of fuel, enough power from our 2 generators to power all Air con units, hot water showers and two compressors at the same time. Wow!

Season 2017 / 2018 was a season of Mantas!!!

We had so many mantas at Black Rock this year, it was incredible
Out of all the times we went to Black Rock, mantas were missing only twice! Quite an incredible year!!!

We started uploading our photos to the Marine Mega Fauna database and Myanmar has now 191 individuals referenced. According to the foundation's representatives, despite the fact that there are a lot fewer boats and divers, Myanmar has had a lot more referenced sighting this year then the whole of Thailand.
If you have any photos to share for the database, please forward them to me with the date and place of the sighting. I'll make sure to add them to the database.

While mantas where everywhere, we also had a few whale-shark-lucky dives :)

Thank to you, we got the certificate of excellence from TripAdvisor again! Wow

Last minute Offer for all trip 1:

Buy 4 get 1 free*
Time to talk to your buddies!

Book now one of our trip 1 cruises mentioning this newsletter or regret it later!

* On all out Thailand cruises this season

Check out our calendar

Forward

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The new boat is coming out nicely... soon finished!

28/7/2018

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MV Smiling Seahorse, our brand new steel boat is being built in the mangrove forest, near Ranong for the last 6 months or so. It is taking shape nicely and nearly ready for the coming season! While it is not yet all done, we wanted to send you a little update!
Let me introduce her to you...

From the front, the 2 massives windows on the main deck are the master cabins, so you can have a great seaview while cruising... :)

From the side, you can see the wooden cabin doors with on the main deck 4 Deluxe cabins and 2 master cabins, and up the stairs, the standard cabins and Dive master cabins. All our cabins will be air conditioned with large windows and doors toward the ocean. Deluxe and Master cabins also have their own ensuite bathrooms :)

The shading area on the roof-top (sun deck) still under construction

A huge sundeck with plenty of shade (and sun), hamac and mattresses. What a spot to enjoy the view!

A large and confortable dinning/chilling area, with power sockets all around, fans, sound system a lovely couch area at the back, 2 bars (bar stool still not installed)

And seen fromt he other side, you can see the buffet area and the stairs going up to the rooftop sundeck and on both sides, corridors to the standard cabins.

Deluxe and Standard cabin have a smart convertible bed system: it can either be set up as a queen size double bed or single bunk beds, you can see the tile of the bathroom on the bottom right corner (this is the ensuite bathrooms in the Deluxe cabins).
The bathrooms are not finished yet, so no pictures so far...

Because diving is what we do, we designed a large and functional diving area, and a spacious dive platform. Everyone will have storage area for their personal gear big and small with an additional room for the photographers!

A big improvement with this room special dedicated to photographers! my fav ;)
... still a little tidying up to do but mostly done :)

Now lets see what's under the main deck...

We will have 16,000L of fresh water, which is 4 times more than on our beloved MV ThaiSea. Now we will be able to extend our trips by a few days! :)

And in the engine room: 2 super engines and 2 generators we give us a cruising speed of 10knots and the power to run 2 compressors and all A/C units at the same time...

Wanna see more on our Staff side?

The Captain cabin: modern and spacious with two berth for our dear Captain and Mechanic

I'm sure you can recognize May! ;)

The Dive Masters cabin, more spacious and confortable than our legendary chicken cabins... lol and downstairs a large staff quarter with 3 cabins for the rest of our dream team.

We are looking forward to have you back onboard for some new underwater adventures!

Oh and here is a little slideshow from our last photos

Wanna come back soon?
We offer 10% discount on the first cruise of the season: be one of the first on MV Smiling Seahorse: trip 3 from 26th to 31st of October! Get in touch!

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Incredible camouflage!

16/7/2018

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The Andaman see is home to many cephalopods such as octopus, squid and cuttlefish... If you come dive with us it's pretty much a guaranteed sighting!

Big reef octopus, (Octopus cyanea) a diurne specie with an amazing camouflage ability.

Theses 2 pictures were taken only few seconds apart. The Octopus can change not only it's color but also it's skin texture in the blink of an eye!

During the mating season you can have a chance to see more than one at a time, otherwise it's a rather solitary specie.

Mating season for cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) is from November to January, and it's very frequent to witness some kinky business while diving :)

Often seen in pairs, they are actually 3 or even 4 when mating...

While their best way to defend themselves is to blend in, they can also spray a cloud of ink to surprise it's predator and escape...

Solitary male when not mating...

The pygmy squid, (Idiosepius paradoxus) hard to see due to its micro size (about 5mm) lives on coral reef and are to be seen at night, hanging on corals or floating away with the current.

The pelagic kind of squid , hanging in mid water. They can team up in order to hunt cooperatively, using active communication!

Always in group from small to big schools, they are an easy catch for the local fishermen, still using the lamparo that attract them close to the surface...

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Rays of the Andaman sea

11/7/2018

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In this article I wanted to present the various rays you can encounter in the Andaman sea. Most of the pictures below were taken in the Mergui Archipelago located off the coast of Myanmar and some in Surin and Similan islands in Thailand.
We can see 2 different kind of rays, the first kind are resident: they stay most of their time laying on the sea floor such as the stingrays, then the second kind are pelagic: they swim mid water from the depth all the way to the surface and travel long distances such as eagle rays and Manta rays!

Stingrays

Khul's stingray or blue spotted stingray (Neotrygon kuhlii) lying on the bottom...small size up to 50cm diameter it lives near the surface but can go at greater depth up to 90m.

Kuhl's Stingray hiding in the sand...

Blotched fantail stingray (Taeniura meyeni), laying on the sea bed, hunting at night.

can be found from 5m to 60m in small group or alone.

Not shy at all, they can get big!!! from 50cm to 200cm

Jenkins whip ray (Himantura jenkinsii) laying on the sea bed, preferably sandy bottoms, can also be found in small groups or alone at the same depth range as the marble rays. Their size can go up to 150cm.

A lot less common, the porcupine stingray (Urogymnus asperrimus) a rather solitary specie, lives at the depth of 30m on sandy, coral and sea grass bottoms Round shape up to 150cm diameter.

Eagle ray

Cow nose eagle ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) spending most of the time swimming alone, they can be found in large groups. Often with cobia and remora.

Wing span up to 240cm they live anywhere between the surface and 110m deep.

Remora getting a free ride...

Manta rays

The Giant oceanic manta ray (Manta birostris) is the largest type of ray in the world and can travel across oceans. It can grow up to 7m across and weight up to 1,350kg and can live up to 50 years! A lot bigger than the more common " reef mantas" which are often encountered in Maldives and Indonesia for example.

They are filter feeders and consume large quantities of zooplankton.

Can be seen easily from the surface, as they spend day time within the 0 to 30m depth area. They are usually not shy and hang around feeding station, or cleaning stations.

In small to large group (up to 50 individuals) they are playful with one another.

Breaching the surface to get rid of parasite is not a rare sight.

Apart from humans, who are the most ferocious predator, they can be attacked by sharks, leaving some nasty bites marks!

"Black Rock" in the Mergui Archipelago, is a pretty famous dive site where we have spotted up to 50 mantas at once. It has been established by Andrea Mashall, the queen of Mantas that Black Rock may very well be the mating station where you could see the biggest All oceanic mantas gathering in the world !

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Last reviews of the season ...

30/4/2018

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" Thanks you guys, I enjoyed this trip a lot! "

" I have had an incredible week exploring the Mergui Archipelago with you all. When the conditions were rough, you all found a way to keep spirits up and something fun to do. Everything was perfect! "

" Une très jolie croisière de 7 jours avec une équipe professionnelle et sympa, ainsi que le staff toujours souriant et joyeux!!! De belles découvertes avec manta et requin baleine ... "

" A really nice 7 days cruise with a professional and sympathic crew, the staff is always smiling and happy!!! Nice discoveries with manta and whale shark ... "

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Epic cruise to end the season!

29/4/2018

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Let's say, it didn't start the right way due to tough conditions on the first days which made us change the itinerary.
But finally, it ended in a fantastic one! Big, small, very big and very small!!! There was everything ;)

Lucky folks on board: Brad from USA, Eric from France, Iryna from Ukraine, Steve and Rachael from England, Magdalena from Germany, Jess from Australia and Marcello from Brazil.

Let's start with the BIG!
It has been incredible to spot a manta, where we had never seen them before!

Same for the whale shark!

Every kind of rays were here to say bye bye: Kuhl's, marbled, manta, eagle ...

Same for our beloved nudibranches, starting with the fatty spanish dancer!

And all the other colourful ones!

Frogfishes!

And from the seahorse family ...

Nice series of portraits ...

Lots of fun with a great bunch of people!

Thanks Mergui Archipelago for this unbelievable season ...

Congratulations to Jess for her Advanced Open Water and Nitrox certifications! It hasn't been easy conditions but now, you have the "surge" specialty ;)

Has been a pleasure to dive again in this beautiful place, meeting amazing persons!
It's time for us now to rest and enjoy our holidays!

And also it's time to say goodbye to our fantastic boat: the MV Thaï Sea ... It has been a pleasure sailing with you all these years, we will miss you a lot ...

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Reviews of the last trip ;)

20/4/2018

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" 2 croisières incroyables avec the Smiling Seahorse! Tout est parfait ... plongées inoubliables en Birmanie et en Thaïlande!!! Mantas, requins baleines, requin léopard, requin guitare ... le TOP!! "

" 2 incredible cruises with the Smiling Seahorse! Everything is perfect ... unforgettable dives in Burma and Thailand!!! Mantas, whale sharks, leopard shark, guitar shark ... the TOP!! "

" Croisière de 3 jours géniale! Equipe extraordinaire, repas excellents ... Et beaucoup de poissons: raie, requins baleine, requins pointe noire ... N'hésitez pas, c'est vraiment exceptionnel! "

" Amazing 3 days cruise! Great team, excellent food ... And a lot of fishes: ray, whale sharks, black tip sharks ... Don't hesitate, that's really exceptional! "

" Tout était parfait: les sites de plongée, les guides, l'ambiance, la nourriture, le comfort ... Et la cerise sur le gateau: le requin baleine à Richelieu !!! "

" Everything was perfect: the dive sites, the guides, the atmosphere, the food, the comfort ... And the cherry on the top: the whale shark at Richelieu !!! "

" Not fluent in Finnish ... sorry! But looks good, NO?!!! "

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Shark Madness for our last Thailand trip!

19/4/2018

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Right after celebrating Songkran, the Thaï New Year, we headed to the the Surin and Similan islands for our last trip in Thailand of the season.

On board, we welcomed very soon to be "spoiled customers" ;)
Starting with Mélanie, Max, Geoffrey and Isabelle from Belgium; Christophe, Bénédicte, Mathis and Christelle from France; JP and Henriikka from Finland.

The conditions were great, amazing visibility, low current and lots of life all around.
From day one in Surin, we have been lucky enough to spot black tips, lots of Kuhl's rays, ghost pipefishes, turtles ... and so much more!

Day two, in the morning, we went to Koh Bon, where the serious stuff started ;)
Beginning with nice sceneries and big schools of fishes ...

... to a guitar and a leopard shark ... Unfortunately, we don't have any picture of the first one.
But enjoy the second one ;)

Paragraph. Cliquer ici pour modifier.

And then, it was time for Koh Tachai and its beautiful corals!
On the way, we met a group of dolphins at the surface.

Look at this splendid colors!

Happy divers!

Back to the boat, it was barbecue night!

And a box game, we will remember!

Third day, cherry on the top: Richelieu Rock!

And last but not least ... the biggies, everyone was expecting to see!!!

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New reviews !!!

15/4/2018

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" The diving was at all times safe, professional and designed to maximise the diving experience ... the dive sites were spectacular: bright corals, diverse marine life and exclusive access in small dive groups. "

" Première croisière plongée pour nous, un régal ... une super semaine. On attend le nouveau bateau et on revient! "

" First liveaboard for us, a delight ... a great week. We wait for the new the boat and we come back! "

" ... des beaux sites de plongée, des chips à volonté, beaucoup de serpents, de la bonne cuisine ... Léandre qui a perdu sa dent le premier jour dans l'eau (première plongée)! "

" ... beautiful dive sites, all you can eat chips, lots of snakes, good food ... Léandre who lost his tooth on the first day in the water (first dive)! "

" What an amazing week ... The diving was awesome and the amount of different species blew me away. I loved every minute of the trip. "

" It's truly been an amazing week out here with you. Everyone's been so accommodating and lovely. "

" Super nice trip, amazing dives, fun team, good food. Couldn't ask for more ;) "

" My seahorse adventure was a delight! An accommodating staff always willing to assist and make sure its guests are happy and enjoying themselves. Wonderful diving in remote areas ... "

" We are definitely smiling, from the guests to the crew ... remembering our disco night, our BBQ, our laughs, a fantastic holiday. "

" Trop heureux d'être revenu! L'équipe est toujours formidable ... Merci pour votre bienveillance et votre bonne humeur ! "

" So happy to be back! The team is always fantastic ... Thanks for your caring and good mood ! "

" Thank you very much for an amazing week! All crew were great, very helpful and sweet "

" Great super wonderful crew. It's nice to dive in dive sites without crowds. "

" Merci pour cette magnifique croisière ... toujours autant de plaisir à plonger avec l'équipe du Smiling Seahorse. C'était génial!! "

" Thanks for this amazing cruise ... always so much pleasure to dive with the Smiling Seahorse team. It was great!! "

" Dive, eat, sleep, dive ... what else? Manta rays !!!!! "

" Merci de nous avoir fait partager votre passion. Vous nous avez accueilli comme des hôtes et non des clients. Spots splendides, nous étions seuls au monde! "

" Thanks for sharing your passion with us. We have been welcomed as hosts, not guests. Splendid dive sites, we were the only ones in the world! "

" C'était super trop bien = Mantas Madness! Equipe formidable! Merci! "

" It was over the top = Mantas Madness! Terrific team! Thanks! "

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<<Previous

The MV Smiling Seahorse is ready to cross the seas!

Our latest newsletter: update on our new boat

A warm welcome to MV SMILING SEAHORSE

The new boat is coming out nicely... soon finished!

Now lets see what's under the main deck...

Wanna see more on our Staff side?

Oh and here is a little slideshow from our last photos

Incredible camouflage!

Rays of the Andaman sea

Stingrays

Eagle ray

Manta rays

Last reviews of the season ...

Epic cruise to end the season!

Reviews of the last trip ;)

Shark Madness for our last Thailand trip!

New reviews !!!

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