This trip was all about Whalesharks with daily presentation by Kirsty Magson, Marine Biologist and WS specialist.
We took off from Tap Lamu around 6pm, ready to navigate a few hours toward our first dive site in Surin with 15 wonderful guests onboard. Amongst them, 3 more marine biologists from Israel who came to study the reef and Manta inhabitat.
 In the mood for diving, eating, sleeping and again! |  On the sea again!... So happy! |
Koh Chi in Surin National Park was a perfect check dive but we headed to the south of Surin islands for our 2nd dive, choosing to dive Torinla where we've spotted many Pickachu nudibranch this season but instead we got loads of Jenkins rays! Which was a great surprise beside the fact no one was equipped for wide-angle photography on this dive…
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"Diving is life a box of chocolate, You never know what you're gonna get"
Yellow rock and the sweetlips welcomes us for the third dive that day with some barracudas as well as napoleon wrasse and did the night dive not too far from that in search of the colourful Saron shrimps.
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Next day was all about Richelieu, we had to deal with a lot of current dues to full moon, but is created for a lot of action, jacks and snappers made the dive!
One of our guest, “Pin”, signed up for 4 photo coaching dives, and Richelieu Rock was the perfect place to do 2 of them as the best dive site in Thailand offers so many opportunities for a photographer.
Underwater photographers are spoil for choice in The Rock and the hardest part is probably selecting the lense as there are so many subject both in Wide angle and Macro.
One of our guest, “Pin”, signed up for 4 photo coaching dives, and Richelieu Rock was the perfect place to do 2 of them as the best dive site in Thailand offers so many opportunities for a photographer.
Underwater photographers are spoil for choice in The Rock and the hardest part is probably selecting the lense as there are so many subject both in Wide angle and Macro.
 Harlequin Shrimp |  Clown fish eggs |
Nemo’s eggs, harlequin shrimp and lots of ghostpipe fish to practice Macro.
We then headed south for the 3rd day to Koh Tachai where there was a massive school of barracudas as well as jacks for 2 consecutive dives there, it was mind-blowing!
We finished the day with a night dive at Koh Bon.
We then headed south for the 3rd day to Koh Tachai where there was a massive school of barracudas as well as jacks for 2 consecutive dives there, it was mind-blowing!
We finished the day with a night dive at Koh Bon.
 psychedelic sea slug |  ghostpipe fish |
On the following day, we left Surin National park and headed into the Similan National park starting at 3 trees, for a very pretty dive before a tropical storm come from the west forcing us to get shelter on the east side, so instead of North Rock, we dived breakfast bend, which was also very nice and that's where we found batwing sea slugs, a pshychedelic little critter hiding in plain sight (1mm).
The weather calmed down as quickly as it went rough, so we could carry on with our plan to dive elephant head rock in the afternoon.
Franck carried on with Pin's photographer's coaching, and her photos are improved a lot!
The weather calmed down as quickly as it went rough, so we could carry on with our plan to dive elephant head rock in the afternoon.
Franck carried on with Pin's photographer's coaching, and her photos are improved a lot!
 Baby ribbon eel |  baby octopus |  Baby Flounder |
We went to the edge of the continental plateau for our Blackwater dive that night.
We navigated an hour toward the west before we got about 150 m depth under the boat, we deployed 2 lines of lights to give more room for all divers and the dive was amazing.
We were all surrounded by special critters the whole dive, from larvae mantis shrimps, flounders, stargazer, ribbon eel and reef octopus, but the night's favorite was for sure a male paper nautilus!
We navigated an hour toward the west before we got about 150 m depth under the boat, we deployed 2 lines of lights to give more room for all divers and the dive was amazing.
We were all surrounded by special critters the whole dive, from larvae mantis shrimps, flounders, stargazer, ribbon eel and reef octopus, but the night's favorite was for sure a male paper nautilus!
 Male Paper Nautilus |  Pelagic Nudibranch |
We headed back to the Similan islands for the night and explored shark fin reef in the morning… what a surprise for me to see my first feather tail sting ray there…
The day went on just as planned with 1 dive at deep six playing in the swim throughs followed by 1 dive at Christmas point where we completed the photo coaching with Pin.
The day went on just as planned with 1 dive at deep six playing in the swim throughs followed by 1 dive at Christmas point where we completed the photo coaching with Pin.
 Damselfish  |  Feathertail sting ray  |
| Continuing on our Ultimate Surin and Similan 7 days route, we dived Koh Bon next, where we were greeted at the ridge by the visit of a Giant Oceanic manta ray! It went a bit too fast to get the perfect ID Shot for Thailand Manta project database, but it was still seen by almost every one onboard! |  |
We were hoping to see it again at Koh Bon pinnacle for the next dive but no manta luck this time … It was still a very nice dive and a big eagle ray played its part and some schooling barracudas kept us company for a while.
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Thanks to all our lovely guests for joining us on this great adventure as well as to our special guest Kirsty from Thailand Whale Shark Project.
We were a bit sad the Whale Shark didn't turn up for its appointment (these gentle giants are so unreliable) but we loved Kirsty Magson's presentation and learned so much about them and their environment.
We will run another Whale shark expedition with Kirsty in 2023 from 4th to 12th of February 2023 and will visit this time both North and South Andaman from Richelieu Rock to Koh Lipe!
Get in touch for more info!
We were a bit sad the Whale Shark didn't turn up for its appointment (these gentle giants are so unreliable) but we loved Kirsty Magson's presentation and learned so much about them and their environment.
We will run another Whale shark expedition with Kirsty in 2023 from 4th to 12th of February 2023 and will visit this time both North and South Andaman from Richelieu Rock to Koh Lipe!
Get in touch for more info!
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