The beauty lies in the tiny

29/1/2015

This week, we want to show you the tiny. The small stuff. Because we know that there are some macro lovers out there, some photographs who dream of getting always closer, some treasure hunters who want to tick as many tiny creatures off the list as possible. Well, Burma is the place.

Super small AND transparent, this shrimp really got the hang of hiding.

Another option is to look exactly like your surroundings... Can you spot the crab ?

Oh of course ! Everybody loves a big whale shark (got one on the first day), or a graceful eagle ray (got one on the third day), or a lazy nurse shark (got three on a single dive site). Of course. We all love the big guys. And we are very happy to have them around.

But what Burma has that is nowhere else is this amazing variety of tiny animals, of all shapes and colors. And finding THEM is the real challenge. Which we're getting better at with every passing trip. So this week's post is dedicated to them, the tiny and shy and hard to spot. 'Cause they are just so incredible.

One of the stars of the area : the ghost pipefish.

This eel normally only shows the very end of its snout... This one was nice enough to pose for Frank's camera.

Thanks to all our team of divers on this trip whom, even if they of course enjoyed as much as anybody else the sight of the big animals, also marvelled with us at the discovery of all of these tiny beauties.
And of course, congrats to our crazy brit, Christina, for getting her Open Water on the trip, and being a very good diver right from the start !

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Best of both worlds : Part I

28/1/2015

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For this past trip, we had on board a very lucky group of divers. They have embarked for a combo of two trips, that has already taken them to the very best sites of Thailand, and is about to make them discover everything Burma has to offer.

Hum you... you've got salad in your teeth...

We came back two nights ago from the first part of this adventure, with eyes filled of beautiful images. Thailand has again spoiled us with loads of perfect moments : being the only boat around Surin on the first day, snorkeling AND diving with a whale shark on the second, enjoying Richelieu Rock without anybody else in the water and seeing this very special reef slowly awakening as the sun rose...

Schools of snappers at sunrise.

The first four days have gone so fast ! We left our divers on Koh Phayam to enjoy a well deserved rest : endless beaches of white sand, laid back atmosphere, hammocks and good food... Could you dream of a better place to stay in-between two diving trips ?

Juvenile batfish : just like any baby, you wish they'd never grow up...

And today, they will join us again on the MV Thai Sea to start the second - and twice longer - part of their trip. Burma awaits us, full of promises !

Always impressive, from 15m to the surface, school of barracudas.

To be continued...

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Sad facts about fishing

26/1/2015

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Things need to change...

Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a rate that the species cannot replenish, resulting in those species becoming underpopulated in that area. In a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2018 report, the FAO estimates that one-third of world fish stocks were overfished by 2015.
Overfishing can occur in water bodies of any sizes, such as ponds, rivers, lakes or oceans, and can result in resource depletion, reduced biological growth rates and low biomass levels. Sustained overfishing can lead to critical depensation, where the fish population is no longer able to sustain itself. Some forms of overfishing, such as the overfishing of sharks, has led to the upset of entire marine ecosystems.
The ability of a fishery to recover from overfishing depends on whether the ecosystem's conditions are suitable for the recovery. Dramatic changes in species composition can result in an ecosystem shift, where other equilibrium energy flows involve species compositions different from those that had been present before the depletion of the original fish stock. For example, once trout have been overfished, carp might take over in a way that makes it impossible for the trout to re-establish a breeding population.
See on Wikipedia

That's why we don't serve fish onboard.
What's your opinion?

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First Thailand trip of the year.

16/1/2015

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We had not returned to Thailand for a while, all of our last trips having been burmese ones. But this first 2015 thai trip made us want to visit again and again !
Clear water, beautiful sceneries above and under the surface, just the right amount of current... and of course, loads and loads of fish everywhere, how come we stayed so long without cruising the thai waters ?!

Cheeky snapper in a ball of glassfish.

And since the wind was blowing a little bit too much for most of the boats from Phuket to take the journey, we enjoyed most of the dive sites with very few people around ! Private diving on the most beautiful dive sites in the Similan, does it get any better ?

Graceful lionfish hunting on the reef.

Some of us had a special treat : a very big manta came to salute them twice on Koh Tachai, sticking around a few minutes, making sure they truly enjoyed the show. No need to say they came back on board with sparkling eyes !

Some of us made som sticky friends.

With so much bounties to enjoy, we'll be back very soon, that's a promise !

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A very good start !

11/1/2015

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So far, 2015 has been keeping its promises ! The last trip in Burma has been a beautiful one. Our divers enjoyed the beauties of the Mergui Archipelago under a bright blue sky, in crystal clear water !

Rivers of fish in the deep blue sea.

Just like fireworks...

When a young nurse shark poses for the camera.

The big guys were here again, with as many as three sleepy nurse sharks hiding in newly discovered caves, blotch stingrays hiding under rocks... and a totally unexpected leopard shark on the very last day ! Seems like Burma will never stop surprising us.

A harlequin shrimp defending its meal - the arm of a starfish.

The tiny were also answering "present !" and if we now know some of them are resident, we keep discovering new ones ! Talking about discoveries, we went back to those golden sites we unravelled last week... and they were as beautiful as we first saw them !

Curious look of a spiny lobster : "What are you doing in my cave ?"

So beautiful in fact that they will be part of some exciting new itineraries we will offer for the next season. The calendar for 2015-2016 is online, along with the descritption of these new trips. You can check it out here !

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A whale shark a day...

4/1/2015

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Makes for a good holiday ! And that's what this New Year's Trip in Burma had in store for us, along with a massive eagle ray, two sleepy nurse sharks, and their relatives : blotch stingrays and bamboo sharks. The tiny ones were also here to accompany us into this new year : a festival of ghost pipefish, new families of harlequin shrimps, and many more ! And of course, watching over all these beauties, schools of fusiliers, snappers... gave us a firework show underwater.

In the middle of a ball of cobias, a splendid eagle ray.

The wind and waves prevented us from going all the way to Black Rock, but our group of adventurous divers agreed to help us dicover some new sites, and we made some amazing dives in unknown places. "Golden" was the theme, with soft bright yellow corals everywhere, again some whale sharks, and oh so many fish !

Gliding over vibrant corals, a huge blotch stingray.

One. Per. Day. Somebody said "spoiled" ?

Ghostpipefish family reunion.

The silky skirt of a giant clam.

Curious and alert, the manti shrimp.

2015 is starting amazingly, full of promises and still more beauties to discover !!
Happy New Year to you all !

The very first divers of 2015 : from left to right, back row : Gabrielle, Kamiel, Germa, Ivanhoë, Joey, Chris, Jan, Thomas. Front row : Jeff, David, Ana, Guillaume, Pouy, Lou Salomé, Camille, Franck. And at the very front : Neew. Great team !!

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The Smiling Seahorse Diving Blog

A blog about our diving adventures in Burma and Thailand. Diving trip reports, guest reviews, fishy stories, wildlife fun facts and much more...

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Authors

The Smiling Seahorse has been running dive cruises from Ranong since 2012.
Our team of instructors are reporting with a short blogpost after every trip.
Camille, Franck and some guest writers also contribute during the off season writing on various topics.
Keep tuned for more fishy stories :)