Diving liveaboard in Thailand and Myanmar
  • When & Where
    • Schedule and Prices
    • Destinations >
      • North Andaman Thailand >
        • Similan Islands
        • Surin Islands >
          • Richelieu Rock
        • The essential Underwater photo Guide to diving Thailand
      • South Andaman Thailand >
        • Phuket & Koh Phi Phi National Parks
        • Koh Lanta National Park
        • Koh Lipe and Tarutao National Park
      • Mergui Archipelago >
        • Liveaboard diving holiday in Myanmar
        • Burma's best dive sites
        • The Ultimate Underwater photo Guide to diving Burma
  • ABOUT
    • Our Boat >
      • DELICIOUS FOOD
    • Diving in Thailand in 2024-2025
    • Diving in Myanmar/Burma in 2024-2025
    • Blackwater diving in Thailand and Myannmar
    • Marine life in Thailand's Andaman Sea
    • Marine life in Mergui Archipelago
    • Dive Courses >
      • Learn to Dive
      • Continue diving education
      • Rescue diver
      • Professional Dive Courses
      • Hone your dive skills with a specialty course
      • Photo coaching in Thailand on the Smiling Seahorse
    • Guest Book
    • FAQ
  • Plan your trip
    • Our hotels recommendations
    • Khao Sok National Park
    • Taxi services >
      • Taxi services to and from Ranong
      • Taxi services to and from Phuket
      • Taxi services to Tap Lamu and Khao Lak
    • 10 things to do around Ranong
  • PROMO
    • HOT DEALS
    • Special Expeditions >
      • 8D Special Marine Bio with Gavin Miller - 10 Nov 2025
      • 8D Whale shark expedition - 20 March 2026 - North and South
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The beauty lies in the tiny

29/1/2015

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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.
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Super small AND transparent, this shrimp really got the hang of hiding.
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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.
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One of the stars of the area : the ghost pipefish.
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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.
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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... 
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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 shaded bat fish
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 !
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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...

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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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Thanks for another wonderful trip

26/1/2015

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Thanks for another wonderful trip.
Whalesharks- yeah!
corals of yellow, purple, red - yeah!
Seahorses- yeah!
Great week of diving, friendship and exploration. 
I absolutely Loved all of it!

Vibrant coral + big game fish like whalesharks.

Most of all the skill + care + joy that all of you brought to your work. Our trip is much appreciated. 


great diving, Delicious food, amazing people ... a great holiday, a few waves and whalesharks. Eight days and seven nights of gret time. A fantastic crew who were always working and always smiling. Great!
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More reviews in our blog |  on tripadvisor | pics from this diving trip

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Amazing diving adventure through Myanmar!

26/1/2015

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The accomodation were cozy, the food was delicious, never ending supply of beer and the most amazing staff ever.

The Smiling Seahorse, you left us more than smiling!
thank you for the most excellent of lifes adventures filled with beautiful memories, epic sunrises and sunsets, good vibs, life lessons and heart warming moments.
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More reviews in our blog |  on tripadvisor | pics from this diving trip
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Que de moments et souvenirs magnifiques

26/1/2015

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Quelle semaine!!!
Que de moments et souvenirs magnifiques.

What a great trip on an amazing boat with a better crew, great diving, great food, great atmosphere created by the team. A winning combination that the world should hear about.

Great trip, superbe organization even before it began.
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More reviews in our blog |  on tripadvisor | pics from this diving trip

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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 ?!
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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 ?
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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 !
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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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    The Smiling Seahorse Diving Blog

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The Smiling Seahorse

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170 Ruangrat Rd, Tambon khao nivet, Mueang Ranong District, Ranong 85000​
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  • When & Where
    • Schedule and Prices
    • Destinations >
      • North Andaman Thailand >
        • Similan Islands
        • Surin Islands >
          • Richelieu Rock
        • The essential Underwater photo Guide to diving Thailand
      • South Andaman Thailand >
        • Phuket & Koh Phi Phi National Parks
        • Koh Lanta National Park
        • Koh Lipe and Tarutao National Park
      • Mergui Archipelago >
        • Liveaboard diving holiday in Myanmar
        • Burma's best dive sites
        • The Ultimate Underwater photo Guide to diving Burma
  • ABOUT
    • Our Boat >
      • DELICIOUS FOOD
    • Diving in Thailand in 2024-2025
    • Diving in Myanmar/Burma in 2024-2025
    • Blackwater diving in Thailand and Myannmar
    • Marine life in Thailand's Andaman Sea
    • Marine life in Mergui Archipelago
    • Dive Courses >
      • Learn to Dive
      • Continue diving education
      • Rescue diver
      • Professional Dive Courses
      • Hone your dive skills with a specialty course
      • Photo coaching in Thailand on the Smiling Seahorse
    • Guest Book
    • FAQ
  • Plan your trip
    • Our hotels recommendations
    • Khao Sok National Park
    • Taxi services >
      • Taxi services to and from Ranong
      • Taxi services to and from Phuket
      • Taxi services to Tap Lamu and Khao Lak
    • 10 things to do around Ranong
  • PROMO
    • HOT DEALS
    • Special Expeditions >
      • 8D Special Marine Bio with Gavin Miller - 10 Nov 2025
      • 8D Whale shark expedition - 20 March 2026 - North and South
  • gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
    • Most popular posts