Cam took her PADI open water course with us, because her holidays were time limited, she first learned about the theory through PADI e-learning, she then practice her skills in Ranong in the safety of a pool and could enjoy all of the dives of our “best of Thailand” cruise to the Surin islands, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.

Elmar also took advantage of one of our 3 days/ 3 nights “Best of Thailand” cruise to improve his skills through PADI advanced course. He booked his course and boarded the MV Thai sea from Koh Payam and got his Advanced Book in German waiting for him onboard. He particularly enjoyed the Manta flying over him during his deep dive exercises!!! 

Olivier is doing his dive master course over a 3 weeks period with The Smiling Seahorse, onboard our cruises and on the land he discovers the skills and knowledge to start his carrier as a dive professional. 

Take a PADI Dive course with us!The Smiling Seahorse offers you the opportunity to do any training course staying on our live aboard and dive the marine Parks of Similan and Surin Ilands in Thailand for 5 days trip or discover the Mergui Archipelago in Myanmar (Burma) for 6 or 8 days trip or both on our combo package.

Combine the trip of a life time with dive training in perfect conditions, tropical waters (around 30°C all year long), crystal clear visibility and get the experience of a real diving expedition.

You might have heard the news of a new tsunami coming into Thailand. An earthquake off the coast  of Sumatra, around the same place than in 2004 and some were expecting a tsunami of the same dimension to touch Thailand.
We heard the news over the radio, Pong came to tell us the news and we immediately cancelled the following dives for the day and left the island side for a deeper sea.
We immediately felt quite safe, knowing a wave doesn’t break until it reaches shallower grounds but we felt quite worried about what we would find back on the land.
Our phones didn’t have much connection but just enough to reassure the family members which needed it most.
News were slow to come over the radio, in Thai and then in English. We first heard of the earthquake, followed by a rumor of a 18 meters wave, 30 minutes later we listened in silence the news of the wave reaching Phuket and Koh Lanta and only 20 minutes later were we reassured of minimal damage. We were waiting to see the wave pass us by but to no avail. After two hours of stress, we set the cap to Richelieu Rock and celebrated onboard the good news: No Tsunami, we are the Tsunami survivors!!!

"...Nestled between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea and flanked by some of Asia’s most famous destinations, Burma is one of the world’s best-kept secrets. The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, or Burma as it remains better known, was opened up to tourism in 1997. Since then, the Burmese government has worked hard to develop its tourism industry and more and more visitors are arriving to experience the country’s turquoise waters and palm-fringed white sand beaches. With development forging ahead in neighboring Thailand, Laos and pretty much everywhere else on the continent, the natural marine wonders that drew people to some of those better-known destinations are losing their exclusive appeal. In contrast, Burma’s Mergui Archipelago offers over 800 islands sprinkled throughout 12,000 square kilometres of crystalline waters just begging to be discovered. Since Burmese waters were opened up a few boats have begun to appear, yet the islands remain almost entirely uninhabited save for the odd Burmese sea gypsy fishing from his boat among the mangrove glades. The vastness of the area means it is possible to spend weeks here without coming across another human being, with just the kingfishers, wild pigs, monkeys and a whole host of marine life for company..."

The Mergui Archipelago was as good as ever and we could see so many things: seahorse, frog fish, manta, spanish dancers, check out the pics!
For the night dive, we had an awesome time... Shrimps was everywhere you look and we often spot Spanish Dancers and other big Nudibranch too.​..

Seahorse...

There are about 40 known species of seahorse.
Seahorses prefer to swim in pairs with their tails linked together.
Seahorse couples are essentially monogamists, in love with one partner for long periods of time.
Every morning, seahorse couples engage in ritualistic dances to greet each other... What a nice attention to beginning the day! 

Frog fish...

Due to its amazing camouflage and remarkable luring behaviors, the frog fish is considered one of the most efficient examples of aggressive mimicry.
Unlike the chameleon, the frog fish can't change its color quickly, it need several weeks...

​Spanish dancer...

The Spanish dancer, scientific name Hexabranchus sanguineus, is a dorid nudibranch. 
Spanish Dancers swim by undulating their bodies like a Spanish dancer’s in red skirt during a flamenco dance...
Spanish Dancers are able to store the toxins from the sponges they eat inside their own bodies and it become a formidable weapon of self defense against it's  predators...