Diving liveaboard in Thailand and Myanmar
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Secret Spanish Garden

31/5/2013

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spanish dancer diving safari
Spanish Dancer
17th of December, after a long time (2 weeks) without diving, here we are again with a full boat this time. We have on board some family members, which will make it even more fun…
We also have a lot of courses to run, 3 specialties, “deep”, “Night” and “Nitrox” for Thierry, he will be busy, for sure! Then 2 “open water” courses for Romain and Caroll Ann.
Our first day was absolutely fantastic through our 4 dives we found, giant puffer fish, octopus, loads of nudibranches, sponge crabs, and 3 Spanish dancers! What a great start for our new divers…!

The Spanish Dancer

The Spanish dancer, scientific name Hexabranchus sanguineus (literally meaning "blood-colored six-gills"), is a dorid nudibranch, a very large and colorful sea slug, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Hexabranchidae.
In a normal situation when the animal is crawling, the edges of its mantle are curled upwards creating a peripheral blister. If the animal is disturbed, it unfolds its edges and can swim through contractions and undulations of the body to move away from the disturbing element. Its common name, Spanish dancer, comes from this particular defense that make it looks like a flamenco dancer.
spanish dancer diving safari
spanish dancer
sponge crab diving safari
sponge crab
open water diving safari
Romain et Caro, open water students
Octopus diving safari
Marble Octopus
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Burma home to a multitude of sea creatures

29/5/2013

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Dive the wonderful Burmese's waters...
Dive the wonderful Burmese's waters...
explore burma diving
horse shoe island (military base)
Picture
shaded bat fish burma diving
Juvenile Shaded batfish
Frogfish
Frogfish
Blotched Stingray
Blotched Stingray
Spiny Lobster
Spiny Lobster
Burma exploration cruise... We will try to make it a good one, first we dive in the crater of a Volcano then we pay a small visit to a local military camp, which looks more like a paradise island if you ask me then we go to square rock, this is where you can get one of the most powerful current you would ever experience in your diving life!

Theses 2 places have a lot to offer, grey reef sharks, turtles, nudibranches , seahorses, long fin comet fish, juvenile shaded batfish, pineapple fish, sea snakes,  blue spotted stingrays, etc.…
There is a lot to see there but you got to know where to look, and that’s what I like about this dive sites…

Platax pinnatus, also known as the pinnate spadefish, pinnate batfish, dusky batfish, shaded batfish, or red-faced batfish​...
​As a juvenile it is blackish brown, or black with an orange stripe outlining its entire body. Adults become a dull silver. This fish grows to a maximum size of 45 cm.
These fish are highly inquisitive in nature and will often come right up to the face of a diver to investigate and sometimes follow a group of divers for the entire length of their dive...
while we are diving in the Western Rocky area, we encounter few more frogfishes. From one season to the next the fish population varies.
While they do not have scales, their amazing ability to camouflage themselves serves as protection from predators. Frogfish vary in color and often have unique spines or bumps that change with their surroundings




We are going to some of the best dive site in the Mergui archipelago, Sea fan forest and Western Rocky. Although we never know what we will find down there, I know it’s going to be good…
Octopus, stonefish, and tunas plus many different shrimps were waiting for us at Seafan forest and frogfish and blotched stingrays at western rocky as well as 2 seahorses and many lobsters… always good to dive theses places…
​​
We had many ghost pipe fish last season, this one is more about seahorse and frog fish, I wonder what the next season will be about…

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Un voyage de noce de rĂŞve... â€‹A dream honeymoon ...

"nous avions rĂŞve une honeymoon inoubliable.. The Smiling Seahorse l'ont fait! Merci pour les merveilleuses plongĂ©es, les excellents repas et l’équipe discrète mais toujours la!" "après 7 mois de voyage en Asie, je sais dĂ©jĂ  que l'un des plus beaux souvenir que je vais ramener sera ma remontĂ©e et mon observation des Ă©toiles après ma première plongĂ©e nocturne"
"We dreamed of an unforgettable honeymoon. The Smiling Seahorse did it! Thank you for the wonderful dives, the excellent meals and the discreet team but always there!" "After 7 months of traveling in Asia, I already know that one of the best memories I will bring back will be my ascent and my observation of the stars after my first night dive"

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The Smiling Seahorse logbook

17/5/2013

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Picture
Woww! I haven't written a blog post since January!!! Incredible how fast the season went. I must say we have been quite busy lately. It is now low season, the boat is parked, equipment stored or sent for servicing and we are getting a much deserved break!
Don't be mistaken we already miss diving and look forward to the new season.
In the mean time, I though about a little project, something I have wanted to do during the high season but really didn't have time to do...
I've decided to post our log book on this blog so you guys can see what we see on a regular basis on our dive cruises.
Sadly I don't have pictures of every creature we see but I'll try to post what I have and use some pictures taken by others.
I hope this will inspire you and that we'll see you soon!
Check out our calendar for next season's liveaboard schedule and book now!

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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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    ​The Smiling Seahorse has been running dive cruises from Ranong since 2012.
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The Smiling Seahorse

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
      • Mergui Archipelago >
        • Marine life in the Andaman Sea
        • Burma's best dive sites
        • The Ultimate Underwater photo Guide to diving Burma
  • ABOUT
    • Our Boat >
      • DELICIOUS FOOD
    • Guest Book
    • Diving in Thailand in 2022-2023 >
      • Ranong Departures >
        • 3D Thailand: Surin National Park
        • 4D Thailand from Ranong 5pm-7pm
        • 5D Thailand: Surin and Similan
        • 6D Thailand: Surin and Similan end to Ranong
        • 7D North Andaman: Surin and Similan from Ranong
        • 8D Thailand: North & South
        • Alternative itineraries for full charter >
          • 4D4N Evening to morning - Surin Similan
      • Khao Lak Departures >
        • 5D North Andaman from Khao Lak to Phuket
        • 5D North Andaman: All of Surin and Similan
        • 6D North Andaman: All of Surin and Similan
        • 6D North Andaman: From Khao Lak to Ranong
        • 7D North Andaman: All of Surin and Similan
        • 7D North Khao Lak to Khao Lak
        • 8D North & South Andaman Thailand
      • Phuket departures >
        • 5D North Andaman from Phuket
        • 5D South Andaman: Lanta and Tarutao National Parks
        • 6D North Andaman: Phuket to Khao Lak
        • 8D Thailand: South & North
    • Blackwater diving in Thailand
    • Marine life in Thailand's Andaman Sea
    • Diving in Myanmar | Burma dive cruises >
      • 6D Burma : South Mergui Archipelago
      • 7D Burma: dive Black Rock
      • 8D Burma: Undiscovered Mergui
      • 9D Burma: Exploration trip
    • Dive Courses >
      • Learn to Dive
      • Continue diving education
      • Rescue diver
      • Professional Dive Courses
      • Hone your dive skills with a PADI specialty course
      • Photo coaching in Thailand on the Smiling Seahorse
    • FAQ
  • Plan your trip
    • Accommodation in Ranong
    • SHA+ hotels in Phuket
    • Bungalows in Koh Phayam
    • 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
    • Covid-19 news & infos >
      • COVID-19 update travel to Thailand
      • Covid-19 protection on-board
  • PROMO
    • HOT DEALS
    • Whale shark expedition - 4 Feb 2023 - North and South
    • Manta rays expedition - 19 Mar 2023
    • Photo clinic + Blackwater 23 Jan 2024
    • UW Photo clinic North Andaman 31 Jan 2024
    • Manta rays expedition - 18 Feb 2024
    • Whale Shark Special - 19 Mar 2024 - North and South
  • gallery
    • Photos
    • Videos
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
    • Most popular posts