Similan Islands, Dive Trip, December 19 - 21, 2013

Similan Islands, Dive Trip

December 19 - 21, 2013

OK, so in December, before leaving the southern islands of Thailand, the four of us decided we should go diving.  We hopped onto our scooters, headed to the dive shops to find the best spot to go.  We were thinking a morning or an afternoon.  Before we knew it, we had signed on for a three-night, live-aboad dive adventure in the Similan Islands.  

  These islands are located off the west coast of Thailand, in the Adaman Sea.  They are the most famous diving sites in Thailand.  According to the National Geographic Society they have been listed as one of the top ten dive destinations in the world.  We were just too close to not take advantage of this opportunity.

We packed up our day packs, you just don't need much to hop on a dive boat.  I am already, seriously over-dressed.  The look on my face shows the anticipation of the hour long boat ride we'd need to take before reaching our diving destination.

Many people, including ourselves, managed to sleep on the ride…others, weren't so fortunate…it was a trip hard on the stomach.  However, there was little time to contemplate how you were feeling.  

We reached the live-aboard,

dropped our bags, and soon we were getting our dive briefing…(were we bored, scared, or still feeling the effects of the ride over?) 

Gearing up for our first dive.  There would be no opportunity for any of us to become bored:)   Our dive guides had great adventures planned for us.

What awaited us below was nothing short of amazing!

Mermaids...

crystal clear waters...

huge anemones...

heaps and heaps of colour...

and schools of fish in numbers we had never seen before...

We ate really well.

Our dive mates came and went…and we laughed and we laughed…ask your friends, "what does a rooster say" or more importantly "what does the fox say?"  We will never forget the antics of our new friend the "Finnish-Norwegian World Traveller".  

We were once again on the sea where Omar was so happy...

life was good.

11 dives in 4 days…we were on a tight schedule, but we were loving it.

Our crew was amazing.  This was our captain's son.  He was always ready to get me geared up.

We had an incredible view from our tiny cabin...

a sea view can't get much better.  

A quick visit that created so many memories…and some of the very best diving we had ever done.

When we returned to Old Phuket Town, the street where we lived had been turned into a night market.  

It was a wonderful welcome back.