Koh Lak and the Andaman Sea Dive Adventure
April 2007

Day One: Koh Lak

85/85 degrees in the air and in the sea… how perfect! Papaya, dragon fruit and mangosteen and a lot of thirst-quenching agua de pipa (coconut water)…ahhhh to enjoy the fruits of a tropical paradise again is so awesome! Soon after arriving I checked out the lay of the land in the beach area and in the town of Koh Lak. It is an interesting, lively town with lots of merchants and restaurants. Later I relaxed a bit with a good book on an absolutely gorgeous white sand beach that had some playful waves. With a turn of the head a lush primary forest could be seen. I had a delightful massage right on the beach under an open air bamboo hut with the sounds of the waves and rustle of palms. How much better can it get? The last minutes of the massage ended with a downpour from the tall mountains to the west. I missed my chance to go in the ocean while it was sunny, so I dove in the wild waves anyway. The ocean never felt so warm! The rain came down so hard that it danced on the water. It flew up some 10-12 inches when it hit. (I have to figure out a way to express that vision in a painting!)

Andaman Sea Adventure

Richelieu Rock and the Surin Islands

3 Day Liveaboard with the Seabees

http://www.sea-bees.com/

The diving was spectacular! Magnificent coral gardens characterize the Surin Islands. There were huge granite boulders above the water that descended below to form a series of plateaus. Most dives were about 90-100 feet. The water is crystal clear and the visibility was good most of the time.  The coral was so alive and well developed that there was hardly a spot rest a finger when one wanted to stop for a moment in a surge. Our first island to visit was Koh Tachai (where we missed seeing a whale shark just the week before). At the Pinnacle/Twin Peaks dive site we moved down the anchor line and we were greeted by a large school of chevron barracuda. Later we hung suspended in the awesome underwater scenery with 5 or 6 successive layers of different schools of fish: batfish, fusiliers, and banner fish and rainbow runners. We were in the middle of this parade of life, maintaining position and neutral buoyancy for 20 minutes or so.  Another time I was completely surrounded by thousands of blue fusiliers for over 5 minutes. The ring of life was only broken now and then, by the entry of several Bluefin Trevalies.  It was Palau revisited! On our second day we submerged 3 times on Richelieu Rock, number 21 on the current list of best dive sites in the world http://www.scubatravel.co.uk/topdiveslong.html. Apparently, Jacques Cousteau discovered it and named it after the flowing purple robes of the French cardinal Richelieu since reef after reef is carpeted with purple soft corals. This submerged series of rocks is encircled by a series of submerged pinnacles and covered with enormous sea fans. The sea life is dense on this stunning wall due to the sweeping nutrient rich currents. We spotted several kinds of seahorses, ghost pipefish, Harlequin and mantis shrimp, different kinds of morays, java rabbit fish, many lion and scorpion fish, and emperor angelfish. , Plus schools of big eye trevalies, grey chromos, mangrove and pinjalo snappers, leatherback jacks, yellow-black fusiliers, and these strange mackerels feeding with their mouths wide open. One very large coral mound was 95% covered by carpet anemones and loaded with tall types of anemone fish. The real Nemo was even there! A brown spiky looking octopus stared at us on our first dive there, changing colors and was moving left to right with it giant tentacles, ready to squirt its ink and dart away if needed.  Our last day on Koh Bon we were graced with a sighting of 3 mantas. The largest had a wingspan of more than 15 feet and passed so closely over my head that I kicked a bit downward to avoid a whack!! The viz varied on this three-day dive trip—anywhere from 30 to 80 feet, much like Galapagos with its abundance of plankton and other nutrients.  Also a murky greenish thermocline a couple of times dropped the temps from 85 to 75 in seconds!!!! One time this flood of freezing water hung around for about 7-8 minutes. I was wishing my little shorty could grow sleeves and long legs!

It was a very lovely trip with the Seabees. Food, crew and dive masters were top notch! I highly recommend this dive adventure with them if you enjoy fun filled days!

Bang Niang Beach &
Lum Ru National Park

Koh Lak Area

After diving with the Seabees, I chilled for a few days on Bang Niang Beach, just north of Koh Lak. This beach was devastated in the Tsunami of December 2004. Most of the resorts have rebuilt but here and there you can see one that still was in shambles. Shrines dotted the beach areas in memory of its victims.

One of the more energy absorbing activities I indulged in was a hike in Lum Ru National Park. It is located along the shore on the south side of Koh Lak. There are waterfalls and lovely hiking trails. The one popular beach was about a 30 minute walk from the entrance of the park- a small open cove with crystal waters.  I decided not to stop there though, and proceeded south in hopes of finding a cove of my own. I was rewarded in less than 20 minutes with a gorgeous little shaded beach with no one on it. I spent a relaxing time there- until about 1 PM when my water, snacks and shade ran out. Then I headed back down the bamboo studded beach trail that led back to the park entrance.  

Note: I am still researching an underwater camera, so no UW pix as yet. A couple of the divers on the trip said that they would send a few at some point.  Other photos are limited due to the fact one of my memory cards crashed about mid trip.