Day 3 - The Similans.
The north is different to the south. For a start off the visibilty is generally better.....much better. The geology is also different, resulting in large numbers of huge rounded granite boulders, both above and below the surface.
Our first dive was again a check out dive for the new guys - Anita's reef. It's very pretty. LoT's of all types of hard and soft corals, snappers, garden eels, damsl fish, fusiliers, butterfly fish...etc etc.....
...at the end of the dive is a solitary pinnacle. On it's own one could spend a whole dive just here, there's so much stuff around it. The Thai call it "Hin Muan Deaw", which translates to "Whole roll of film rock". Unfortunately my camera batteries decided to pack up at the point we got there - so I got a bit less than that!
Dive 2 today was the site that I'd had my first dive of the trip the other times I'd come here - East of Eden. This is an aquarium dive....it's stunning. There used to be a red frogfish:
....but it seems he's supposed to now live in an aquarium in Bangkok. Whether that's true or not I'm not sure. But anyway he's gone. This is also the home of possibly the most famous moray in Thailand. He lives under a rock about halfway through the dive. The last time I was here he had a girlfriend living with him....
Some might remember, or have seen, the You-tube film of the guy having his thumb bitten off while he was feeding this moray (it wasn't nasty - morays just don't see very well!) Anyway - it's the moray on the right that did it - and this is where he lives.
At the end of the dive is a rock/pinnacle similar to that of Anita's Reef - however it's not quite as pretty!
The third dive was on the opposite side of Island No 7 - West of Eden. If you like big boulder and crevices you'd enjoy this. There's lot's to explore and although we actually didn't see an awful lot this time, there's a good chance of leopard sharks, maybe white tip reef sharks. I did see a sea snake here but as those things frighten the bejeesus out of me I stayed pretty far away from it!
It was a little strang though as for some reason there was quite a strong surge - not current - surge. On the surface it really wasn't rough so I've no idea what was causing it.
The sunset dive today was opposite the rangers station on Island no 7. Those of us that din't want to do it went to the beach instead and took a walk up the path to take in the view.....
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