Similan Diving

surin snorkle tours - anemonefish

Our speedboat will get you the Similans quick so you have more time to enjoy the white sand beaches, azure waters and amazing fish that have made the Andaman Sea so special. We should spend 70 minutes or so (depends on the weather!) getting you to the Islands. Then? Maybe snorkeling with turtles, angelfish and hundreds of other species darting about the red, blue and yellow corals below you.

Bring the whole family! We not only are great snorkel guides, but with all staff are also dive instructors and anyone who wants to learn, or already is certified to dive – we will take care of you. Combine the trips – it’s easy.

Each day we go to different sites, so you can join us for a single day of snorkeling, two days, visit the Surin Islands or even – if you dare – join one of our overnight snorkeling tours!

Adults – 2900 Baht (all inclusive)

All Wicked Snorkel guides are passionate about the aquatic realm and it shows! We do far more than just swim around – rather we point out special species, unique coral systems and even some of the rare animals that live on the islands – like the Hairy-legged crabs. Wicked snorkel trips are very family friendly and can be conducted in English, Swedish, German and Thai. We are famous for our thorough briefings and high standards!

Similan Snorkeling Itinerary

similan water - and colors - snorkel tour

Your guides will be at your resort in the morning, let you know about the specific destinations to be expected and some information about safety and guidelines for safe snorkeling. Soon you’ll be on the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Similan Islands. After a picnic lunch (on the beach) of Thai delicacies we stroll off to one of the viewpoints for a scenic overview, then more snorkeling (or sunbathing if you prefer). Back to your resort with plenty of time for a sunset drink overlooking the Andaman Sea.

Please look at our Safe snorkeling guidelines page, or the Similan Snorkeling FAQ if you have further questions

Surin Islands Marine life

So what do we see on our trips? We can never guarantee what we will see but we very often see Turtle, Rays, Moray Eels, Octopus. While Manta Rays do visit the Similan Islands they rarely come into the shallows. Sharks are common on the Similans – but usually quite small and there are no known aggressive species that visit the Similans. Rather, enjoy the opportunity to see them in the wild without fear! Turtles – Green and Hawksbill are seen pretty frequently – Similan Island #1 is a turtle nesting sanctuary. Snapper, Trevally, Jacks, Sweetlips, Angelfish, Bannerfish, Barracuda and hundreds of species more. Not to mention hard corals, soft corals, sponges and exotic species

similan beaches

The trip price includes:
Marine Park Fee
Equipment
Guide – no more than 6 guests per guide!
Lunch – there’s always plenty so bring your appetite!
Water, tea, coffee, electrolytes, juice
Transfers from hotel/guest house (in the Khao Lak Area) to and from the pier

Additional fees:
Soda and Beer (25-80 bht ea)
Private Guide (1250 bht/day)

May 27, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

Khao Lak Liveaboard

We just saw this new site called Khao Lak Liveaboard that seems to have a lot of great information and looks to be a great deal for those heading over to Khao Lak or the Similan Islands.

May 24, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

Reef Shark Information

Great bit of information on sharks over at the the Wicked Diving Blog. Filled with good stuff. One of our favorites right now.

Grey Reef Shark

Seen at the deeper sites, the Grey Reef Shark is found on the Similan Islands in small but noticeable numbers. Most frequent at Christmas point and Deep six, They are still found at a great many dive sites. Rarely seen while snorkeling….

Order: Carcharhiniformes Family: Carcharhinidae Genus: Carcharhinus Species: amblyrhynchos


Habitat

Primarily distributed in shallow tropical and subtropical waters, the grey reef shark is often found near coral atolls and lagoons adjacent to reef habitats. It is often observed swimming along the outer edges of coral reefs. Its depth ranges from 0-920 feet (0-280 m). However, this species has been observed in waters down to 3,280 feet (1,000 m). Although more active during the night, grey reef sharks sometimes form schools during the day. These schools swim close to the bottom, over flat habitats. Grey reef sharks also form loose aggregations that lurk close to reef drop-offs. Lone individuals may be seen over shallow reefs either lying motionless on the bottom of the sea floor for long periods of time or swimming. Tagging studies show that sharks living near ocean reefs are nomadic and travel long distances along the reef habitat each day. Sharks residing in lagoon areas tend to return day after day to the same site.

Taxonomy

The grey reef shark was originally described as Carcharias amblyrhynchos by Bleeker in 1856. He later changed this name to the currently valid name of Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos. The genus name Carcharhinus is derived from the Greek “karcharos” meaning sharpen and “rhinos” meaning nose. Synonyms used in previous scientific literature that refer to the grey reef shark include Carcharias nesiotes Snyder 1904, Carcharhinus menisorrah Whitley 1944, Galeolamna fowleri Whitely 1944, Galeolamna turfiensis Whitely 1949, Galeolamna coongoola Whitely 1964, and Carcharhinus wheeleri Garrick 1982.
Common NamesEnglish language common names include grey reef shark, blacktail reef shark, black-vee whaler, bronze whaler, gray reef shark, gray shark, gray whaler shark, longnose blacktail shark, shark, and whaler shark. Other common names from across the world include ‘anga (Tongan), bagea totoho (Gela), grijze rifhaai (Dutch), grys rifhaai (Afrikaans), ikan yu (Malay), jarjur (Arabic), kortneus-swartsterthaai (Afrikaans), mago (Niuean), malie-aloalo (Samoan), marracho enlutado (Portuguese), nga-man-nee (Burmese), pako mej (Marshallese), pating (Tagalog), qio dravu (Fijian), raira (Tahitian), requin à queue noire (French), requin bar (French), requin blanc (French), requin dagsit (French), requin gris (French), te alava (Tuvaluan), te bakoanimarawa (Kiribati), tiburón coralero rabinegro (Spanish), and tiburón de arrecifes (Spanish).
Geographical Distribution The grey reef shark is limited to the Pacific and Indian Oceans. In the Indo-Pacific, it is found in the waters off Madagascar and in the Mauritius-Seychelles region. In the western Pacific Ocean, this shark ranges from southern China to northern Australia and the Tuamoto Archipelago. It is one of the most common reef sharks in the Pacific Ocean, along with the blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and the whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus). It is also found in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of India to South Africa, including the Red Sea. In this region it is often referred to as Carcharhinus wheeleri.

On The Similan Islands they are most often seen in the drop-offs to deeper areas. Like Christmas Point. Christmas Point and Koh Tachai Pinnacle. While we have seen them on the flats, at the bottom of the reefs, it appears that they like more depth.




Biology
· Distinctive Features

: This shark is medium to large in size, growing up to 8.4 feet (2.6 m) in length. It has a long, broadly rounded snout and large eyes. It does not have an interdorsal ridge running between the first and second dorsal fins. The origin of the first dorsal fin is over or just in front of the free rear tips of the pectoral fins. The first dorsal fin is semifalcate with a narrowly rounded or pointed tip. The second dorsal fin originates over the anal fin origin. The pectoral fins are large, narrow, and falcate in shape with narrowly rounded or pointed tips.

· Coloration

The dorsal side of the grey reef shark ranges from dark gray to bronze gray, paling to a white ventral side. The entire trailing edge of the caudal fin has a distinct wide black margin. The pectorals, second dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins have black or dusky tips while the first dorsal fin is either entirely gray or irregularly edged with white.

The blacktip reef shark can be distinguished from the grey reef shark by the black-tipped first dorsal fin
*source: FAO Species Catalogue, Vol. 4 – Sharks of the World*

The grey reef shark may be confused with the blacktip reef shark (C. melanopterus). The blacktip reef shark can be distinguished by the distinct black tip on the first dorsal fin as well as black tips on the remaining fins.

Grey reef shark upper and lower teeth
*source: FAO Species Catalogue, Vol. 4 – Sharks of the World*

· Dentition

The teeth are triangular and serrated with 13-14 teeth in each jaw half. The upper teeth are narrow and serrated, semi-erect to oblique in shape with high cusps. The crown feet have coarse serrations. The lower teeth are erect or semi-oblique with narrowly serrated cusps.

·Size, Age, and Growth

The grey reef shark may grow to a maximum size of 8.4 feet (2.6 m) in length and to weights of up to 74.3 pounds (33.7 kg). However, the average size of a grey reef shark is less than 6.6 feet (2 m) in length. The maximum reported age of this shark is about 25 years. Males mature at lengths of 4.3-4.9 feet (1.3-1.5 m) and females mature at 3.9-4.6 feet (1.2-1.4 m) in length, both corresponding to an age of approximately 7 years.

Food Habits

Reef fishes, along with smaller quantities of cephalopods (squid and octopus), and crustaceans (shrimp and lobster), provide the majority of the grey reef sharks’ prey. Reef shark prey also includes bony fish including cowfish, surgeonfish, and butterflyfish. The grey reef shark will also prey on young individuals of their own species. Most of the feeding activity occurs during the nighttime hours which is also this shark’s peak activity period.

· Reproduction

The grey reef shark is a viviparous species, which refers to reproduction when the embryos are nourished with a yolksac placenta during gestation inside the mother. The gestation period lasts approximately 12 months, followed by live birth of a litter of 1-6 pups. Each pup measures between 15.7-23.6 inches (45-60 cm) in length at time of birth.

Predators

Predators of the grey reef shark include larger sharks such as the silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus).

Parasites

The grey reef shark is host to parasitic copepods including Nemesis robusta (gill filaments) and Alebion carchariae (snout, fins, body). These copepods were documented on specimens from waters off western Australia. Ganthiid isopod larvae have also been reported on the gills of this shark.

Importance to HumansThe grey reef shark may be taken by longline shark fisheries and are valued for their fins that are used in shark fin soup. It is also utilized for human consumption and fishmeal. However, this species often occurs out of the range of most commercial shark fisheries.
These also provide a great deal of economic value to the dive and snorkeling industry. The more of them there are, the more tourism occurs. There are many “shark tours” worldwide that are entirely based on a the Shark.

Conservation

The gray reef shark, Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos, is listed as Lower Risk (LR/nt) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species:

LOWER RISK (LR) – A taxon is Lower Risk when it has been evaluated, does not satisfy the criteria for any of the categories Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable. Taxa included in the Lower Risk category can be separated into three subcategories:

1. Conservation Dependent (cd). Taxa which are the focus of a continuing taxon-specific or habitat-specific conservation program targeted towards the taxon in question, the cessation of which would result in the taxon qualifying for one of the threatened categories above within a period of five years.
2. Near Threatened (nt). Taxa which do not qualify for Conservation Dependent, but which are close to qualifying for Vulnerable.
3. Least Concern (lc). Taxa which do not qualify for Conservation Dependent or Near Threatened.

The grey reef shark is vulnerable to overfishing due to its restricted habitat, small litter size, and relatively late age of maturity. These factors, along with an increase in unmanaged fishing pressure, make this shark vulnerable to threats. However, at this time there is not enough data on the grey reef shark to analyze the status of populations.

The grey reef shark is currently listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as “Near Threatened”. More fisheries data is required for future assessment. The IUCN is a global union of states, governmental agencies, and non-governmental organizations in a partnership that assesses the conservation status of species.

Danger to Humans

Although it is one of the most aggressive sharks, the grey reef shark will usually only attack a person when it is threatened. Even so, it has been responsible for 7 unprovoked attacks resulting in no fatalities according to the International Shark Attack File. This shark often shows curiosity and often approaches divers. If cornered or threatened is some way, the grey reef shark will display threat behavior explicitly. It will raise its snout, depress the pectoral fins, and arch its back while swimming with an exaggerated sway. If the threat continues, the shark will move with lightening speed, delivering quite bites prior to retreating. Although the bites are often serious, they are rarely fatal. This species of shark is also more likely to attack while solitary rather than schooling perhaps due to an increased feeling of vulnerability.

These are frequently seen at Similan dive sites Christmas Point, Deep Six, Koh Tachai and occasionally at other several other sites.

Divemaster Training

May 24, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

Similan diving – straight from the water…

This is from the Wicked diving Blog in Khao Lak. Good information

Negative Consequences of Sunscreen on coral communities

Wicked diving is always looking at ways to reduce our affect on the environment and make the world, above and below the water, better. Here is a REALLY interesting story from the Times online. While I have heard that is has negative consequences, I had no idea of the impact. This will have some huge implications on the way we do things.
I do see a flaw, in that no product was offered as an alternative. WE are happy to understand the problem, but we are also looking for solutions.
If you are looking for the source documents…it’s here. Really fascinating read (a bit “egghead” – but hey, it’s a full paper on years of research including Phuket.

Tourists heading to the tropics were warned yesterday that their suntan lotion can kill off one of the main attractions of their holiday – the colorful corals that thrive in warmer waters. Residues from sunscreens that wash off in the sea were shown by researchers to cause coral bleaching, a condition that leads to the death of the organism and the collapse of delicate ocean ecosystems.

Chemical compounds that make up the ultra-violet (UV) filters in sunscreens, which are essential to protect the skin against burning, were shown to be harmful to coral reefs, even in small quantities.The researchers called for regulations to limit human contact with reefs where the coral was already suffering from other environmental threats such as rising sea temperatures.

“Different sunscreen brands, protective factors and concentrations were compared, and all treatments caused bleaching of hard corals,” said the researchers, who were led by Roberto Danovaro, at the University of Pisa in Italy, in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

“The coral response to sunscreen exposure was not dose dependent, as the same effects were observed at low and high sunscreen concentrations. The impact of sunscreens would be expected to be crucial in atolls and coastal coral reefs with low water renewal and strong tourist vocation.

Just to break that down. It seems to be irrelevant if you are using SPF50 or SPF2 and that even small amounts seems to have an impact, so that pasty guy from America (me) that has to dip themselves in a vat of SPF2000 and still gets burnt could be causing as much damage as the dark skinned people who tan very easily and only dap a bit on nose and ears.
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“Our results provide strong scientific evidence of the potential impact of these products in tropical habitats and represent a pointer for outlining specific regulations for protecting coral reefs,” the team said.

The researchers added that, of the 10,000 tonnes of UV filters produced every year globally, about 10 per cent would be used by the 78 million tourists who visited the tropics.

A 20-minute dip in the sea could wash off about a quarter of the chemicals in the sun lotion, they said. They concluded: “According to these estimates, we believe that up to 10 per cent of the world’s coral reefs would be threatened by sunscreen-induced coral bleaching.”

Coral is already under threat from global warming and one sixth of the world’s population of coral was estimated to have been killed off by freak weather conditions in 1998.

John Bythell, a coral expert from the University of Newcastle, said: “Coral bleaching as a worldwide phenomenon is a problem because it kills the coral and the coral is supporting the entire reef, which is the prime coastal defence in the tropical world.

“In most of the developing countries coastal tourism is a major draw and an important source of income. The coral is getting closer and closer to its stress limits for survival.”

The research took place in seawater surrounding coral reefs in Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand and Egypt. Even small doses of sunscreen caused large discharges of coral mucous – a clear sign of environmental stress – within 18 to 48 hours. Virus levels in the seawater increased to 15 times the level found in control samples, suggesting that sunscreens might stimulate latent viral infections, the study found.

Sunscreens are made of about 20 compounds acting as UV filters and preservatives. Seven, including parabens, cinnamates, benzophenones and camphor derivatives, had negative effects

So…if anyone has suggestions about alternatives for us (we will be adding light cotton long sleeve shirts to our suggested clothing) we will be happy to implement them.

May 24, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

Leopard Sharks – similan islands

As part of our ongoing series of Similan Island Marine Life, Wicked Diving presents:

Leopard Sharks

Leopard Sharks are the common Name in Asia for Stegostoma fasciatum, which is very common on the Similan and Surin Islands. In The Americas it is the name for a very different shark – Triakis semifasciatum.

Description & Behavior
The zebra shark, Stegostoma fasicatum (Hermann, 1783), is also known as a leopard shark in SE Asia. The zebra shark has a cylindrical body with prominent ridges on the sides and 5 gill slits (slits 4 and 5 overlap). The tail lacks a ventral lobe and it is as long as the body. This shark has a broad head, small barbels, and a transverse mouth located in front of the eyes. Its spiracles are as large as its eyes. The spineless dorsal fins are back to back. The anterior dorsal fin is much larger than the posterior dorsal fin. The first dorsal fin appears above the bases of pelvic fins, the second dorsal fin is about as large as the anal fin. The body is gray-brown with dark spots in adults. Juveniles are darker with light stripes and spots. Maximum size is about 3.5 m, average size between 2.5-3 m.

World Range & Habitat
Indo-Western Pacific: South Africa to Red Sea and Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, New Caledonia, Palau. Lives over the continental and insular shelves. Very common around coral reefs, often on sandy bottoms, but little is known about its biology. It is known that this species props up its pectorals in the sand and faces the current with open mouth. Such behavior and its inactivity during the day points towards a more sluggish life style and indicates that it is probably a nocturnal hunter. Recorded to have entered freshwater.

Description & Behavior
The zebra shark, Stegostoma fasicatum (Hermann, 1783), is also known as a leopard shark in SE Asia. The zebra shark has a cylindrical body with prominent ridges on the sides and 5 gill slits (slits 4 and 5 overlap). The tail lacks a ventral lobe and it is as long as the body. This shark has a broad head, small barbels, and a transverse mouth located in front of the eyes. Its spiracles are as large as its eyes. The spineless dorsal fins are back to back. The anterior dorsal fin is much larger than the posterior dorsal fin. The first dorsal fin appears above the bases of pelvic fins, the second dorsal fin is about as large as the anal fin. The body is gray-brown with dark spots in adults. Juveniles are darker with light stripes and spots. Maximum size is about 3.5 m, average size between 2.5-3 m.

Endangered Species….

Read the UN report on endangered species…

Feeding Behavior (Ecology)
Feeds primarily on snails and other molluscs, but also on crabs, shrimps, and small bony fishes.

Life History
Egg laying (oviparous). Egg cases are large (17 cm long, 8 cm wide, 5 cm thick). Unknown if the female lays more than one egg at a time, but it is most likely. Hatch size between 20-36 cm. Males reach sexual maturity between about 1.5-1.8 m, females around 1.7 m.

Comments
Harmless. This species is regularly taken in inshore fisheries and a decline is likely (no data) if not in progress. Utilized fresh and dried-salted for human consumption and also for fishmeal; livers processed for vitamins; fins cut off for the oriental sharkfin trade.

Divemaster Training

May 15, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

Similan Weather….yucky…

Well here is our bright shiny Tuesday morning! 8 AM and the sun is ….

Well I guess not. So inside we stay. Plan our trips to the store and home to avoid the torrential downpours. No let up in sight for next 6 days. Small craft advisories are out – says it all really. That’s why it’s called a jungle – lots of rain.

But it’s green!

Well at least it’s warm

and good food

As for us, we are deep into all our non-diving activities. We will soon be conducting Instructor level training! Become a dive professional! Yummy…
Continuing our efforts at being the “greenest” dive shop in Thailand – it’s not easy finding all the right products.

Being a bastion of information about Khao Lak and diving the Similan Island is not easy work!

If you do like to get wet… you might want to consider our new Similan Diving Liveboard for next season. With all the features that make these trips intimate and service unparalleled you will find these trips to be memories of a life time.

Please look here for more details on the boat

and here for the schedule and prices (what a bargain!)

and here for specifications of the boat.

If you, your family or your dive club would like to charter the boat, please look here.

Of course this also presents one of the best opportunities to do your divemaster course! Under the supervision of Instructor Trainer Marcel, and doing at least two liveaboard trips during your course, you’ll get more than just an education – you just might get a career!

May 15, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | Uncategorized | | No Comments Yet

Similan Liveaboard – the latest addition

We are bringing you more and more details of our new liveaboard. This is very exciting news for us as we are very proud of the new boat and the new services we will be offering to everyone. Not only will we be bringing you the service and standards that you have come to expect with Wicked Diving, but now we will have a very affordable alternative to the same old 4 Day/4 Night trips that everyone else offers. Not only is our schedule different and unique, but we are the first “Green” diving operation in Thailand.

When you dive with Wicked, you make a difference.

Come and join WICKED DIVING from November through April for a unique scuba diving liveaboard adventure in The SIMILAN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK on the west coast of Thailand. Join us for our guided tours around the islands and many of the best dive sites in the Andaman region. Dive guilt-free aboard the “Greenest” boat in Thailand with the most experienced staff in Khao Lak. Book your diving holiday before space runs out.

Our unique liveaboard allows you to dive different sections of the Similan archipeligo. We’ll spend three days in the Southern Dive sites, then 3 days in the Northern sites and finally 3 days at Richelieu Rock and Koh Bon. Join us for 3 days, 6 days or 9! Choose the best trip to meet your needs – or budget.

We only carry 12 guests on our trips, so the groups are small with a relaxed pace and uncrowded dive sites. Each cabin is air-conditioned with seaviews and fresh air. A total of 6 crew will be waiting on your needs while we provide at least one dive staff per 4 guests. You will be treated to the best in Thai hospitality.

We you dive with us you make a difference. Our boat and trucks use only locally produced Biodiesel so your money makes a difference in our community. Wicked uses only free-trade, phosphate-free soaps and detergents on our boats and in our shops so that we don’t affect our environment around us. Your sheets and towels will be 100% free-trade organic cotton. 10% of all our profits go to local NGO’s and we continually strive to make the world around us better.

Our staff are among the most experienced and highly trained in all of Thailand. Our continual training programs assures you that all staff are current EFR and DAN certified. Wicked Diving has not one but TWO Instructor Trainers and TWO Dive Medics on staff. We are the evacuation and emergency center for the entire region. In addition we can conduct our dives and courses in English, Swedish, German, Thai, Indonesian, Dutch, Belgian and French (and even American).

Not diving? All of Wicked’s trips feature snorkel guides! We always offer family friendly trips that cater to divers and non-divers alike. We spend time on the islands experiencing more than just the marine life. Interact with the world around you. We know that not all the world dives – and we are happy to cater to all their needs as well. We even feature an incredible Koh Tachai “castaway” experience that offer guided snorkeling, nature walks and camping for all the non-divers.

All Wicked trips are designed to increase the skills and awareness of our guests. Whether we are sharing the benefits of biodiesel in marine environments or conducting open water course with beginning divers the passion is clear.

At Wicked Diving we believe you will walk away from our adventures happier and better off. Whether it is our active role in the community around us, running the only ecologically friendly boat in the region or the incredible staff – Wicked Diving is more than just a dive shop. Make a difference, enjoy your diving and share in our unique experience.

Boat Details

All the cabins have:

* Air conditioning
* 100% Organic Bedding
* Sea-view windows
* LED Reading lights
* Dressing cabinet
* Mains outlet 220 Volts AC & 24 Volts DC – 24 hours per day
* 100% Organic Towels are available – please request before boarding
* Life jackets

Technical information :
• Length/Beam : 20 meters/5 meters.
• Max. Guest : 12.
• Cabins : 6 twin
• Bath rooms : 3 showers/toilets..
• Fresh Water : 12,000 Liter.
• Generators : 220v.-24v. 2 Sets.
• Compressors : Bauer Mariner. 2 Sets
• Engine : Hino Ek100 330 HP.
• Oxygen First Aid system/
• Navigation System/Sounder
• Ship-to-Ship Radio
• Satellite Phone
• 3.6m Tender with 15hp Yamaha

All Cruises Include :
• Full accommodation on board
• Personal climate control for each cabin.
• All meals, tea, coffee and fruits.
• Transfers from/to hotel in the Khao Lak Region.
• A Qualified Dive Instructor as your Dive Guide.
• Tanks and weights.
• National Park Fees are included in all our trips

Please contact us with all your inquiries. We are happy to answer all you questions. If you and your family or dive club is interested in a charter we hope you will feel confident that we can take care of you!

Divemaster Course

May 10, 2008 Posted by Perhentian Diving | liveaboard | | No Comments Yet

Similan Dive sites

This is from our friends at the best Similan Diving center in Khao Lak

Located on Beacon Reef, the Atlantis 2000 is (was?) a diving liveaboard operating in the Similan Islands. …..

This site is easy and accessible to all advanced divers. The bow is located at 18 meters and the aft at about 32 meters. She is resting on the reef with her aft resting on the sand at depth.

This was a liveaboard operating out of Phuket. She was running in the off-season (August) when they discovered that the bilge pump wasn’t working. There is much discussion as to whether this was human or mechanical error. But there was so much water that the bilge pumps couldn’t work even if they were fixed.

The crew and staff pitched in to form a bucket chain to dump the water but it appeared to be a losing game. The captain, rather than continue his race to the mainland, decided that to preserve the vessel he would ground it and then bring it assistance later.

Again the stories diverge. It is my understanding that the boat had fishing boats tie up, to help keep her upright. The crew and staff evacuated. As the boat took on more water, the fishing boats tried to continue the original plan and bring her to the shallows. Whether through failed plans or weather – it didn’t work. From the 5m mark all the way down to where she rests now you can see the field of destroyed corals. She sank to the depths and there she sits.

You can still see the tank racks and other treats. Because the passageways are quite narrow it is not a great wreck to do penetration dives on. While not the most fascinating wreck, she is in almost perfect shape and makes for great photography.

If you look around the web you’ll find that several operators are still offering this boat to their guests. I would imagine that you should get a pretty good discount on your trip!

The biggest irony? The same company built a new boat and started running a few years later only to have this happen…

“ANDAMAN SEA: Six passengers and seven crew spent around seven hours in the water yesterday morning waiting to be rescued after their liveaboard dive boat sank, apparently without warning and in just six minutes, close to the Surin Islands.” – april 2006

Diving depths range from 8-35 meters (25-120 feet) with the main diving done at 20 Meters (50 feet).

Currents are light, generally helping rather than hindering.

Visibility is pretty good (unless we get thermoclines) – 20 meters (75 feet).

Dive site is accessible to Advanced Divers due to depth.