HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Crew of "Similan Diving Safaris"!!

Father Christmas delivers presents on Christmas day & Boxing Day was the 5th year Anniversary of the Tsunami.

Departing on Christmas Eve the boat was once again full of a great group of people eager to enjoy the festive season coupled with some great diving. Christmas hats and lots of food were the top of tree for everyone. Departing early evening from Tamp lamu pier we headed out with an early arrival in the similans.

Due to the high volume of experience onboard we amended our normal schedule to include some more challenging and possibly more adventurous diving. The first day bought a great days diving at dive sites which included East of Eden, West of Eden, Elephant head rock where we encountered a new small frogfish, mantis shrimp, lovely rare nudibranch and turtles. In the evening everyone was in the festive spirit with parcels of food and drink being passed all around the boat.

Day 2 started in fine fashion with Christmas songs and me realising Father Christmas did not actually arrive at my door! I must have been a bad boy at some point during the year?

For our first dive we got special permission to dive the normal closed dive site “Fantasie”. With 30metres visibility and great light it bought an amazing dive with beautiful coral and the highlight being some groups seeing a big Black Tip reef Shark and others seeing 3 White Tip reef sharks. One of the White Tip sharks had many cuts and bites over its body which would maybe down to recent mating. Hopefully more sharks in the Similans...!! After the dive we headed to Donald Duck bay for beach time and snorkelling time were turtles circled the boat looking for a Christmas breakfast.

Later we moved further north to the most northern part of the Similan 9 islands to North Point. This is normally a place where leopard sharks are spotted although Santa delivered his presents on this dive as most groups to their amazement encountered a large manta ray. It was a great moment that will be remembered by some for a very long time. Later we moved further north to the normal home of the manta rays Koh Bon. No mantas on Christmas day at Koh Bon but a great dive. We then moved further north for our night dive at Koh Tachai. Some groups encountered 3 huge barracuda which followed them like a buddy for most of the dive. The barracuda are very intelligent fish using the diver’s torches to catch the evening meal. Sorry to all the unfortunate fusiliers who crossed the diver’s path during the dive?

Day 3 started at Richelieu rock where we did 4 dives, all being different in their own special way. It was also a day of remembering the devastating day 5 years ago in Asia with the Tsunami. Some staff and customers were part of this unfortunate day and all have their own memories of the incident. At the end of the days diving and dinner Hans and Tina who celebrated their birthday on this special day provided everyone with a drink of Thai whisky to say a few words for all those who were affected by this tragic incident.

Day 4 took us to Koh Bon for our first dive which unfortunately never provided us with mantas but did provide us with a lovely dive. After Koh Bon we then headed back towards mainland to a wreck 20 minutes south of tamp lamu pier called “Prem Chai”. It is a dredger similar to the Boonsung and bought a great dives with some interesting little critters stacked around the wreck. A great way to end a great trip!

On a final note I would like to say a big congratulation’s to 3 new PADI Advanced Open Water divers. Well done and I hope you enjoy all your future diving.

Similan Diving Safaris

Blue Skies and calm seas and sun bathing at the Similan Islands

In keeping with our tradition the trip started in bubbly fashion back at the dive centre in khao Lak before heading off to Tap Lamu pier. The boat was again full with a lively group of excited people eager to experience scuba diving in the Similan Islands aboard our liveaboard. Once all the necessary safety procedures and kitting up process was out of the way we headed out in calm beautiful conditions.

The first day started with some nice dives and visibility (20-30m) coupled with nice calm currents. We did our customary check dive to get every nice and comfortable at Anita’s Reef before breakfast and beach time on Island number 4. With the blues skies and amazing views from the beach it was a nice morning for some sun bathing and relaxing in the shallow water for cooling down. After beach we moved up to Island 7 for several dive where Frogfish, leaf pipefish, ghost pipefish, Ribbon eels and more rarer marine life were encountered. The night dive was then back to our starting location which also yielded some interesting marine life, like the sand nose diving Razor Wrasse, nice big lobsters and giant reef crabs.

Day 2 started in keeping with the with the previous days weather with an amazing red sky and sun rise and the first dive at Elephant head rock. For others they ventured to beacon reef to complete their PADI Open Water course and encountered Turtles. A great way to finish off your Open Water course! After more beach time on the nice quiet beach of Beacon reef we moved further north to island number 9 for some leopard sharks at North point. Some customers seeing sharks the first time and realising the not all sharks want to eat people and are actually nice relaxed creatures. We again moved further north to Koh Bon and Koh Tachai for the night dive.

Day 3 started with 2 amazing dives at Richelieu rock where the visibility was roughly 10-15m (Bad considering the normal 20-30m visibility) although it still bought us it’s special feeling and amazing variety of marine like seahorses, Ghost pipefish, Huge Barracudas, rare nudibranch and Harlequin shrimps. Later moving back south we ventured back to Koh Tachai Plateau and for the night dive at the amazing Koh Bon wall.

Day 4 started with the morning dive at Koh Bon Pinnacle with 30+m visibility and leopard sharks. It was also amazing to see the complete pinnacle in its full glory of bright yellow soft corals covering it from head to toe. After this dive we headed back in closer to mainland to do our final dive on the Boonsung Wreck which in recent trips bought us constant action with its huge fish schools (Fish Soup), stone fish, cuttlefish, baby squid, honeycomb moray eels and some of the rarer nudibranch from the Chromodoride family.

Overall I would like to say a great big thank to everyone aboard, it was a great trip with some real characters aboard which in turn bought a lovely lively atmosphere aboard the Dolphin Queen.

I would also like to say special congratulations to Louise who completed her PADI Open Water course and later moved on to complete her PADI Adventure Deep dive along with Rasmus, Julie, Rose and Aaron. I would also like to say special congratulations to Peter who complete his PADI Advanced Open Water. Well done to all of you!

New PADI Open Water and PADI Advanced Open Water Students

SDS05 began in sweltering heat in Khao Lak. Once we headed down to the pier and boarded the boat we departed early evening to the Similans. Due to a recent Typhoon in the Philippines which we were getting the remains of, we were blessed with some choppy seas, which in turn created a rather bumpy ride out. Once we reached the Similan Islands we were sheltered from the elements.

During the trip we had several courses going on with several people completing their PADI Open Water Course and PADI Advanced Open Water Course. During day 1 they enjoyed some delightful diving in the Similan islands with the Open Water students completing the basic knowledge and skills in order to become certified whilst also enjoying the delightful marine life and corals.

During the first dive some people discovered the Tsunami memorial Statues which was a great surprise to them. These were put in place several years ago and are now a nice feature for groups to cruise along admiring in the shallow water. Later in the day we moved further north to Island No. 7 where we did 2 dives.

Due to the rough conditions on the eastern side of the islands we took shelter on the western side for the night, which bought a rare opportunity for an exploration night dive for some. We did initial checks using the depth finder and also from people snorkelling and checking the area. Some groups came across and 1m Jenkins Whip ray which was a great site to see.

Day 2 bought us some calmer weather in the morning where we went to Elephant head rock, later moving up to Donald duck bay for Beach time! After Breakfast and beach time, we did our last dive in the Similans before moving north to the famous Koh Bon home of the mantas. No mantas unfortunately on the occasion but some amazing marine life including Egg Cowries, Barracuda, Napoleon Wrasse and Sea Snakes. For the night dive we moved north to Koh Tachai.

Day 3 started in choppy conditions at Koh Tachai Plateau but was an amazing dive with some groups seeing rare nudibranch. Also it was our first time back since removing the large fishing nets. To my amazement it is now looking as beautiful as it once was. Small amounts of net in areas but the marine life is now forming around it and continuing to grow. To all those people and dive shops who helped I would like to say a big thank you and great work! Without you it would not have been possible and a lot of marine life would have suffered over time. Mission accomplished!

Day 4 started at Richelieu rock which was in its full glory with excellent light and good visibility. Along the way we saw Ghost pipefish, the resident big school of Barracuda including one huge one which has its own entourage of fusiliers, Cowries shells and seahorse. After the dive we headed back closer to mainland for the final and exciting dive at the Boonsung wreck. This delivered it normal beauty of schools for fish seeking shelter and macro heaven in the form of Stone fish, nudibranch galore, Ghost pipefish, Banded pipefish, spearing mantis shrimp and lots more.

All in all a great group of people aboard the dolphin queen for SDS05 and good fun was had by all especially with the leopard sharks! Thank you all and we hope to see you back again one day.

Similan Diving Safaris Trip allows stowaways hitch a ride and Crown of thorn increases and Breakfast bend.

SDS04 started in fine fashion with a small but excellent group aboard the dolphin queen. Due to the smaller numbers aboard, everything was ready and prepared for an early depart from the shop in khao lak. The trip it was a bit of a family orientated trip with plenty of space aboard and the captain bringing his little daughter aboard. She kept us entertained and also became our camera woman.

After the general boat briefing and dinner most people settled down for the night although some volunteered to sit up on the top deck and gaze at the full moon and exceptionally calm weather.

During day 1 we sampled some nice dives around the Similan islands, diving at Anita’s Reef, East of Eden West of Eden and Beacon Reef.

During day 2 we move further north in the Similan Islands before heading off for a 3 hour journey cruising along to Koh Bon for the night dive. We also went to Donald duck bay for the first time this season and everyone was greeted in true fashion with some amazing views and colours

As dive 2 we decided to dive Breakfast bend, it was amazing dive rich in hard and soft corals. As a drift dive north it provided us with the perfect way to explore the shallower areas and came across lots of different marine life including even Harlequin shrimps. It also allowed us to see the problem we really are facing with the Crown of Thorns. During the dive I tried to look for its main enemy the triton and nothing around that I could see, which possibly explains the high rise in numbers. Being able to scan the sloping reef we came across many partly dead patches of big hard corals. The further north we went the more crown of the thorns we came across. In some areas of roughly 2-3 square metres we saw 4 or 5 smothering the corals. Hopefully over the coming months SDS will embark on working with others to slowly tackle this possible problem once and for all and hopefully help keep what was and still is an amazingly rich coral reef.

After the 3rd dive at North Point we noticed we had a stowaway aboard. This was in the form of a little sparrow bird who flew from deck to deck looking for scraps and hitching a ride. He decided to stay with until evening of the 3rd day.

For the night dive at Koh Bon all customers came up saying what an amazing dive it was with lots to see, including Pleurobranchs, Lobsters, GIANT morays, HUGE pufferfish, Decorated Crabs, Sponge Crabs and much more.

Day 3 took us north to our furthest point north in the Surin islands to Richelieu Rock. After 2 amazing dives we then moved south back to Koh Tachai. Later in the evening after a superb dinner we move

Day 4 bought some interesting dives firstly at Koh Bon for the morning dive where Da Boss discovered some White Tip reef sharks and leopard sharks. For the final dive of the trip we were treated to an one at the Boonsung wreck. Firstly we navigated the obstacle course of Jelly fish which tend to bloom at certain times of the year here and then once down treated with great visibility lots of rare nudibranch, cuttlefish and fish soup. It was a great way to end an excellent trip.

On a final note, I would also like to say a big congratulation to Joel Dayne and Rick who passed there PADI Advanced Open Water course and Christine who completed 2 Adventure Dives. Good work and well done..!

Similan Diving Safaris customers help clear 200m+ of fishing net from Koh Tachai Plateau

On Saturday 24th October the Dolphin Queen set off for trip no.3 of the season departing from Tap Lamu pier with its thai traditional departing display of fire crackers. The display is believed to scare away the evil spirits and the bad weather.

Once we arrived at the Similan islands we moored the boat up close to island number 4 ready for the morning dive. We were treated to an amazing sunrise coming up from behind mainland. During the trip out we also bought some of the rangers who are getting ready for the coming busy period.

During day 1 we were again greeted with great visibility (25+m) and equally great dives at Anitas Reef, East of Eden and Elephant Head rock and night dive at beacon reef where customers saw turtles, White Tip Reef sharks, Leopard sharks, Rare nudibranch to name a few and a lot of fish action. During the day we also went to the beach for some Frisbee and for some a sleep??? After the night we settled down for an excellent thai curry, soup, fish and vegetables in a buffet style dinner. Delicious...! Then everyone went up to the top deck and watch the nice display of stars and shooting stars.

Day 2 started with a normal deep dive at Christmas point which bought some cold water (27 degrees) but excellent visibility. After breakfast and more beach time we went to north point and enjoyed a great dive. After the dive more food and off to the famous Koh Bon commonly known for its mantas where we did several dives.

Day 3 bought us great fun and some challenges. With the morning dive at Koh Bon Pinnacle it was an excellent start to the days diving, which yielded leopard sharks and many small critters along the way. We then moved further north to Koh Tachai.

During the first dive on the Plateau we again discovered fishing nets but to our amazement it was even more than we once thought covering a lot of the northern and east side of the dive site at about 20-25m and much more deeper. During the first dive most groups all worked together to help clear as much as they could possibly collect with the instructors and even the captain organising things. Slowly and delicately they untangled the net from both hard and soft corals. The deeper we got into the net the more marine life we discovered was still actually living within the corals. Things like Small damsel fish, flatworms, crabs and the most effected murex shells all fighting to stay alive. On one part of the net we even discovered a dead moray eel about a metre in length. Not good..!

After the first dive we asked all the customers if they would like to dive the same site again in order to try and collect more of the nets. All our customers were more than keen to help and it actually turned in more like a reef cleanup with everyone going down armed with cutting tools, lift bags and crates to help send to the surface, where the dingy and liveaboard boat were waiting. Working together to hold the nets out of the way roughly 70-80m of net was collected, which in any terms is a great effort by everyone.

During the night everyone was greeted with an amazing slide show of pictures which really showed the true extent of the work that was completed and how well everyone worked together. The pictures from of the clean up can be viewed on www.arewedreaming.com.

On behalf of the Similan Diving Safaris and I would like to say a huge thank you to all our customers who helped, and to some degree sacrificed several dives in order to help clean up one of the most beautiful dive sites in the Similan islands. Your work was very much appreciated.

Day 4 bought an early morning dive at Richelieu rock which at the moment I can only describe as “Fish Soup” at the moment. A nice way to start the last day before moving closer to land and the Boonsung wreck! After the dive we cruised down the beach front of Ban Sak and Khao Lak before arriving back at Tap Lamu pier.

Once we arrived back at Similan Diving Safaris shop in Khao Lak everyone went back for a shower and change of clothes before meeting up in the evening for food and a few drinks.

All in all it was a very entertaining trip with very nice customers who were a pleasure to dive with.

And as a final note I would again like to say a big thank you to everyone who participated in the cleanup because without your help it would certainly not have been possible.

Thank you and we hope you all enjoyed the trip.!

1st daytrip of the season

The 1st daytrip of the season was very successful.

We had a fully booked Dolphin Queen, the Sun was shining and

we had a big group of snorkellers from Australia who enjoyed there day out.

After the morning snorkelling at Island#5, they already had a big smile on there faces, because it was the first time for them to snorkel with Turtles.

The afternoon snorkelling, was a even bigger event for them ,as they had millions of fishes around them!

The visibility on that day was by 25m.

SDS#2

What a great 2nd Live Aboard Trip!

With a fully booked boat we enjoyed 4days/4nights in paradise!

We found Frogfish at Koh Bon, Seahorse and Pipehorse at Richelieu!

Congratulations to Yossef new AOW diver, Bruce new AOW diver, Jaime new AOW diver, Luke new AOW diver and a speacial congratulations to Yoni who did his Jr.OW and Jr.AOW diver course!

With calm seas and excellent weather we were, once again, really lucky...great diving, great people, great food & great memories of a fantastic trip with SDS!!

SDS#1

Yet another season has started and it sure has started off in style!
It all started on the 14th October in the dive shop setting up everyone’s equipment and the necessary paperwork, coupled with lots of laughs along the way. A special shout to Ivo, Jitka and Milan who returned yet again for another season due to the fun and excellent diving they had in previous trips. I would also like to say a special welcome to some of our new dive team which includes Soren Egeberg, Koen Van Den Dungen and Stephanie Mutze who I wish a good season and many enjoyable trips ahead.
Once everyone arrived we set off from Khao lak to Tap Lamu Pier, where everyone got settled in there cabin, setup their equipment with all the necessary checks and with a full comprehensive boat briefing by our tour leader Gerald. After the briefing a delicious Thai style dinner was served and off we headed for the Similan islands.
The weather was more like peak season weather with flat seas, almost no wind and best of all no rain (Rainy season... Hopefully finished!!). We arrived at the Similans during the night and when we all woke up, were greeted with amazing blue skies and calm crystal clear waters off Island no. 5.

After Gerald’s very thorough general dive briefing, we embarked on 4 dives in the Similan islands for the day. Some groups encountered some amazing marine life including some rare nudibranch, blue spotted rays, cuttlefish, cowries shells, mantis shrimp and ribbon eels to name a few.
Day 2 also bought us a fantastic start to the day with nice blue skies and glass like water conditions. We then ventured further north in the Similans where we encountered some Leopard sharks, turtles and a huge school of milk fish.

On one of the dive sites Breakfast bend we encountered a lot of Crown of thorn which is a problem as big numbers of these can destroy a reef rather quickly cloaking the corals with its body and not allowing sunlight in, which in turn kills the corals. A big thank you to Stephan, Julie and Ulf who kindly offered to help on a search and recovery mission to collect and safely dispose of on the island. During the half hour they collect 15 which was a great effort. Well done!! In some areas in a 5m square we had 4 or 5. Further work is needed for sure and we will be working on these over the coming trips.

For the night dive we ventured away from the Similans and headed further north to Koh Bon for our night dive. What a dive!! Decorated crabs, sponge crabs, Lobsters (Lobster city as one customers said) and much more along the way.

After the night dive we took the several hour journey, to our highest point of the trip, Richelieu Rock, which is part of the Surin islands. We woke up on day 3 to yet another amazing sunrise and in the distance we could see the Surin islands and main land. As this is the first trip of the season we were expecting to go on a kind of discovery mission to find the small critters which Richelieu rock is famous for. We jump in and go down the mooring line and start looking in holes and investigating when all of a sudden it goes a little dark above us. Well to our amazement, The manta rays are here and in force! I heard all sorts of sounds coming from everyone’s regulators with excitement and cameras flashing everywhere as the mantas raced around the dive site feeding and being cleaned. For both dives we did at Richelieu rock the manta rays were very playful looping and racing around the dive site to everyone’s amazement. One of the things that stood out most was the size of the cobia following one of the mantas (Almost the same size).
After the second dive we moved down to Koh Tachai, where we did one dive on the Plateau on the southern side of the island. There was a lot of fish action in areas and a few groups encountered some big fishing nets that looked to have been blown on during the closed season, Not Good. A big thank you to all those that assisted in helping remove some of these.
On the last days we were greeted with some morning showers, which was a bit surreal underwater as you could hear it very clearly in the calm waters of Koh Tachai. After the first dive we then headed back down to Koh Bon for the last dive of the trip. During the dive we encountered several resident Napoleon Wrasse, several Moray eels the size of my thigh, some huge barracuda which looked rather menacing and a lovely baby sea snake.
During the trip we had several PADI courses going on with Kim completing her PADI Rescue diver course and now moving onto doing her PADI Divemaster course, Andrea and Thomas who both became PADI Advanced Open Water divers and Kare who completed his Adventure Deep dive. During the trip they did very well in completing all the necessary skills whilst also having a lot of fun along the way. Some people participated in the night and deep dives for the first time. Congratulations guys and gals, and all the very best for the future and well done.
Overall the first trip was a huge success with lots of fun and action aboard the dolphin queen. On behalf of Similan diving Safaris, we would like to say a big thank you to all our customers for a very fun and enjoyable trip, and we hope you enjoyed it and hope to see you all again in the future.

The new SDS office layout

http://www.similan-diving-safaris.com/


http://www.similan-diving-safaris.de/

That's our new office!

Similan Diving Safaris Office

Our office is almost ready for action. We are still waiting for a few goodies to arrive but 60% are done!
Be surprised what we have to offer this season. For sure it's better than its been ever before!
Don't forget SDS#1 is starting soon, 14th October!

Foto & Video galerie

Foto & Video galerie

New season is starting soon!!!

IN A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 1 MONTHS THE NEW DIVE SEASON STARTS ! CHECK AVAILABILITY FOR YOUR SIMILAN LIVEABOARD !

The SDS office will be open on the 1st of October!!!

Right now, our boat is in dry dock, getting fully serviced. Also we did some major improvements like new bathrooms. All to improve your comfort on our liveaboard!

Thanks for all the photos ! Our Facebook page looks better and better. And to improve things a bit more, we are now on YouTube !
Check out our YouTube channel, watch and rate our videos (15 so far, but we are working hard to upload some more).
Also you can subscribe to our YouTube channel, keep updated about Similan Islands, diving, and Similan Diving Safaris. It's free too !!!!

Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/similandivingsafaris.

Also we updated our staff page on the website. See who works for us in the new 2009-2010 season.

Please keep posting photos, videos and comments ! Your feedback will help us to make it even more better.

Hope to see u soon at Similan Diving Safaris!