Khao Lak

Sand Crab Mandala
see all photos »

April 28, 2006

Travel north to the coastal city of Khao Lak was refreshingly easy and uneventful.  We arrived in town, checked in with our dive company, Sea Dragon Dive Center, and they helped us find a fantastic room at Khao Lak Seafood.  After settling in, we headed to the beach to watch the sunset, as Loren played his new guitar to the ocean waves.

Gateway to the Underwater Wonderland

Khao Lak showed more visible signs of the Tsunami damage than we had seen in Phuket.  Indeed, they had been hit hardest of the major coastal towns in Thailand, and their reconstruction has been a bit slower.  The main street was spared, but nearly everything along the formerly developed beachfront was demolished, including steel struts bent like twisty ties and cars and boats wrapped around decapitated palm trees.

Wreckage Reminder
see all photos »

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

May 4, 2006

The main reason for our visit to Khao Lak was that it is the gatekeeper to the Similan and Surin Islands about 40-50 miles off the coast to the west.  These beautiful, nearly uninhabited islands jut up out of the turquoise water as green polyps ringed by the whitest of white sand beaches.  The giant fruit bats, monitor lizards, and huge land crabs make up the majority of the residents on land, with only a few islands supporting a royal vacation home and national park ranger stations with seasonal camping.

Magnificent Manta Ray
see all photos »

Despite this dream floating on the surface, the major attractions these islands held for us were underwater.  We have now seen many of the things we and most divers dream of seeing in their lifetimes.  The formations, both granite rock and hard coral, laid an impressive base on which striking colors from Nature's plentiful palate were painted unsparingly.  The soft corals glowing neon only served to accentuate the already intricate shapes of the reefs.  Fishes, fishes, and more fishes!  Too many to name, even if we stuck to the more exciting and "rare" ones.  You name it, they got it.  The abundance and variety of vast schools of fish were a shock on every entry, and it did not seem to grow unimpressive over the course of our extensive diving.  Clear, warm waters made for comfortable conditions.  Even Loren, the human ice cube, was not chilled in his shorty wetsuit.  The water at the surface and down 100 feet was 86 degrees.  We saw graceful, 8-10ft leopard sharks up close, followed a few turtles, and some giant mantas with over 8ft wingspans played with us on two separate dives.  Tiny nudibranchs of dozens of varieties adorned the rocks like little jewels or splatters of paint, while the seahorses and pipefish tried, nearly successfully, to blend in.  Cleaner fish made sure we were picked clean, and huge batfish were curious about us, following us around like the stray dogs on the beaches.  Like we said, there are too many wonders to mention them all.

Seahorse at Richellieu Rock
see all photos »

We were lucky enough to visit this underwater wonderland on a liveaboard boat with the incredible Sea Dragon Dive Center  (http://www.seadragondivecenter.com).  Turned onto them by a family connection through Loren, we could not have done better.  They offered the cheapest liveaboard rates, but that did not seem to affect the quality of the experienced and friendly service that we received.  The comfortable, no frills boat was more than ample and extremely functional for the 19 divers, dive staff, and boat crew.  Equipment and facilities helped to make the 4 dives a day a bit less taxing on our bodies.  Meals were delicious, prompt, and always excessive (in a good way), served and cleared by the constantly smiling Thai crew.  Most importantly, however, the dive staff exceeded all hopes and expectations.  Their genuine love for the marine world shone through in their excitement for every dive and glow thereafter.  We always felt safe in their care, while never feeling like we were under the watchful eye of a babysitter, and they were fun to be around both in and out of the water.

Sand Crab Spirographs
see all photos »

Our well selected dive group consisted of the two of us and a German/Belgian couple, Nora and Stefan, who both work as divemasters in Ko Tao and were enjoying their vacation in the Andaman Sea.  Our divemaster guide, James, was an inspiration for Loren and really made our experience unforgettable.  Our high level of experience, slow pace, and keen interest in all aspects of the underwater world was the perfect recipe for one incredible dive after another, without a single dull moment.  Though photos never succeed in quite capturing the brilliance, Stefan did a wonderful job snapping some superb shots.

Perspective Footage
see all photos »

Please note: all underwater photos were taken on our trip by our divemate Stefan Seballade and are posted here with his permission.  For higher resolution and more underwater pictures check out his site: http://www.flickr.com /photos/stefseballade.