The Similan Islands, Thailand (10.26.06 - 10.28.06)

"Did you see the sharks?" asked Sue, Steve's wife?

I have no interest in seeing Great White Sharks, Bull Sharks or anything else that can eat me while I’m scuba diving, but since the sharks in question were harmless little reef sharks (Black Tips, White Tips and Leopards), my reply was a disappointed, “No.”

That was after one of the first dives during a 3-day trip to Thailand’s Similan Islands, one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world. And truth be told, I was only slightly disappointed because the rest of the wildlife and coral were abundant and incredibly impressive!

The visibility was good, and by time I came up from my 10th dive, the only things I hadn’t seen were whale sharks and manta rays (it’s the wrong season for such spottings). Bat Fish, Barracuda, Trumpet Fish, Stone Fish, schools of Fusiliers, giant clams, sharks, etc – The Similans are teeming with life! There was a smorgasbord of colors and activity to keep me in awe of Mother Nature.

I did my 50th dive on this trip, and the Similans have trumped The Great Barrier Reef, Belize, Honduras, and The Galapagos Islands to become my favorite site. I think I was being dazzled by the abundant life and explosions of color in and around the football field sized coral gardens at the site, East of Eden when I had the revelation. I remember smiling as I thought to myself, “I’m diving in Thailand!” and pictured myself swimming through one of the National Geographic articles that fascinated me as a kid.

Photos are courtesy of Harry, my cool German Dive Master. He took some great shots, but trust me when I say these photos do NOT do the sights justice.


Dive Boat 


Ready 


Descending into "Le Grand Bleu." 


greeted by schooling fish 


Blue Spotted Ray 


Octopi are so intriguing, I could spend an entire 50 minute dive spellbound by an octopus’s movements & camouflage techniques. 

But the rest of the group wanted to see tiny reef fish, families of clown fish protecting their anemones, moray eels and a plethora of other wildlife we didn’t capture on film.








Pop quiz: Angel Fish, Lion Fish or Scorpion Fish?