Coral Sea
Registered
I just returned from a trip to SE Asia (most of March, 2005) where I dived on three different liveaboards in the Andaman Sea: Colona VI to the Similan Islands; Mermaid I to Burma dive sites; and Le Mahe to Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Koh Bon, and the Similan Islands. The Colona VI trip was supposed to go south to Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, and Phi Phi but, because of the rough seas at the time, we went north instead.
Overall, my impression of diving in the Andaman Sea is that it was above average but not exceptional. Diving in Burmese waters was actually a bit of a disappointment...loads of little critters but not many of the big animals that I was hoping to see. I was the only diver to see a manta ray that passed directly over my head about three metres away. I think dynamite fishing has definitely had an effect on the quality of diving in Burma. The tsunami damaged many of the dive sites in the Surin and Similan islands, some of them so extensively that they're now off limits to divers.
I had gone to SE Asia hoping to see manta rays and whale sharks, neither of which I had seen before. Seeing one manta ray was exilirating but certainly not outstanding. We did not see whale sharks.
The Colona VI is an okay boat. My room had plumbing problems. The A/C barely manages to keep up if all the doors are kept closed. There is no air conditioned common area. My dive knife, which I seldom use anyway, somehow got liberated on the Colona VI. Good food.
The Mermaid I is a large, comfortable boat that is fairly new. The dive deck could be improved by adding a dual row of tanks down the middle so that the divers can spread out. As it is, when all divers try to set up at the same time, there is no elbow room. While there is a comfortable, air conditioned lounge and dining area, it was usually quite hot because the crew would open all the windows and leave the doors wide open. The only place to escape the heat was in the cabins. There were times when the A/C was not working in my cabin, usually during the afternoon. Great food and female Thai dive guides who were very good at spotting things. The transfers to and from Ranong (starting in Phuket) to board the vessel almost make the trip not worthwhile, given the quality of the diving.
Le Mahe is a tiny boat with an even smaller dive deck. In fact, I think it could be said that Le Mahe doesn't really have a dive deck. The crew did the best it could under the circumstances. Though cheaper than many other liveaboards, I would strongly suggest you stay away from this boat, unless saving a few bucks is what you care about most. The highlight was when we dove on Richelieu Rock and saw a huge (about 20 cm long), off-white frog fish. Good food. A couple of inadequate dive briefings that caused problems (nothing too serious).
Would I dive in Thailand (Andaman Sea) again? Probably, to see what Hin Daeng and the other southern sites are like and also to repeat Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock. I would not likely dive in Burma again. The hassle and expense (US$140 for an entry visa) aren't justified by the quality of the diving. Also, I did not find the Similans to be very impressive.
Where will I dive next? Probably the Maldives and Sipadan in 2006.
Overall, my impression of diving in the Andaman Sea is that it was above average but not exceptional. Diving in Burmese waters was actually a bit of a disappointment...loads of little critters but not many of the big animals that I was hoping to see. I was the only diver to see a manta ray that passed directly over my head about three metres away. I think dynamite fishing has definitely had an effect on the quality of diving in Burma. The tsunami damaged many of the dive sites in the Surin and Similan islands, some of them so extensively that they're now off limits to divers.
I had gone to SE Asia hoping to see manta rays and whale sharks, neither of which I had seen before. Seeing one manta ray was exilirating but certainly not outstanding. We did not see whale sharks.
The Colona VI is an okay boat. My room had plumbing problems. The A/C barely manages to keep up if all the doors are kept closed. There is no air conditioned common area. My dive knife, which I seldom use anyway, somehow got liberated on the Colona VI. Good food.
The Mermaid I is a large, comfortable boat that is fairly new. The dive deck could be improved by adding a dual row of tanks down the middle so that the divers can spread out. As it is, when all divers try to set up at the same time, there is no elbow room. While there is a comfortable, air conditioned lounge and dining area, it was usually quite hot because the crew would open all the windows and leave the doors wide open. The only place to escape the heat was in the cabins. There were times when the A/C was not working in my cabin, usually during the afternoon. Great food and female Thai dive guides who were very good at spotting things. The transfers to and from Ranong (starting in Phuket) to board the vessel almost make the trip not worthwhile, given the quality of the diving.
Le Mahe is a tiny boat with an even smaller dive deck. In fact, I think it could be said that Le Mahe doesn't really have a dive deck. The crew did the best it could under the circumstances. Though cheaper than many other liveaboards, I would strongly suggest you stay away from this boat, unless saving a few bucks is what you care about most. The highlight was when we dove on Richelieu Rock and saw a huge (about 20 cm long), off-white frog fish. Good food. A couple of inadequate dive briefings that caused problems (nothing too serious).
Would I dive in Thailand (Andaman Sea) again? Probably, to see what Hin Daeng and the other southern sites are like and also to repeat Koh Bon and Richelieu Rock. I would not likely dive in Burma again. The hassle and expense (US$140 for an entry visa) aren't justified by the quality of the diving. Also, I did not find the Similans to be very impressive.
Where will I dive next? Probably the Maldives and Sipadan in 2006.
