chumphon

[no gas]

Gonna be back in Thailand again and have enough time for a scooby doo dive. Can any one tell me if the sharks are at Chumphon pinnacle at the moment? TIA

 

[ayeshacantrell]

not so far.....they kept different times last year - they didnt get back til Oct and then left the early part of this year..... we didnt really get a monsoon this year and the whaleshark sightings were at a slightly odd time too - proabably all connected somehow....

Normally the sharks should be turning up anytime now ......so watch this bubble ....not seen one yet but ..........when are you coming ?

 

[no gas]

Cheers for that. I'll be there next week or there abouts, I hope the sharks turn up.

 

[Bowmouth]

Normally the sharks should be turning up anytime now ......

I hope for the sake of the sharks and the local dive operators that the sharks indeed will be back sometime soon.
There's too few places left in the world where sharks are left alone, can be observed and studied while diving.

I remember these sharks from dives I did in the Gulf many years ago. It seemed to me at that time that they were always there, cruising through the thermocline in deeper water a bit away from the reef. To see them all you had to do was preferably do an early morning dive (before the crowds arrived), go to the deeper edge of the reef and just hover and be patient. They would normally show up within minutes but always keep their distance.

I don't remember them being away for months at a time and returning to the reef later on. Is this what has happened for years now or something fairly new?

 

[ayeshacantrell]

Certainly in Koh Taos recent history 7-8 yrs they have popped off for a while each year.

Personally I think they probably just go to deeper water but are probably around all year but just passed the depth of a normal dive at Chumpon.

Dive centres start earlier and earlier each day to get to the sites before everyone else and Chumpon is certainly busiest in the morning. The ironic thing is no one goes in the afternoon - we do and with no one else there its stunning and you are more likely to see the sharks as there is no one else there to scare them off.... you'll see them alot shallower in the afternoon and sunset they are quite active and hunting - thats a great time to go.....

.....it also means we dont have to get up at 6am !!!

 

[jamiemac]

Certainly in Koh Taos recent history 7-8 yrs they have popped off for a while each year.

Personally I think they probably just go to deeper water but are probably around all year but just passed the depth of a normal dive at Chumpon.

Dive centres start earlier and earlier each day to get to the sites before everyone else and Chumpon is certainly busiest in the morning. The ironic thing is no one goes in the afternoon - we do and with no one else there its stunning and you are more likely to see the sharks as there is no one else there to scare them off.... you'll see them alot shallower in the afternoon and sunset they are quite active and hunting - thats a great time to go.....

.....it also means we dont have to get up at 6am !!!

They've always nipped off somewhere for a couple of months/year. Everybody needs a break, right?

Afternoons are best, but the towel laying European shops like the mornings, weirdos

 

[lord khram]

They've always nipped off somewhere for a couple of months/year. Everybody needs a break, right?

Afternoons are best, but the towel laying European shops like the mornings, weirdos

But what you must remember is that to plan dives to get the most from the divesite actually requires a little more thought and preperation than simply leaving at a set time.

 

[jamiemac]

But what you must remember is that to plan dives to get the most from the divesite actually requires a little more thought and preperation than simply leaving at a set time.

Morning dives at 8am, and go to chumporn or southwest followed by white rock

Afternoon dives leave at 1pm and go to white rock or japanese gdns

It has always been done that way since we started in the eighties so that's the only way!

The arguments i had reversing the sites went on forever. ' You can't do Chumporn in the afternoon, it's deeper !'

But it's different divers and staff, and the boat doesn't care about reverse profiles,

Anyway, there's 20 boats there in the morning, one in the afternoon, Master Divers. It'll never change hopefully and our divers get the site to themselves .

You'd think the operators would read this and see the sense of it, but they won't!

So no wonder people think Koh tao has crowded sites

 

[lord khram]

Morning dives at 8am, and go to chumporn or southwest followed by white rock

Afternoon dives leave at 1pm and go to white rock or japanese gdns

It has always been done that way since we started in the eighties so that's the only way!

The arguments i had reversing the sites went on forever. ' You can't do Chumporn in the afternoon, it's deeper !'

But it's different divers and staff, and the boat doesn't care about reverse profiles,

Anyway, there's 20 boats there in the morning, one in the afternoon, Master Divers. It'll never change hopefully and our divers get the site to themselves .

You'd think the operators would read this and see the sense of it, but they won't!

So no wonder people think Koh tao has crowded sites

Looks like you have a good plan to me.

Better than following the rest of the sheep I think.