Pawara LA, Big Blue Divers Khao Lak., 4D/4N Similan/Surin Is. 06FEB2011
Boat Pawara.
In excellent shape, well looked after. A total of 20 divers with 4
divers to a DM. Excellent crew and support on the dive deck. 2 chase
boats a plus you don't have to wait at the surface long for pick up.
Dive safety briefings were extensive and were supplemented by a
whiteboard drawings of the dive site. Safety of the divers was
definitely the #1 objective.
All DMs had an excellent knowledge of the dive locations and animals to
be found there.
Cabins were in geat shape, all had their own head and shower. I would
say there was not much difference between the standard and deluxe cabins
other than the standard cabins were below deck. All had Air con and
plugs for re-charging batteries. The generators were on all the time
but there was no issue with noise when sleeping. I had the standard
cabin.
The food was great, plenty of it and Thai based, lots of variety over
the days.
Did I mention the support staff were GREAT, and everyone was treated
like family, if they wanted to be.
This was definitely a boat I would book again.
Good videography of the whole trip, on board for anyone who wanted to
purchase the DVD.
Diving the Similan Southern Islands:
This was my first time diving in Thailand and the Andaman Sea. I have
to say I was a little disappointed with the amount of life and condition
of the coral, but that was due to my elevated expectations and learning
a new camera system. The diving was still better than the majority of
the Caribbean dive sites I have been to over the last 20 years. There
was lots to see, part of my problem was getting used to a new camera and
strobe system, so I wasn't paying as much attention to the life around
me as I would normally do. Seas were calm and sometimes currents were
an issue but not excessive. Most of the time the dive sites were
changed to fit the conditions in the water. Visibility was good,
generally greater than 20m. Nudibranchs, sea horses, anemone crabs,
octopus, trevally, barracuda and many other species of fish were there
for the spotting. Most of the boat travelling was done at night and
there were a few islands that you could visit during your SIT.
Diving Ko Bon and Ko Tachai & Richelieu Rock:
The best diving of all islands to be found here, though the currents were stronger at Richelieu rock and Ko Tachai. Ko Bon was were we found the Manta, (rub the nipples, it works) on both visits, but also a lot of other boats and divers, most likely due to the lonely manta and the fact it was the first week of Chinese New Years. Richelieu rock was the best diving for me, we had a total of 4 dives at this site and they were all excellent, lots of barracuda and macro photo ops for nudibranchs and Harlequin shrimp. For me the northern islands seemed to be the best dive sites with more life.
Overall I had a great trip on the Pawara and would recommend this boat to anyone looking for a fun, relaxed but safe LA. I would definetly dive with D-mo and the Pawara staff again. Thanks for some awsome dives D-mo, Lam, Dennis, Kuma, Yutaka, Mayu, Capt Weera, Nek, Bob, Em, La and last but not least, Jep, Ann and Gan.
Boat Pawara.
In excellent shape, well looked after. A total of 20 divers with 4
divers to a DM. Excellent crew and support on the dive deck. 2 chase
boats a plus you don't have to wait at the surface long for pick up.
Dive safety briefings were extensive and were supplemented by a
whiteboard drawings of the dive site. Safety of the divers was
definitely the #1 objective.
All DMs had an excellent knowledge of the dive locations and animals to
be found there.
Cabins were in geat shape, all had their own head and shower. I would
say there was not much difference between the standard and deluxe cabins
other than the standard cabins were below deck. All had Air con and
plugs for re-charging batteries. The generators were on all the time
but there was no issue with noise when sleeping. I had the standard
cabin.
The food was great, plenty of it and Thai based, lots of variety over
the days.
Did I mention the support staff were GREAT, and everyone was treated
like family, if they wanted to be.
This was definitely a boat I would book again.
Good videography of the whole trip, on board for anyone who wanted to
purchase the DVD.
Diving the Similan Southern Islands:
This was my first time diving in Thailand and the Andaman Sea. I have
to say I was a little disappointed with the amount of life and condition
of the coral, but that was due to my elevated expectations and learning
a new camera system. The diving was still better than the majority of
the Caribbean dive sites I have been to over the last 20 years. There
was lots to see, part of my problem was getting used to a new camera and
strobe system, so I wasn't paying as much attention to the life around
me as I would normally do. Seas were calm and sometimes currents were
an issue but not excessive. Most of the time the dive sites were
changed to fit the conditions in the water. Visibility was good,
generally greater than 20m. Nudibranchs, sea horses, anemone crabs,
octopus, trevally, barracuda and many other species of fish were there
for the spotting. Most of the boat travelling was done at night and
there were a few islands that you could visit during your SIT.
Diving Ko Bon and Ko Tachai & Richelieu Rock:
The best diving of all islands to be found here, though the currents were stronger at Richelieu rock and Ko Tachai. Ko Bon was were we found the Manta, (rub the nipples, it works) on both visits, but also a lot of other boats and divers, most likely due to the lonely manta and the fact it was the first week of Chinese New Years. Richelieu rock was the best diving for me, we had a total of 4 dives at this site and they were all excellent, lots of barracuda and macro photo ops for nudibranchs and Harlequin shrimp. For me the northern islands seemed to be the best dive sites with more life.
Overall I had a great trip on the Pawara and would recommend this boat to anyone looking for a fun, relaxed but safe LA. I would definetly dive with D-mo and the Pawara staff again. Thanks for some awsome dives D-mo, Lam, Dennis, Kuma, Yutaka, Mayu, Capt Weera, Nek, Bob, Em, La and last but not least, Jep, Ann and Gan.
