Similans update!

[Ringo]

Man that's cold..Maybe we can start teaching those dry suit specialties?

So I also thought, until I received this email from a customer in Sweden.

I have a regard to all the dive masters and instructors that they shoud stop vinig about the cold water, because after christmas i have to jump in to a ice cold lake and do several test for my education. imange that its a frosen lake and you cut up a hole in the ica an jump into it with no dry suits or wet suits, just in a t- shirt and trousers the reccord is 8 minute and i am diturment to break that reccord.

 

[DontLieToMe]

How is the weather. Still windy with waves?

 

[similandiver]

As of this morning, our boat reported that things had calmed down a great deal. Not mirror smooth, but easy going the whole time.
Sunny day with good longrange forecast.

Looks good.

 

[Batfish]

Weather in Phuket: Summary - Lovely.

 

[Bowmouth]

So I also thought, until I received this email from a customer in Sweden.

I have a regard to all the dive masters and instructors that they shoud stop vinig about the cold water, because after christmas i have to jump in to a ice cold lake and do several test for my education. imange that its a frosen lake and you cut up a hole in the ica an jump into it with no dry suits or wet suits, just in a t- shirt and trousers the reccord is 8 minute and i am diturment to break that reccord.

The Swedes do all sorts of silly things; pole and hammer throwing, drinking beer out of cowhorns and jumping naked into near freezing water during winter.
They're also very fond of getting extremely drunk and singing viking songs before they start with any of the above.
I hope the Swede who wrote the above will retain both his ears and private parts after his attempt to stay into freezing water for longer than 8 minutes.

 

[Bowmouth]

Weather in Phuket: Summary - Lovely.

Water conditions in Phuket: Summary - Horrible.

The good news is that marble (black blotched fantail), Jenkins and blue spotted rays can be seen on all divesites between Similan #1 and Black Rock. Also several giant guitarfishes (shovelnose rays), manta rays, white tip-, zebra- and grey reef sharks at some sites.

 

[adad]

Just came back from the Similans today. Surface conditions are fine but for the past couple of days the water conditions were horrible. I expected thermoclines and they were there in every single dive [most of the time around 22-23C], strong currents, but the visibility is the biggest let down. 10m at most sites, and drops considerably at the mid-ocean pinnacles [e.g. Tachai and Richelieu Rock]. On 1st Jan Richelieu Rock's visibility is a solid 3m ! Never seen anything so bad in the Andamans, said the dive leader.

Yesterday it cleared up a little, about 10-15m at Koh Bon for example.

Let's hope things get better soon.

 

[bubblemonkey]

yup lets hope so I am diving there mid feb...

 

[adad]

Things *should* be much better in Feb. The consolation for my trip is that the fishes are out in full force, our group saw two mantas in a single dive at Koh Bon [one is > 4m wide]. And it seems like the whale sharks are back too - several sightings on other boats around New Year at Tachai Pinnacle.

But to us locals, Similan is not Similan until the visibility gets up to 30m or more ...

 

[scubaeric]

I'm hoping it will be much better in 2 weeks!

:14:

Thank you for the updates.