Hi everyone,
Just returned from a very fun trip to the Similan Islands. Richelieu Rock was fantastic and I'm glad I finally made it there on the third try.
All photos were taken with a canon 350D, tokina 12-24, ikelite housing + 6 inch generic dome port, DS50 and Z240 strobes.
Flying on a budget airline meant only a 15kg allowance, and $11 for every kg overweight. Was quite a challenge having my dive gear, pelican case for housing and strobes, and old clunky laptop snuck onto the plane.
We went aboard The Witch, previously known as the Really Wicked Witch. It had space for 24 divers in twin and quad share rooms, and the crew was friendly and efficient. Using the boat for the third year running, we were still impressed with the logistics, planning, and coordination. We were picked up from the airport and given about 3 hours to shop at Patong beach before boarding the boat for a light dinner.
The dive crew were also accomodating and helpful, especially when we had 3 junior AOWC and 5 AOWC students, as well as another 4 divers on specialty courses. They went out of their way to ensure we had the conditions suitable, while making sure the other customers had fun as well. The only gripe would be that the foreign guides were a little fast and more interested in finishing the dive, but things got better after having a little chat with them.
We did a total of 14 dives at the Similan Islands, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, and Koh Bon. Visibility was great, ranging from 15m to as far as the eye can see. We had some passing showers, but otherwise the sun was out most of the time. Water temperature was a comfy 26-27 degrees, and I did all the dives in rashguard and boardshorts with a hooded vest. This was a whole lot more comfy than the 22-24 degree thermoclines we encountered last year!
I only have a WA lens so the type of shots were pretty limited. I was also using the wrong port, and the zoom clamp didn't fit. Used the 12-24 on 13-15mm for the first few days, then rigged up something using bottle-caps to fit the zoom gear. Just in time for the mantas!
I recall someone said the diving at Similans was no different from diving at Tioman or Dayang. Well, I hope this changes your mind!
#1 Sit back, relax, and enjoy
#2 Streaming snappers
#3 Giant gorgonians covered in frys
#4 Sleeping with the enemy
#5 Lush gardens of corals
#6 Turtle at Donald Duck Bay
#7 Textures of an octopus
#8 Hanging out (my favourite for the trip)
#9 Shy guy
#10 Manta claus
That's all folks! You can view the rest of the photos here: www.colouredshots.com/site/Dive.htm in either a music slideshow, or browse the album at your leisure.
It was great shooting with a DSLR, for the colours and resolution. i wouldnt imagine getting this quality with a compact. *slurp* now all i need is a macro lens for christmas!
((=
