Similan Islands diving is very different from other areas i have dove. Boulders the size of houses stacked upon each other on some sites. Normal walls and reefs on others. On the sites with the huge boulders it seems the soft corals and other colorful species are between the boulders. While swimming through the passages between boulders color everywhere. On sites such as richelieu rock soft corals are everywhere. Very colorful. On a wreck we did i had eighteen lionfish feeding. So amazing the feeding frenzy i shot one hundred fifty pictures on that dive. Visibility ranges from One hundred feet to ten feet. Richelieu rock is very good for whalesharks but the day we did it i could barely see my fins visibility was so bad. Just got to go again as a whaleshark could have been ten feet away but no way to see it. It happens. I use a nikon d40x in an aquatica housing with the nikon 16-85mm lens. Ikelite AI strobe.
Amazing lionfish! When we went, we couldn't get to Richelieu because the princess decided to go diving there so the whole area was closed!
Amazing lionfish! When we went, we couldn't get to Richelieu because the princess decided to go diving there so the whole area was closed!
I'd be pretty steamed, I know it's not the Dive Ops fault...but that sucks. The whole point of the Similians for me is Richelieu rock
Great job on your pics Saga!!!! What ISO were you shooting?
Greg
I know Richelieu Rock is supposed to be great and all that, but I have been there two times and both times Richelieu was really not that much. Never a whaleshark. Thailand and Myanmar have some of the most beautiful soft corals I have ever seen. Unfortunately, on the last trip there, we were in the water outside of Phuket when the Tsunami hit. Obviously, we cancelled that last day of diving and beat it up to Bangkok as soon as the airport opened.
Steve
Great pics, who were you diving with at the Similans? I just spent 8 weeks diving out of Khao Lak!
Does anyone know whether the Kararu is still taking divers out of Phuket?
Steve
Dived Richelieu for 3 seasons, 70+ dives...never a whale shark. Beautiful site though.
