Thailand

Koh Tao will be included

Leaving for Thailand tomorrow and after a lot of thoughts about it I’m sure Koh Tao will be included – seems like the Similan Islands and the area around could be too unstable..  it could be with a lot of wind and rain this time of year… and Benjamin needs to take his Advanced Open Water so we can go wreck diving, so Koh Tao would in fact be perfect – also because Koh Tao is such a nice relaxing place…  Gonna be great!

Pictures will follow…

Wrecks in Thailand

ThaiWreckDiver hasnt got the most pretty site in the business, but the big list of dive  wrecks in Thailand is really sweet, and to be honest I suddenly realize the amout of wrecks waiting for me in Thailand. Even though its a bit overwhelming its also nice knowning so many great experiences are waiting out there for my next trip in August and a lot for future trips, too.
Its also very surprising to see the amount of wreck around Koh Tao – I didnt see much about wreck diving when I was at Koh Tao summer 2005,  so I’m wondering if its because they dont make trips there…
But I’m rather sure my August trip will mostly involve the wrecks around Pattaya – The Hardeep, The Petchburi Bremen and HTMS Khram

Similan Islands and Khao Lak

After a comment from Gunther it seems like we ‘must’ include The Similan Islands in our plans, not that I havent heard many times before that The Similan Islands is a Must dive…  but August is not really the time to dive Similan..
Anyway after Gunthers recommendation I have been looking around a bit and August is certainly not the best time for Similans and in fact its a difficult time to even find a liveaboard schedule including The Similan Islands in August…
But it seems like we (my friend Benjamin and I) will in fact be able to book a liveaboard out of Khao Lak to the Similan, where Benjamin can make his Advance Open Water, so he’ll be ready for some wreck diving around Pattaya – Hardeep ect..

Where to stay and dive at Koh Tao?

Koh Tao was such a great experience back in the summer 2005 – so nice, so beautiful, so relaxed, great water and I loved the diving there. For my next trip to Thailand in August I’m still not sure if its going to be Koh Tao, but chances are pretty big – Benjamin has never seen it and I loved it, but this time I might go by plane to Koh Samui and with boat from there..
Last time at Koh Tao I stayed and dived with the nice people at Big Blue Diving – question is should I (we – Benjamin and I) stay there again or maybe try some of the other dive places? Koh Tao is full of them…

I want to join a photo competition…

The Danish newspaper JP has a photo competition under the theme ‘ what a wonderfull world’ – the deadline is 20st August 2007, so I want to send them a dive picture from my Thailand trip… I have a tendancy to take a lot of shots at my dives, soo I’m sure there should be some good ones among and whats more wonderfull than diving?
Details:
Theme ‘what a wonderfull world’
Email to: explorer@jp.dk – subject ‘fotokonkurrence’
Include short explanation, name and address.
Deadline: 2ost August

Wreck diving in Thailand?

Yesterday Chris was so nice to remember me (in a comment) that Thailand also could be wreck diving. Chris told me that the wreck Hardeep (Thai original name Suthathip) around Pattaya was one of the best and with a quick Googleling (damn, they won’t like me for writing that..  ) I also came across the wreck of The Petchburi Bremen, HTMS Khram and Vertical Wreck (Pak 1), so there should be enough for a stop around Pattaya…..

Hardeep (Suthathip) were a Thai Cargo ship bombed by a French Aircraft during World War II – So in fact a ship sunked in an act of war, which I personally find more interesting that a wreck sunk for the sake of marine life or diving ect… The wreck is at around 26 meters, which also makes it a dive without the need for Nitrox.. maybe I should take my Nitrox course now?

HTMS Khram (a former US warship USS LSM-469) is a decommissioned warship, which where ‘dumped’ near Koh Phi and Koh Larn islands close to Pattaya to turn it into a breeding ground for marine life. The HTMS Khram wreck is lying on the side rather flat in a depth between 15 to 3o meters – could be interesting…

The Vertical Wreck (Pak 1) is unfortunately not a wreck positoned vertical in the water anymore, which was the most interesting factor (as fare as I have read) and what made a lot of divers come around to dive it – The Thai autorities decided in the beginning of 2002 that the wreck drifting around was a hazard to the all other ships in the area, so at 6th of March 2002 the Royal Thai Navy sank the ship making it a more ‘normal’ wreck even though a dept of 42 meter makes it a rather deep dive… I’m not sure we’ll chose the Vertical Wreck (Pak 1) for a dive…

The Petchburi Bremen is an 88 meter long Thai cargo ship – back from December 1920, where she went down with her cargo of rice. The Petchbury Bremen is at the dept of 15-22 meters of water.. also very interesting…

It really seems like the Pattaya areas should be on our list – I have in fact never been (stoped) there before, but just ‘raced’ by on my way to Koh Samet and Koh Chang, but with these nice wrecks it seems like 2-3 days could be interesting…

Sea Turtles – arent they beautiful?

I have never been the big fan of the small turtles that people keep at home – I do remember them from friends houses as small, boring and a bit smelly…. but since seeing their bigger cousins the Sea Turtle the first time (which was in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, back in spring 2004) I just love diving with them – yes, dolphins are nice, too, but sea turles are just so cool. I guess its the smooth way the move…
This sea turtle is from Koh Tao, Thailand, back in summer 2005.