After all that Manta action we headed North to Koh Tachai for two dives at Tachai Pinnacle. There we saw schooling Trevally and Fusiliers, along with many Ornate Ghost Pipefish.
We had Batfish and Baraccuda, Moray Eels Black Banded Sea Snakes. A few lucky groups saw a Hawksbill Turtle on one of the dives, and two groups were fortunate enough to spot this cute little Seamoth hang out atop one of the many boulders...
After a nice dinner and a slide show featuring all of the wonderful creatures one can possibly see at Richelieu Rock, it was off to bed, feeling tired but satisfied at what an amazing day of diving we had all experienced.
Day two began with another dive on Tachai Pinnacle first thing in the morning. There was a lot of current and challenging conditions, bet we still managed a great dive, spotting Great Barracuda, more Ghost Pipefish, Shaded Batfish and Trumpet fish along the way.
Next up was the world famous Richelieu Rock, Thailand's best dive site. Three dives here produced the goods, with so many creatures large and small being found on the site. We saw a few of these really cute little Peacock Mantis Shrimp:
Pipefish of all types, Spindle Cowries, Tiger Egg Cowries, Big schools of Snapper and Trevally, and a few juvenile Angelfish. We saw more great stuff, like Banded Boxer Shrimp, Harlequin Shrimp, Durban Dancing Shrimp, and many different types of Morays including White Eyed Morays, Fimbriated Morays, and this highly secretive Hook Jaw Moray. Nice find!
The sunset dive was nice with A LOT of fish action in the shallows, Trevally, Barracuda and Rainbow Runners schooling overhead. A wonderful way to finish the day.
After an evening cruise to the Southeast during dinner, we awoke the next morning at the new HTMS Pra Thong wreck, Thailand's newest shipwreck. It went down only about a month ago, so it's in perfect condition at the moment, great for some light penetration. It's an old WWII cargo ship, 98 meters long and about 14 meters wide. It's laying on its starboard side in about 27 meters of water. It's really very interesting to check out the wheelhouse and other areas of the bridge because they are still so clean and easy to navigate.
The fish are moving in now as well, with more and more fish on the wreck with each trip. We got super lucky on this trip, and many groups found this very rare Hispid Frogfish (AKA Shaggy Frogfish) walking along the sandy bottom near the wreck...
Staying with the shipwreck theme on the final day, the last dive on this trip was the wonderful Boonsung wreck. In stark contrast to the first wreck this morning, the Boonsung has been down for 30 years rather than just 30 days, and it is absolutely teaming with life. There is so much to discover here, everything from Seamoths and Frogfish to Ghost Pipefish and Blue Spotted Stingrays. It really is a great dive, every time.
A special congratulations goes our yo Mark's three PADI Advanced Open Water students on board this trip - Sarah, Nick and Sophie. Great job guys, and welcome to the 30 meter club! :-)
Well, this fantastic season is coming to and end soon, but there are still seven more trips scheduled for Manta Queen 2 before its finished. NOW is the time for you to come out with us and discover why everyone is saying that this is the best season the Similans have seen in many, many years. Contact Khao Lak Scuba Adventures today to reserve your spot on one of our upcoming adventures. There is still one month left in this season, and with five different boats to serve you, you'll be sure to find something with us that fits your schedule. Hope to see you soon underneath the waves!
