Capping my Indochina adventures (see previous two posts), I spent this past week diving in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of southern Thailand. Our live-aboard boat, the M/V Similan Explorer, cruised the Similan and Surin Islands for five days, allowing our group of twenty divers plus crew to dive at some of the best sites currently open in Thailand, including the world-famous Richelieu Rock. (Several of the islands are closed as a marine reserve and four additional islands were closed for the princess’s annual scuba trip. She clearly has no desire to mingle with the peasants.) My Nikon Coolpix camera, while technically waterproof to 30 meters (100 feet), would have been of little use at such depths without a complex flash set up. As many of our dives were close to or slightly deeper than 30 meters, rather than worrying about whether my camera would leak and being distracted attempting to take photos of dubious quality, I left that task to an expert. Specifically, on board we had the services of an award-winning professional underwater photographer, Rich Carey [richardcareyphotos.com]. Below are some of the more interesting photos he took during as many as eighteen dives we made over the five days. These photos go a lot further in conveying why I like diving than any mere words could. Enjoy!
The Vagabond Hiker
PS I did take two of the above-water photos!
