Here is a list of the special marine life we saw on our live aboard trip to the Similan Islands. We had an amazing time.
(Special Critter Finds Only)
2/18/10
#1
East of Eden
(E. Is # 7)
Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)
Several Giant Morays (Gymnothorax javanicus)
Several Trumpetfish ( Yellow variation) (Aulostomus chinensis)
Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)
Several Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus)
Bar-tail Moray (Gymnothorax zonipectis)
3 Green Turtles (Chlonia mydas)
Purple Fire Dart Goby (Nemateleotris decora)
2/18/10
#2
Anitas Reef
(N.Is # 5)
Several Kuhl’s Stingrays (Dasyatis kuhlii)
Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus)
Big school Five-Line Snapper (Lutjanus quinquelineatus)
Rockmover wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus)
Big school Longnosed emperor (Lethrinus olivaceus)
School of Yellowtail barracuda (Sphyraena flavicauda)
Field of Splendid Spotted Garden Eels (Heteroconger hassi)
School of Black Trevallies (Caranx lugubris)
Juvenile Bicolor Parrotfish (Cetoscarus bicolor)
2/18/10
#3
Elephant Head
(S. Is # 8)
(Hin Pusa)
(N. Is # 7)
5 White Tip Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus)
Leopard Sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum)
Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)
Juv. Rockmover wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus)
Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)
Several Kuhl’s Stingrays (Dasyatis kuhlii)
Several Tiger Cowrie Shells (Cypraea tigris)
Red fire dart gobies (Nemateleotris magnifica)
2/18/10
#4
(W. Is # 4 )
(Night Dive)
Several Giant Morays (Gymnothorax javanicus) Free swimming
Painted Spiny Lobster (Panulirus versicolor)
2/19/10
#5
West of Eden
(W.Is # 7)
1 Giant Frogfish (Antennarius commersoni).
Rockmover wrasse (Novaculichthys taeniourus)
2 Ribbon Eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita) (Black)
Clown Triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum)
Jawfish (Opistognathus dentriticus)
Individual Shaded batfish (Platax pinnatus)
Several Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus)
Longnose filefish ( Oxymonocanthus longirostris)
2 Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)
Many Banded Pipefish (Dunkerocampus multinnulatus)
2/19/10
#6
North Point
(A.K.A Rocky Point )
(N. Is # 9)
Leopard Shark (Stegostoma fasciatum)
Bent stick Pipefish (Trachyrhamphus bicoarctatus)
Red Fire Dart Gobbies (Nemateleotris magnifica)
3 Green Turtles (Chlonia mydas)
Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda)
Peacock Mantis Shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)
Several Bluefin Trevally (Caranx melampygus)
Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)
Several Individual Dogtooth Tuna (Gymnosarda unicolor)
Devil Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis diabolus)
Ornate Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)
Banded Sea Snake (Enhydrina schistosa)
2/19/10
#7
Koh Bon Ridge
(W. Koh Bon) (Koh Bon – First Island North of the Similan Islands)
5 Manta Rays (Manta Biostris)
Big school of Shaded Batfish (Platax pinnatus)
Purple Fire Dart Goby (Nemateleotris decora)
Several Individual Great Barracudas (Sphyraena barracuda)
Devil Scorpionfish (Scorpaenopsis diabolus)
Banded Sea Snake (Enhydrina schistosa)
2/19/10
#8
Koh Bon Ridge
(W. Koh Bon)
Sunset
5 Manta Rays (Manta Biostris)
Purple Fire Dart Goby (Nemateleotris decora)
Several Individual Great Barracudas (Sphyraena barracuda)
Several Individual Dogtooth Tuna (Gymnosarda unicolor)
Banded Sea Snake (Enhydrina schistosa)
2/20/10
#9
Koh Tachai
(Secret Reef)
(Koh Tachai Island North of Koh Bon).
4 Leopard Sharks (Stegostoma fasciatum)
1 Blotched Fantail Ray (Taeniura meyeni)
Napoleon Wrasse (Chelinus Ondulatus)
Blackfin Barracuda (Sphyraena qenie).
Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)
3 Giant Mantis Shrimp (Lysiosquillina lisa)
Several Kuhl’s Stingrays (Dasyatis kuhlii)
2/20/10
#10 #11 #12
Richelieu Rock
(East of Koh Surin)
4 Harlequin Shrimp (Hymenocera elegans)
3 Tigertail Seahorse Female (Ad+Juv) (Hippocampus comes)
School Blackfin Barracuda (Sphyraena qenie).
Several peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus)
Several Banded boxer shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
Several White – banded cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)
Several Fimbriated or Spot-Face Moray (Gymnothorax fimbriatus).
Several Yellow - Edged Moray (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus)
Juvenile Whitespotted Boxfish (Ostracion meleagris)
Several White – Eyed Moray (Siderea Thyrsoidea)
Schools of Bigmouth Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)
Brown-banded Pipefish (Corythoichthys amplexus)
Schultz’s Pipefish (Corythoichthys schultzi)
Nudibranch (Chromodorididae – Risbecia pulchella)
Nudibranch (Chromodoris annulata Eliot,1904)
Several Pharoah Cuttlefish (sepia Pharaonis)
Stripped Catfish (Plotosus lineatus).
Several Cleaner Pipefish (Doryhampus janssi)
Juv. Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus imperator)
Ornate Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)
5 Tiger Egg Cowries (Crenavolva tigris)
Several Porcelain Anemone Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus)
Several Tiger Cowrie Shells (Cypraea Tigris)
Several False Arabian Cowrie shells (Mauritia histrio)
2/21/10
#13
#14
Boonsung Wreck
Blotched Fantail ray (Taeniura meyeni)
Stonefish (Synanceia verrucosa)
Ornate Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus)
Several African Pompano Jacks (Alectis Ciliaris).
Nudibranches
1 Nudibranch (Chromodoris fidelis)
Several Nudibranchs(Ceratosoma trilobatum)
Several Nudibranchs (Risbecia pulchella)
Several Nudibranchs(Chreomodoris Annulata)
Several Nudibranchs (Glossodoris sp 14)
Several Nudibranchs (Glossodoris Atromarginata)
Several Octopus (Octopus cyanea)
Several Banded boxer shrimp (Stenopus hispidus)
Several White – banded cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
Giant Moray (Gymnothorax javanicus)
Several Fimbriated or Spot-Face Moray (Gymnothorax fimbriatus).
Several Yellow - Edged Moray (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus)
Several White – Eyed Moray (Siderea Thyrsoidea)
Several Honeycomb Morays (Gymnothorax favagineus)
School of Yellowtail Barracuda (Sphyraena flavicauda)
Schools of Bigmouth Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta)
Striped remora (Echenesis naucrates)
Several Pharoah Cuttlefish (sepia Pharaonis)
The highlights for me were the massive Manta's, Pharoah Cuttlefish, Leopard Sharks, White Tip Sharks, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Sea Horses, Peacock Mantis Shrimp, and Giant Pink Frogfish. Vis was on average 100ft with times much better.... At its worse maybe 60 feet.
Need to add our mainland based dives off Koh Lanta as well.
I will work on getting a trip report and photos/video up asap. Still recovering from jetlag
Thailand dive report Koh Lanta/ Similan Islands
Re: Thailand dive report Koh Lanta/ Similan Islands
Dang, missed you by about 3 days. I left Phuket on the 15th, should have stayed longer. Sounds like an awesome trip, lots of cool critters, especially the sharks. I dove Shark Point and didn't see any. Was this a liveaboard or all day trips? What dive operator? How crowded were the sites? Have to plan for next year. Did you visit anyplace else?
Re: Thailand dive report Koh Lanta/ Similan Islands
we were on a liveaboard, it was the white manta but is now " diverace" . it was a great boat with a very good crew, the crew were very accommodating with our dubs and deco bottles and made sure we were first in since we were almost always last out.
the boat has several different rooms from a tiny bunk bed room to a more spacious stateroom . this is not a luxury boat but with a full load of customers ( 16) we were never cramped and there was always tons of amazing food.
the site did have other boats on them some days but i think we only came across other divers once?? seems like they all give each other enough space.
before the similans we did 3 days of boat diving with lanta divers in koh lanta and hit some amazing spots as well. another great crew, the head shop guru even went as far as buying new tanks for dans meg! and was so stoked to have some "tech' guys in the shop he cleared his days so he could dive with us.
http://www.lantadiver.com/en/Diving
http://diverace.com/DiveDestinations.aspx
on both of these boats it was really nice to see and hang out with divemasters who love to dive, it wasnt just a job for them to drag tourists around, they were all well educated. on the diverace they made it clear that they were not babysitters but guides. this may vary accordingly but it seemed on our trip there were no noobs
one thing i will say is DO NOT BOOK ON, OR GO NEAR, HIPPO CHARTERS. EVER
the boat has several different rooms from a tiny bunk bed room to a more spacious stateroom . this is not a luxury boat but with a full load of customers ( 16) we were never cramped and there was always tons of amazing food.
the site did have other boats on them some days but i think we only came across other divers once?? seems like they all give each other enough space.
before the similans we did 3 days of boat diving with lanta divers in koh lanta and hit some amazing spots as well. another great crew, the head shop guru even went as far as buying new tanks for dans meg! and was so stoked to have some "tech' guys in the shop he cleared his days so he could dive with us.
http://www.lantadiver.com/en/Diving
http://diverace.com/DiveDestinations.aspx
on both of these boats it was really nice to see and hang out with divemasters who love to dive, it wasnt just a job for them to drag tourists around, they were all well educated. on the diverace they made it clear that they were not babysitters but guides. this may vary accordingly but it seemed on our trip there were no noobs
one thing i will say is DO NOT BOOK ON, OR GO NEAR, HIPPO CHARTERS. EVER
Chin high, puffed chest, we step right to it
The choice is there ain't no choice but to pursue it
"Diving the gas is the easy part, not much to it, plenty of retards are using it safely. " jamieZ
The choice is there ain't no choice but to pursue it
"Diving the gas is the easy part, not much to it, plenty of retards are using it safely. " jamieZ
Re: Thailand dive report Koh Lanta/ Similan Islands
I'll definately look into both operators for next year. We're planing short (5-8) motorcycle tour up north then hopefully a short liveaboard. Depends on how dates match up. The sites I dove on daytrips out of Phuket seemed a bit crowded. 3-4 boats with 40 or so divers each on each spot. Guess that's resort diving though.