Gili Air

Gili Air

After cruising the equator for two days and nights the two Argentinian ladies and I arrived at Gili Air pier and off we went. I didn’t have a hotel room or guesthouse or anything and I was tempted to follow them but they were walking away from the beach and I would have none of that. There was an open-air bar nearby and I walked in and talked to the locals about dive shops and places to stay. They said there were many. Most pointed down the beach and off I went. It didn’t take me long to run into 7 seas dive shop followed by a restaurant and a hotel with a dorm. 7 Seas it is. www.7seas-cottages.com. I pulled in and got a room and stopped moving for a minute.

I booked in for 4 nights/35 USD/night with an option on a 5^th. In the not-so-early morning I ventured down to the restaurant for breakfast and tea and watch the waves break on the point. It was just full moon with the tides up and the waves up to 2 meter.

 I heard Bali had some size surf as well, 3 meter and up. While the big boys paddle around on the outside the youth took advantage of a little more practice. Both breaks are always here so come surf, dive, eat good food and be surrounded by smiles beaming from tan people who found a touch of heaven.

I walked into the 7 Seas scuba shop and had a quick look around before asking about their dives. I signed up for 5. www.7seas.asia.com. The one we did first was rather nothing compared to where I had just been and the visibility was a mess but I had high hopes that it would get better. 7 seas diving has instructors for many Tech levels, open water, advanced, rescue and you can do your DMT/‘C’ here. The staff is competent, curious and eager to get in the water. If you dive with 7 seas they will do their best to get you on site with aqua critters and ship wrecks. I’ll dive with them again.

The evenings are calm and quiet verses Gili Trawangan, the next island. Gili ‘T’ has a bit of a reputation for being a party island. I didn’t want to go back. I had been there in 1989 with two friends when I biked all the islands out to Flores. There were only seven thatch bungalow places to stay and eat and at night we’d sit by a fire on the beach and listen to songs, guitars and other instruments. Mt. Rinjani rises into the clouds above Lombok. The way I saw it, one island is for a party and the other was more chillaxed. I listened to a local play guitar last night and chatted with a few French, Swedes, and Brits; all diving.

Back in the water the next day for two dives and the visibility was great. I didn’t see much big stuff at Shark Point besides turtles. There was at least one turtle per dive and sometimes up to 6. We checked out an old community pier off of Gili Menu. Menu lies between Air and T. The pier was used for transport and supply delivery. Fifteen years ago a big storm hit and it went down with everything on it, bikes, chains, tires, structures, whatever was on it. After 15 years corals have begun to grow coral and attract a good number of fish and turtles.

On another dive we happened across a recently sunk vessel with Government approval and it is fresh but also a good sign that someone up there is working for the oceans and animals we have displaced by dynamite and cyanide fishing and dropping anchors to and fro. Mooring lines are everywhere and that is a good thing.

There’s a group out there called PROJECTAWARE.ORG that has a few words I’d like to share; they have 10 tips for divers to protect the ocean planet. 1) Dive, 2) Give back, 3) Be an eco-tourist, 4) Shrink your carbon footprint, 5) Be a buoyancy expert (stay off the coral), 6) Be a role model, 7) Take only photos and leave only bubbles, 8) Protect underwater life, 9) Become a debris activist, 10) Make responsible seafood choices.

Me and a guide were at Hon’s Reef checking out lots coral outcrops and while going from one to another we came across a seahorse in the middle of seemingly no where hanging on a new shoot of soft coral or grass, there wasn’t much around. Now I’m properly puzzled. I got out of the water and sat at the shop for a bit and eventually asked, what’s your favorite dive to my guide and he responded, ‘Deep Turbo’. I asked if they were diving it soon and he said, tomorrow morning. So I added another day and another dive.

From the surface you can’t really see anything but with a GPS we were right on top of it, also other bubbles are a tell tale sign. We dove in and descended with no real vision of what we were into. It’s a pinnacle at about 30 to 40 meters. We were sort of lucky in the fact there wasn’t much current but then again that might have been a lot of fun too. My computer kept going off every time I went below 30 meters then I realized my decompression time was down to 3 minutes and started a very gradual climb over mounds and channels until we came across a sleeping white tip shark. He didn’t seem to mind us and we couldn’t go down and visit because our ‘deco’ time wouldn’t allow it. The visibility was around 30 meters.

The sun is out and I bought my next sea going ferry boat. I have traveled by boat all the way from Raja Ampat through the Spice Islands, Alor, off the coast of Timor, Flores, Lombok and now to Bali and Lembongan for more diving and writing a new manuscript that is a lot of fun to write.

I could stay here longer but the whole reason I’m coming this way at all is because there are just some things that have to be handled in person and the closest place for that is Bali.

www.davidcdagley.com

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Wicked Diving Surin-ity

Wicked Diving Surin-ity

Almost every afternoon at this time of year in Khao Lak the rain comes down into the microclimate formed between the mountains and sea where the gray clouds drench the town and flash the night with lightening for an hour or two. I checked out of the Traveller Lodge at noon and the owner/manager invited me to leave my gear until it was time to go to the Wicked Diving office just up the road and go diving. I checked into Wicked Diving and filled out the last minute paperwork and had the afternoon to check out town, grab a late lunch and get any last minute supplies that Wicked doesn’t offer on the boat, peanuts, chips, chocolate and beer if you don’t like Singha or Tiger which they sell on board. If you want something stronger this is the time to acquire it. I thought about it and decided to wait to the last minute and go to the closest shop two doors down from Wicked.

I met two folks that were having last minute Pad Thai and picking up a case of Singha. I introduced myself and picked up a case Chang. Chang is like picking up a case of Russian roulette, it says 5.5% alcohol but there’s a variance of 1.5% above. It turned out the two were going out for six-night scuba dive trip as well. After everyone gathered we hopped in two vans and drove an hour and half up the coast to the pier and the boat. We ate around 8 pm and were given an introduction to the Captain, his wife, kitchen crew, knowledgeable and experienced dive staff, rules, and were given roommates - 2 per stateroom unless you are coupled. The boat departed and once out a ways firecrackers were lit to ward off any evil spirits we may have intentionally or unintentionally brought with us. It was an internationally broad group of people from around the world with at least one common interest, diving.

Chris, head of the first 3-day program, informed us we were diving the Surin Islands, the most remote islands in Thailand and southern neighbors of the Burmese Islands. The Andaman Sea is and has been the home of the Moken people for thousands of years. The Moken are what we now call ‘sea gypsies’. The Moken have relatives in the Burmese islands and are related distantly to the sea peoples all the way down to the Mentawi Islands off the west coast of Sumatra. In their folklore stories are told of ‘Laboon’, the force of the ocean, also known as a Tsunami. Before the Tsunami of 2004 the Moken were somewhat told that they needed to settle on land and the Thai government set some of them on the Surin Islands where they’d be close to the ocean and remote enough to live without much outside influence. When the tsunami hit, they knew what to do due to the elders and their stories and they headed for the hills or to take their ‘kabang’ boat, out to deep water. When all was said and done the village survived with no casualties. That was not the case for the Moken living in tents at the Surin Island National Park Headquarters for a project. December 26^th 2004 at 8:30 the water dropped severely at high tide and the first wave hit followed by a bigger wave and then another. Those that made it to sea picked up those in the water and the Moken that ran into the jungle and up the granite or limestone hills survived. Through out history the Moken have had a rough go of it when it comes to foreigners entering their waters. Typically they prefer to disperse out of fear running their boats into mangrove narrows where they can’t be easily followed and eventually recollect when the coast is clear. They also used the Mangroves for protection from monsoons. Monsoon time seems to be the only time they live on land and even then build houses at the edge of the sea, their mother, their guardian, and their savior.

There were three dives scheduled for the first full day with the first dive being a check out dive sorting divers with others using the same amount of O2 and also ability such as Open Water divers with the like and Advanced divers would be grouped together unless requested differently. This is the dive you are introduced to your guide and sort out your gear in case something doesn’t fit right or needs adjusting. You keep the same set-up for 9 dives in three days or 18 dives in six days; in actuality it’s three nights-four days, six nights-seven days. Wicked Diving also offers numerous courses that you can take on the boat such as Open Water graduating to Advanced Open Water. In the case of the Open Water course Wicked Diving prefers to do the theoretical on land before you get on the boat so plan a couple days in Khao Lak prior.

The Captain of the Mariner has been doing this a very long time and is well respected by the rest of the dive boat Captains. On numerous occasions when we arrived at a dive site a boat would already be on the choice buoy and would relinquish his spot and we would pull in. It’s all about respect. Talking about respect, the food on the boat is better and more consistent than food I’ve been eating in restaurants across Thailand. The Captain’s wife is head of the kitchen and knows her business well. There is usually a lavish western breakfast but most everything else is Thai. The boat buys its vegetables from an organic farm and the honey, eggs and biodegradable soaps are purchased from an orphanage.

Wicked Diving has a strong policy about conservation and ecology with 2% of a guests fees going to projects in the area such as the orphanage, buying chickens so the orphanage can sell the eggs, working with the Moken people in some well thought out and preplanned way for the betterment of life.

I grouped up with Edwin, Jacqueline, and her husband Marshall. Our guide Chris was also the trip lead and has been diving since he was around thirteen. We dove 3 dives the first day, 4 dives on the second day with the last being a night dive and 2 dives on the 3^rd day before heading into the harbor to change crew and guests and then back out heading for the Similan Islands for another 3 days and 9 more dives.

We rarely dove in the same spot but one particular place we did and it was worth every pound of air per square inch.

The boat was spacious enough to find a place to relax, read, sunbathe, listen to music, chat with new friends. The sun deck is half covered because the sun can be brutal but the views are spectacular so the covered area was a favorite and the beanbags were always occupied. A few of us opted to sleep on mats on the top deck under the bright stars and a warm breeze for a blanket. The only light that interferes with the stars is the fishing boat lights outside the National Park and they don’t usually last the night. Sunrises are my favorite.

The main deck was used for pre-dive briefings explaining the topography, what you might see in way of Flora and Fauna, current direction and limitations if any. All meals were served here and there was plenty of food. Wicked has gone as far as cutting down on their plastic bottle consumption by offering their guests refillable water bottles from two 5 gallon hot/cold dispensers. This practice saves thousands of plastic bottles seasonally from entering the National Park, recycling centers and inevitably landfills. Fruit, tea and coffee, juice, yogurt, electrolytes, are on the boat and offered freely. After the last dive and dinner the open-air area ultimately turns into a game center where people can buy assorted sodas or beers and enjoy the evening. The lower deck is state rooms and dive deck.

If only the Wicked Diving attitude could be shared and incorporated into all dive boats around the world offering the same commitment to awareness and policies to protect the environment in which they we all work and live. All of this leads to leaving a smaller footprint so we could all enjoy it and watch it flourish before our eyes and in front of our cameras. Touching coral leaves oils that are detrimental eventually growing a mold that will inhibit or kill it. Touching a turtle shell will do the same thing so the hands-off policy is a good one for everybody to follow.

The Surin Islands are out there and the wind has carved and molded the plant life with strong winds. There are monkeys, pigeons, sea eagles, among others living in the trees and calling the islands home. The islands are a product of tectonic plate activity. The islands are, for the most part, either limestone or granite. We went ashore for an afternoon of Frisbee and have a swim in the blue-blue shallows. There is camping available.

Below the surface the tsunami’s power is apparent and yet life goes on. Whale Sharks and Manta rays, Dolphin, Marlin, Sailfish, Sharks and Whales and flying fish among many others inhabit these waters. Snorkeling is a favorite past time between dives just make sure the boat isn’t leaving anytime soon.

I was lucky to have chosen Wicked Diving having not been on a live-aboard before and not knowing one from another. It was my birthday on board and I felt immediately like-minded and knew I was in good hands. This blog is about our trip to the Surin Islands. The next blog is about the Similan Islands. 

A special thanks to the Captain of the Mariner and his wife, the boat crew who refilled my tanks everyday, and the Wicked Diving staff for putting a memory in the bank that I will not forget easily.

www.davidcdagley.com

Khao Lak And The Andaman Sea

Khao Lak

It cost me 700 Baht by taxi to get to the bus station in Phuket town from Rawai about an hour away and 100 Baht to go north to Khao Lak two hours north up the coast of the Andaman Sea. I had booked a room for two nights at the Khao Lak Traveller Lodge. It was cheap, clean and later I realized it was part of the Rotary International group, always a plus. The owner and staff are wonderful and accommodating. I wanted the extra day here because I wanted to see what I was getting into. I had booked a live aboard scuba dive trip for 6 days in the Similan Islands for my birthday present to me and hopped on a snorkeling day trip to the Similans the day before departing, yesterday.

After checking into the lodge I wanted to get into the sea. The beach was quiet with a few people looking for shells, walking or baking in the sun. The water was inviting and blue with a slight current heading north up the beach. The visibility underwater wasn’t so good but hey, you can’t have everything all the time. It felt good to be in and near the water again. Looking out west the sky was big blue but behind me up the mountainside massive gray clouds pushed over the tops and I knew what was coming, an afternoon shower, lightning included. I walked down a row of resorts with security guards at every entrance separated by small massage centers, tailors, and convenience stores. I ended up crossing through a palm oil palm tree grove along a trail back to the main road running through town and back to my room just before the rain came down in buckets. The gutters in the street overflowed and the lighting storm was epic as I sat and watched it for an hour before it all came to a humid end.

I got picked up at 8 am and driven to a gathering point for Rak Talay Tours and 18 of us from all over the world hopped in a speedboat headed for the Similan Island chain. I met some wonderful Brits and we all shared a lot of laughs the day. There are approximately nine islands in the aquatic national park, three are government, and the rest are available for guided visits with park fees and a list of restrictions that don’t need mentioning.

The idea behind the speedboat is to get out there before others but when they have speedboats too you just have to go with the flow and hopefully find certain places where there are fewer groups. There are a few beaches where all boats go but then everyone scatters to favorite spots all depending on the weather and sea conditions. It was well orchestrated and we found ourselves with only one other boat on the same course. After an hour and fifteen minutes blue rings appear around the islands and in the sandy shallows the water glows a color of blue fit for dreams.

The day was well sorted with a variety of activities between beach time with swimming, snorkeling, a proper lunch, chill time and for me more time in the water. I brought along my little Pentax underwater camera just in case there was anything within five meters of the surface. Good call.

Special thanks to Cathy, Rob and Viv for being so much fun, it wouldn’t have been the same without you. I wrote this blog to wet your appetite for a six night adventure on the live aboard coming up and will post when I get back. It should be lots of fun with some good photos as well. See you under water.

www.davidcdagley.com