Similan Island trip report

[wedivebc]

I just got off the boat and am sitting at an internet service in Khaolak after spending 3 days of diving with Sea Dragon. I was diving with Reagan and Tidbit from this board. We had the time of our lives. This is my first time to this part of the world and I am still in sensory overload from all the "stuff" we saw. I will post pics and a dive by dive report as soon as I get my pics processed (tomorrow I hope).
Right now I can say the charter was first rate. Very clean, and professional. I assumed diving in T shirt and shorts would be way easier than what I am used to but for some reason my RMV was way up. I think mostly because I was constantly trying to look in every direction at one. With 100+ ft vis it was almost too much to absorb.
We will be doing Koh Tao in a day or two but I don't see how it can measure up.

 

[hallboy]

Be extremely extensive in your trip report, as i will dive with them in 4 weeks !! I also mook for an accomodation in khaolak ( downtown? Ac hot water ) What was the water /air temperature??

 

[malaysia-islands]

Now I'm officially jealous. Indeed, Similan is one of my target destination in the future, wallet permitting.

*Now, where's the cheap tickets at AirAsia?*

 

[wedivebc]

I am now in Koh Tao and will be on a 6:30 am (yikes) boat to Chumpon pinnacle. Lots of sharks with a whale shark seen a couple of days ago. Keep my fingers crossed. The huts we stayed at overnight in Khoalac did not have hot water but were clean. Remember most of the building in Khoalac are new. The tsunami really tore into that place and there is a huge rebuilding effort going on. I had to buy new sandals yestarday because the fresh tar was everywhere.

 

[hallboy]

Sorry for my english: what does mean RMV??And give the dive report now ( i'm dyingof impatience) Was it a 3 days cruise? what was the water temperature?

 

[Zippsy]

RMV = Respiratory minute volume. He's just saying he was breathing faster than normal.

 

[wedivebc]

Sorry for my english: what does mean RMV??And give the dive report now ( i'm dyingof impatience) Was it a 3 days cruise? what was the water temperature?

I would love to give it to you now but the internet connection cost me 2 baht per minute right now and the pics will take a month to load on these slow connections.
RMV as Zippsy said is basically a breathing rate calculation. It seems my problem has gone away. The DM had to end the dive due to low air and I still had 1000psi. I felt better about that. I told the DM if he swam too fast I am taking 1 fin away from him. He was good though. Vis is much lower in Koh Tao but more like what I am accustom to. Be patient Hallboy all things come to those who wait.

 

[hallboy]

I'll try, but as you can notice with my avatar, i'm a dog ( a pretty smart beaggle to be precise ) not a grasshoper....

 

[bluetraveler]

I anxiously await your dive report from the Similans! Am going there in January and we plan on booking a liveaboard for three days or so...what evidence of the tsunami did you see in the Similans? Also, did you get to do any diving in the Phuket, Phi Phi or Koh Lanta?

 

[Reagan]

HI Hallboy. We stay in the Phu Khao Lak Bungelows. It is situated in a nice coconut plantation. Its is very clean, I think its new. There is no A/C in the ones we had, you could ask though. We wanted to put as much money back into the economy the Khao Lak as we could. I would highly recommend there for a place to stay.

Reagan