::[ kampungkai ]::

Saturday, March 3

Similan Island SCUBA Divers

Eve of 'Chap Goh Meh' - 14th day of Chinese New Year. What have u been doing for the pass 14 days? Non-stop 'mahjong' session till 5am, and continue with dimsum breakfast, whereby the winner pays the bill? haha...

Whatever you did during CNY, whether it was boring or fun, no worries! cos visiting kampungkai's blog is always refreshing ya? high 5! *piak...

This year, i celebrated my CNY differently. Many friends of mine failed to look for me, because i was having a holiday in Thailand - Scuba Diving!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Andaman Sea

Similan Island is located in the Andaman Sea, which is positioned to the west coast of thailand, somewhere near Phuket. If you a directional inability idiot (of course you're not!), i'll just make it easier for u. It's further up north of Pulau Langkawi, easy enough?

Besides diving in the Similan Islands, we dived in Koh Bon & Koh Tachi too. (it's all around the latitude of 8 & 9 degrees)

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Similan Island

Similan Island has 9 small islands in total. Each being seperated by a 10-15 minutes or so boat ride.

Since it is a Live On Board/Live Abroad diving trip, we slept, we ate, we bathed, and we shat (past-tense of SHIT fyi) on the boat. Ya ya, i know what's running through your mind now. You're thinking bout me seeing shit floating on water rite? hahhaaha i'll talk bout that later.

Photobucket - Video and Image HostingPhotobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Parinee

This is the boat that the 12 of us were on. Named after the daughter of the diving company boss. She has a sister boat, a bigger one, named Daranee that fits 18 divers.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Parinee Layout

Arrived in HKT (Phuket) around 8pm from KUL, of course with Malaysia Airlines hehehe! Then left straight to the jetty and got on-board Parinee, which lead me into my room. Tadaa!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
My lil cosy room. Comes with a 1/2hp a/c!

Approximately at 2200 hrs, a one-foot long firecracker blasted by the side of the boat, followed by two loud honks from the cockpit. Let me simulate the sound for you. It went something like this:
PLAK PLAK PLAK PLAK PLAK! BON! BON!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Thai Flag & fresh flowers & fire crackers - to mark Good Luck/Safe Journey thoughout the entire trip

From the very moment i stepped on Parinee, it was swaying left and right, up and down. And i have to admit, i didnt feel that well that night, feeling nausea that i went to bed early. I have no seasick problem though, but i suspect it was because of the heavy dinner with TOMYAMKUNG i had 30 mins before getting on board. So my advice is, eat less before getting on!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
A tonnne of beer

Man, that's alot of beer and pepsi, don't you think? There's 6 cartons on every layer. And the local SINGHA beer is freaking cheap and delicious! unlike carlsberg. SINGHA cost only 20 baht (RM2) per can, and Pepsi is 15 baht (RM1.50)

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Toilet

Here you go, your favourite part - the toilet and the floating tressure on sea. This is called a marine toilet. In a marine toilet, you are not allowed to flush down toilet paper, because it goes directly into the sea.

Yea, and so it has become an unwritten common agreement between all divers TO NOT SHIT when it is near diving time hahahha! you get what I mean? or else we'll be seeing new species of sea cucumber everyday! hahaha!

Water is limited on board. Therefore care must be taken to not waste fresh water, especially during showers. Or else everyone would have to suffer.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Sunrise

This is how I started my 1st day of diving in Similan Island, it was a great welcome! too bad for the boat positioning that the ball of sun was obscured by the island. But it turned out perfect ya?

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Sunrise Flag

Cooling morning breeze sways the Thai flag as i sat on the moist deck to snap this pic. Quiet and peaceful. And as the sun rises, the millions of bright shining stars fades away, and that's when the SCUBA Divers come to life...

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Dive Equipment

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Scuba Divers

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Clear blue water with plenty of fish

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Boatman helping divers out of water

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Beautiful yachts anchoring

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
That's what i look at when i'm bored, it's pretty entertaining

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Donald Duck Bay! named after his head.

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Mat Sallehs and their sunbathing, crazy!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
It feels real good to stand on land

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
I treasure green, brown, and white. I hate blue!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
When the night comes, we go fishing!

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
A huge batfish! dinner...

Let me explain a lil on this fishing thing. It is illegal for fisherman to come to Similan Island or any nearby islands protected under the National Marine Park to fish. However it is legally unwritten that fishing using a fishing line for own consumption is allowable. It's like, how much can u catch using a line compared to using nets?

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Front Row L to R:
Adriano - Italian
Rommel - Kajang, Malaysia
Me - Kajang, Malaysia
Hadi - KL, Malaysia
(Dive Instructor)
Iu Shen - Kajang, Malaysia

Back Row L to R:
Jeff - KL, Malaysia
Makoto - Tokyo, Japan (Dive Master)
Kazia - Rotterdam, Holland
David - Germany
Simon - England
Shannon - KL, Malaysia
John - KL, Malaysia

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
A preview to the next post - underwater pics!

Till then... may tonight blast off with firecrackers again!

Labels:

15 Comments:

  • Wah lew, damn know how to enjoy life man you. Must be earning damn alot there lah!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 03, 2007 7:24 PM  

  • Wow.. how many days was your trip? How to live in confined spaces for long period wor... stay in boat :S

    By Blogger Sue, at March 03, 2007 8:24 PM  

  • ohh gorgeous gorgeousss

    i'm going to phuket in septttt can't wait

    By Blogger Reta, at March 03, 2007 9:16 PM  

  • Nice way to spend Chinese New Year holiday. Happy CNY btw, last day, not too late lol.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at March 04, 2007 12:34 AM  

  • Jason: hahaha! give me a break bro, i've been working like a slave for the pass 9 months. As i said, i work like a monkey slave, that's why MAS only give me peanuts! living like a bachelor, just like anyone else. Urgh, i need a sugar-mummy.

    Sue: it was a 4d4n trip -3d3n on the boat and 1d1n at Patong Beach, Phuket. U got claustrophobia issit? haha! Though i'm used to the confined space in the boat, but yea i still prefer a platform that doesnt move - land! Similan Island diving trips are mostly Live Abroad, bcos there's no civilisation in the middle of the sea and it takes 5 hours of boat ride to reach from Phuket.

    cyber-red: Dont forget your bikini! bring lots of them as u r gonna enjoy the beach everyday. well, u can buy it there anyway. In fact just bring an empty bag and buy everything there! it's like Petaling St x100. Btw, enjoy the sight of fake pointy boobies and sky-high arses! ahahah *except for the voice of a sheman!

    Jee: I had a great time. U know, u gotta go Phuket at least once in your life as a bachelor, if u havent do so. Believe me, u'll love it. The town never sleeps and u wont remember drinking plain water, beer is cheap!

    By Blogger Kampungkai, at March 04, 2007 10:55 AM  

  • wow cool vacation! scuba diving sounds fun... wud love to experience it one day... *thinking of a nice scuba destination* Sipadan next? LOL!

    By Blogger kyh, at March 04, 2007 4:02 PM  

  • WOW!!! Can't wait for the next post with the underwater photos... faster faster!!!

    By Blogger snowybabie, at March 04, 2007 10:22 PM  

  • WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!I WANT TO GOOOOOOOO TOOOO!!!!!

    By Blogger narrowband, at March 04, 2007 11:35 PM  

  • Hey, nice pictures! Love the scenery.

    BUT, scuba diving is not for me :)
    *scaredy cat*

    By Blogger rainbow angeles, at March 05, 2007 1:40 AM  

  • Wowwww! nicee! love the sunset!!
    u hate the blue? yyyy?? heheh

    erm..hm..i really wouldnt wana imagine seeing a new species of sea cucumber..hmmm

    By Blogger Huei, at March 05, 2007 9:29 AM  

  • eeeee... i want to go too!!!

    By Blogger hao, at March 05, 2007 4:06 PM  

  • kyh: come la, take up diving! then we can go diving together and start a new blog called DIVEBLOG.COM hahaha!

    snowybabie: alright alright, patience my dear! haha will be up by saturday

    narrowband: It's the beach-season now man! go somewhere local like Redang Tioman or Perhentian la! u r gonna luv it (the bikini girls)

    angel: yea, the pics turned up nicer than the actual beach, i was surprised hehehe! no worries scaredy cat, we always have National Geographic to do the job ya? high 5! :)

    Huei: Eh, not sunset la. It's a sun rise! haha! snapped some time around 630am. I love blue, but at that very moment when i was on the boat for like 72 hours already, i would wish to see some green and brown and white, cos blue is everywhere! u get what i mean? heheh btw, nice seeing u here! drop by more k?

    Hao: quite mmu and be a SCUBA instructor laaaa. Earn big money!

    By Blogger Kampungkai, at March 06, 2007 9:04 PM  

  • Eh.. try to say SIMILAN in hokkien. LOL!!!!! Glad you had a good time.

    By Blogger Gina, at March 08, 2007 8:42 PM  

  • The island is beauuutiful! =) But but but I've seen worse toilets *_*

    By Blogger cheesecakeerian, at March 12, 2007 2:55 AM  

  • By Anonymous Anonymous, at November 30, 2014 6:25 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home