The Similans

On the Road Again!!!

My friend Kristy a fellow BBD (Big Beautiful Diver) just recently finished her DM (DIVE MISTRESS). YEAH BABY!!!!! and we are hitting the road to the Similan islands. This road trip will consist of: a 6 hour boat ride, a 4 hour car ride, then tomorrow we will head out on the White Manta for a 3 day trip. On a liveaboard, the diving is very intense. We will do 4 dives the first and second days, then 2 the last.

I hear from Karin at WICKED DIVING there are two Americans going and since I know EVERYBODY in America, it will be a hoot. K and me are walking down the street in Khao Lak and hear.....QQQQQ!! turns out it is Alex and Chris, team Boston from Big Blue who left a few weeks ago and guess what? They are the Americans on our boat!!!!!

Our boat, the White Manta is a sweeeeeeet boat with 3 decks. K and me are in the forward cabins. I am asked if I have my advanced open water, YOU KNOW I DO!!!! I am told, by the end of this trip, you will be an advanced open water diver. OK, What does that mean? I soon find out it means deeper dives, negative entries, lots of currents, getting sucked into blowholes and drift diving. I have done NONE of this except gone deep on Koh Tao ONCE! I rock it like a champ!!!!!

The diving was incredible! The water was incredible! One thing....NO MANTAS AND NO WHALESHARKS!!!! Marcel took them all when he was here in January. I did get to see other sharks, cuttlefish, octopus and even got to see him change colors, clown triggers, other triggers including the titan trigger which is not the psychotic, territorial freaks like around the Koh. I saw a 6 foot maori wrasse and I tell you it is a little unnerving to see a fish that out girths you, especially me! It was cool having the boat pick you up where ever you surface, then they throw a soccer ball that is tethered to the boat and drag you back to the boat.

Team Boston and me drove everyone crazy with our outbursts of lines from Jaws. "I'LL FIND HIM FOR THREE, BUT I'LL CATCH EM AND I'LL KILL EM FOR TEN!!!! and"STOP PLAYING WITH YOURSELF HOOPER!!!!"


After we dock, we say good bye to our friends and head back to everything Koh Tao. After our 4 hour drive we find that the night boat is booked. They have mattresses for you to sleep on but there is nothing available. Kristy pulled out the pouty lip and batted her beautiful blue eyes and we were on!!! BUT NO SLEEPING, ONLY SITTING!!! I was helped down the gang plank by a gorgeous Wil Smith lookalike who we find out is Glenn from The Netherlands. What is a gorgeous Black man doing in these parts? Turns out he is doing a round the world trip as well. He is on too, ONLY SITTING, NO SLEEPING!!!

In case you are wondering, OUR sitting spot was downstairs in the cargo hold with all of the produce, packages and supplies as this is how Koh Tao gets their stuff. We had a little spot over behind the new motorcycles.