Back to the Similan Islands.

Our Christmas cruise 2007, 9 days / 9 nights on "The wicked witch," liveaboard, took us along the Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock in the north but also along the Phi Phi islands, Koh Ha and Hin Daeng and Hin Muang in the south.

After the success of the 2006 Christmas cruise was the first fast boat to the reserve in 2007 to repeat this dive trip. Instead of a 5-day dive cruise now, however, a 9-day cruise to dive fully into the underwater world can admire the Andaman sea.

It did not take long for the biggest and only problem appeared to organize this trip. After several price proposals from airlines to have received that I actually also confirmed that always ended an email to confirm that companies involved do not want to deliver the airplane tickets. Apparently I had the travel period poorly estimated and tickets with departure at the start of the Christmas holidays on December 22 and January 5 in flight were impossible to get. This resulted in a shift of the whole organization where only those willing divers who could take something for the commencement of the leave period, the plane could take. 15 divers were finally ready, but it eventually fell through adversity two off. Once upon a lot of effort and good will were able to find tickets to Mahan Airlines, they were rebuffed in their holiday dreams. Mahan Airlines, in Europe, the blacklisted and if during the Christmas period and until further notice no longer fly to Europe. I find somewhere to the European shield our pennies just to be able to spend our much more expensive European airlines or is there still a security risk. Who knows but on the web I could no negative comments about the airline as well as to security breaches. Through contacts with local dive centers, we still got a few people on the cruise and it was ultimately an international diving trip.

The cruise itself, we are successful call. The mantas were back there on long dives Koh Bon and we were enjoying their playful antics. I personally had the good fortune along with Amy, Kristof and Singh manta 15 minutes circling around us have. The top dive sites were visited and the number of vessels visiting the Similan it friendly to its limit begins to run. So we were quite a few divers around Richelieu Rock. A modified schedule in which we try to dive with other divers escaped allowed us to do this beautiful dive site to enjoy. This method of diving we went through in the next day to where we 7HR morning already mostly underwater search was on. The first five days we stayed near the Similans and the northern islands. We saw white tip reef sharks, leopard sharks also a white frogfish on the dive Elephant Head Rock. The icing on the cake was the observation by two groups of a diving whale shark over the last dive in the Similans near 'sharkfin reef. Run five days after our trip to the south of Patong Beach where we landed. A pleasant stopover for the crew the opportunity to provide sufficient water and food on board to bring the second half of our dive cruise. Some also left us here because they had to provide only the first five days of the cruise to sail. Later that evening we sailed back out toward southern islands with some new people on board for our 4-day trip to the southern islands. Near the southern islands, we made our most dives around Koh Ha and Phi Phi islands. No fewer than seven different tiger tail seahorse (Hippocampus comes) were observed. Also, many leopard sharks were seen to everyone's satisfaction.

We had our planning so that we are divided on December 31 evening ashore were on Phi Phi islands, so the start of 2008 to deploy. The atmosphere on land was abundant, but the service of the restaurant that we chose on Phi Phi was definitely better. Ultimately, the ideal atmosphere to be found on our liveaboard From what we Tonsai Bay on New Year's fireworks could see. Pu apotheosis made captain for a stylish and powerful fireworks on your own boat to us as the new year to shoot.

After two dives on January 1, idereen to my surprise was soon in the morning, we sailed to Chalong harbor to land, and our cruise diving exit. Some were left for a few days of pleasant stay in tropical Phuket. A visit to Phuket Fantasea, a tour around the island along 'viewpoint', the shell museum, the temples of Wat Chalong and the orchid garden by some has been done. An elephant trek through the jungle was pretty to appeal to.

Participants in this dive cruises were

January Hat residents, Christine Jacobs, Luc Rooyackers, Carl Vandenven, Eric Hulpiau, Marleen Bekaert, Rik Moens, Patrick Muylaert and Kristof Verschaeve (Belgium)

Wagatsu Mai Ando and Miyoshi (Japan)

Manuel Lefèvre, Amélie Lefèvre, Joelle Guy Lefèvre and Lefèvre (France)

Amy Best, Matt Best and Mark Jackson (England)

Rick and Pat Matchell Matchell (USA)

Alejandra Quintero Emerich and Heny (Venezuela)

Marie-Claire Taylor (Ireland) and Stefan Brad Mann (Australia)