Divetrip to Trang (Koh Muk), Thailand

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Ron de Waard - 23 Feb 2005 11:05 GMT

Hi there,

We're planning to make a trip to Thailand in first half of may this
year with 2 families (3 kids, 5 til 11 years). Our first plan was to
go to kao-lak and make trips to the Similans, but that part is
completely destroyed. We want to avoid Phuket too, so we're now
looking to the vicinity of Trang, near the island of Koh Muk (near
south of Thailand).

Do you know if there is any damage caused by the tsunami? And what
about resorts etc, are they operational in the first 2 weeks of may?
Is diving still (fully?) operational right then?

Do you have any suggestions for resorts and/or diving stations. With
the kids and so we like to have a good resort, preferrably with
swimming pool.

We're experienced divers, like to see special marine life, and our
kids also like to snorkel (a lot).

Please share you're experiences with me,

regards, Ron (from the Netherlands).

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Daniel Kessler - 23 Feb 2005 14:06 GMT

did you say the merry month of May?

Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived. I
was always told the season there was Nov - March. Aren't you risking
getting caught up in the monsoon?

Oh well..... some people are determined to do crazy things.

Now, where to go in May ....hmmmm.....how about PNG? Or maybe the
Solomons or even Fiji? Skip Palau because it will probably be too rainy
(the best month there is March).

> Hi there,
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> regards, Ron (from the Netherlands).

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Greg Mossman - 23 Feb 2005 16:01 GMT

> Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived. I

Yet you're giving advice on where to go in Thailand?

Are you sure you're not another Reef Fish sockpuppet?

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Ron de Waard - 27 Feb 2005 14:14 GMT

> > Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived. I
>
> Yet you're giving advice on where to go in Thailand?
>
> Are you sure you're not another Reef Fish sockpuppet?

I'm sorry Greg but what does Reef Fish sockpuppet mean? I'm dutch you
know.

With kids at school we don't have that much choice when to go, we
we're lucky to have a two weeks holiday in between, and looking for a
nice place to stay for our families and for us to dive. My friend went
to Thailand last year and the heat wasn't a problem for him, even for
his 5 year old daughter, he told me. We will stay near the sea, and
that must be cooler then inland. Also, what I read about the south, it
should be less hot then in the north.

regards, Ron.

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Alan Street - 27 Feb 2005 18:26 GMT

> > > Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived. I
> >
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> I'm sorry Greg but what does Reef Fish sockpuppet mean? I'm dutch you
> know.

Hallo Ron,
Een sockpuppet is iemand die stiekem doet alsof hij iemand anders is,
zo kan hij het schijn geven dat hij belangrijk is.

(sort of like what I'm doing here, by having my lovely wife write the
above for me ;-)

Alan (& Lieke)

> With kids at school we don't have that much choice when to go, we
> we're lucky to have a two weeks holiday in between, and looking for a
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
> regards, Ron.

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Bradburn Fentress - 23 Feb 2005 23:35 GMT

> did you say the merry month of May?
>
> Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived. I
> was always told the season there was Nov - March. Aren't you risking
> getting caught up in the monsoon?

The NE monsoon season ends in March and the SE Monsoon season begins in
June. I have dived Thailand a number of times and have done May once. I
haven't looked at my journals but it seems to me April and May were very
hot, seas were the flat, and it rained at night a few times over a 3 week
period. The downside was that plankton was evident in some areas of Thailand
and the Andaman during this lee season.

I thought December through February was the absolute best time for Southern
Thailand diving. Fairly cool air, sunny and clearest water of the year. Over
the past 7 years or so I have chose to make my return trips in January and
February.

Bottom line, the only thing that would concern me about May is the degree of
plankton bloom. If May was the only time of the year I could make Thailand,
I wouldn't hesitate doing it in that month. Otherwise I would head for
January/February.

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Bradburn Fentress - 23 Feb 2005 23:36 GMT

> Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived.

That's like saying Emperor Angels are a dime-a-dozen in the Pacific :^)

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Billy Winter - 25 Feb 2005 01:19 GMT

Starting in March, I believe it is best to dive on the gulf side. Check out
Koh Tao. I was
there in April (due to the monsoon and rainy season on the other side) and
the diving was great.
Also, there is no damage from the sunami on this side.

> > Thailand is one of the few places on the globe I haven't yet dived.
>
> That's like saying Emperor Angels are a dime-a-dozen in the Pacific :^)

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Becky - 27 Feb 2005 03:15 GMT

Don't rule out the Andaman Coast of Thailand because of the tsunami! The
media makes it sound like the place is a disaster area, but that's not true.
It might be true in Indonesia & Sri Lanka, but Thailand is another story.

We just came back from a trip there and the diving in the Similans was
excellent! There were probably some dive sites that were affected, but so
many more that were not affected that we didn't lack for excellent dives.
Richelieu Rock (a big name site not actually in the Similans) was also fine.
We were on a liveaboard (the MY Anggun) so I don't know about hotel
conditions at Kao Lak, but Phuket was in good shape when we stayed there for
a few days before our boat left. There were, of course, some oceanfront
businesses still rebuilding, but the entire rest of the island was ready and
waiting for tourists. Even many of the oceanfront resorts are open now.
Phuket needs visitors to provide jobs for the local folks. It was pretty
quiet when we were there (end of January).

Our dive boat stopped at beaches at islands in the Similans for excellent
kayaking and snorkeling (not to mention diving).

The tourist situation was so bleak in Phuket at the end of January because
of the lack of tourists that elephants were begging in the streets! No
tourists means no visitors to the elephant camps, but they still have to
eat. OK, it's not actually begging: you buy a bunch of finger bananas &
sugar cane from the mahout (handler) for 20 baht (about 50 cents) and feed
them to the elephants, while you pet them and have a photo op. It might
sound cheesy, but it's really cool to be so close to an elephant. They take
the food gently from your hand with their trunks, and sometimes they even
pet you back. The mahouts use the money to buy feed for the elephants back
at the camp. They had baby elephants and "teenage" ones out every evening at
a restaurant near our hotel..

Becky

> Hi there,
>
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
>
> regards, Ron (from the Netherlands).

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Albert Schwartz - 28 Feb 2005 00:14 GMT

> Don't rule out the Andaman Coast of Thailand because of the tsunami! The
> media makes it sound like the place is a disaster area, but that's not true.
[quoted text clipped - 28 lines]
>
> Becky

I just returned from scuba diving around Phuket, Thailand, Feb 13 -19.
There has been much discussion of conditions there in the wake of the
Dec 26th tsunami. I have a good overview with an extensive
photo album of over 300 shots. Here is the link to my album (on
Photoworks).

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareLanding.jsp?shareCode=A9662F1BAB3&c
b=PW

(If you have problems making this work automatically, check that your
link includes the album codes that follow the '?'.)

All photos are sized 4" by 6" at 400dpi in jpg format.
Those named anemone are at Anemone Reef.
Those named king are on the King Cruiser wreck.
Those named RachaNoi are from Racha Noi Island at North Point and
Banana Bay.
Those named colona are from a 4 day dive trip on the boat, Colona VI.
- colona 1 to 28 are from East of Eden in the Similan Islands
- colona 29 to 46 are from Barracuda Point in the Similans
- colona 27 to 55 are from North Point on Similan #9
- colona 56 to 61 are from Donald Duck Bay night dive Similan #8
- colona 62 to 77 are from Three Trees in Similan #9
- colona 78 to 98 are from Koh Bon West Ridge (2 dives)
- colona 99 to 115 are from Koh Tachi
- colona 116 to 194 are from Richelieu Rock
- colona 195 to 205 are from Elephant Head in the Similans
- colona 206 to 220 are from Boulder City in the Similans
There are some land photos from Patong, Chalong Bay and Karon Beach.

You will find Karon and Kata Beaches almost unaffected by the tsunami.
Both are good places to stay. I was in Karon. There tourist and diver
numbers are way down and you should find good bargains everywhere. The
national park fee for diving in the Similan Islands, about $5 a day,
has been suspended through May, the typical end of the good diving
season off Phuket.

Al Schwartz

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Ron de Waard - 07 Mar 2005 20:59 GMT

> > Don't rule out the Andaman Coast of Thailand because of the tsunami! The
> > media makes it sound like the place is a disaster area, but that's not true.
[quoted text clipped - 67 lines]
>
> Al Schwartz

Thanks Al,

for your story but I can't get the provided link to work:
http://www.photoworks.com/share/shareLanding.jsp?shareCode=A9662F1BAB3&cb=PW

What can be wrong

regards, Ron.

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News - 01 Mar 2005 19:35 GMT

In may the best place to dive is the east coast, around Koh Tao. And it's
whale sharks season there ! No big resorts there, so for you Samui will be
the best choice, with daytrips to Sail Rock and Koh Tao

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