Scuba Steve
After a few weeks hopping around the country and doing a variety of excursions, the time for scuba diving has finally arrived. It starts off pretty low key, as with Nick’s depth limits (he can only go down to 40 feet with the junior certification that he has), there are only certain sites he can dive at, and certain days that boats go to those sites. To fill in the time, we decide to first do a simple beach dive next to our hotel. So while mom slowly roasts on a beach chair, Nick and I gear up and head into the water.
As close as we are to the beach, the reef is a little mediocre, but we do manage to see some barracuda, sea cucumber, triggerfish, and clownfish. It retrospect it is a great first dive for Nick to get a little more experience, particularly in a different (and much more pleasant) environment than Puget Sound. It also gives us a chance to road test the Joey Cam (a tiny underwater camera I bought a few weeks back that Joey likes to strap to his head and run around the house).
We take it up a notch the next day, as bright and early a rickety bus picks us up at the hotel for a short drive to the pier. We are headed to Racha Yai, which is an island about 90 minutes south of Phuket, and one of the easier local dive sites. The trip there provides a good time to catch up on a nap (of course being the morning people that they are, both Angela and Nick agree to sleep under duress), and in no time we are being called downstairs to get ready for the dive (Angela is sticking with snorkeling this trip so gets dropped in the water separately).
The water at this site is much clearer than off our hotel and the reef is in much better shape. There is the usual variety of colorful fish, in addition to which we are able to find a moray eel, some hammer shrimp, and a banded sea snake. I keep a pretty close eye on Nick (and he in turn on the guide), but he does awesome, and seems perfectly comfortable deep underwater.
We take a break for lunch before heading back down for our second dive. We are in the same bay, but on the opposite side, so for the most part see many of the same things as we did earlier. This time around though we are able to prod a mantis shrimp from its cave and follow it for while it finds a new hiding place. We also see a small ray, and tail it around for a bit before moving on.
[youtube P6dFu_t5ttY 560 316]
With diving over for the day, we start back towards Phuket, partaking once again in a luxurious nap. About halfway back, we come across a boat about the same size as what we have at the cabin that has broken down (mind you, we are at least 10 miles from shore in open water). On board are a pair of Russian tourists, one sporting the sweetest mullet (all business in the front, party in the back) I have seen outside of a 1980 NHL team photo.
Our captain agrees to tow them back, but only for 3000 baht (note to self, in Thailand it is OK to get stranded, just don’t forget your wallet).This all seems well and good until we get them back to the bay where they are staying. Mullet thinks he has paid for personal delivery service all the way to the pier, while our captain says he is not taking his boat into any shallower water. There is something comical about a Russian trying to argue his case in English to a crew that speaks Thai, but nevertheless, they manage to come to some arrangement, money changes hands, and we are back on our way.
It’s been a good day, and just like that, our time in Phuket is coming to an end. We make one last stop at the travel agent in town to pick up our ferry tickets, and tomorrow we are off to Koh Phi Phi.