Dive #258 - Rich Torkington's Dive Log
© Copyright 2010 Rich Torkington Mesa, Arizona

PREVIOUS 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 HOME INDEX Next

Bottom Time to Date:

226h
13m


Dive Info:

Dive Start:
12:00 noon

Bottom Time:
54 minutes

Maximum Depth:
97 feet

Safety Stop:
5 minutes

Beginning Air:
3000 psi

Ending Air:
500 psi

Weather Conditions:
Sunny 86°F

Surface Conditions:
Surface chop

Surface Water Temperature:
82°F

Bottom Water Temperature:
80°F

Visibility:
40-60 feet

Gas:
Nitrox 32%O2
258
TITLE
* * * *
March 11,
2010
EAST OF EDEN,
KOH PAYU, SIMILAN ISLANDS, THAILAND
BOAT DIVE
 
Linda, Janel (buddies), Kim (guide)
Coral Grand Divers
Queen Scuba
www.similandivers.com
Similan
Another great photo by Kim - this is a gorgeous thecacera sea slug
Photo by Kim in Similan Islands 2010 
Similan
Ornate ghost pipefish have great cammoflage
Photo by Kim in Similan Islands 2010 
Similan
A glossodoris atromarginata - Kim can really find the small stuff
Photo by Kim in Similan Islands 2010 
Dive Journal: Details of this dive day, March 11, 2010, were captured by Linda at torksinthailand.blogspot.com/2010/03/dive-dive-dive.html.

This dive starts on the east side of island #7. We descend to around 50-60 feet and are immediately greeted by a set of 6 Kuhl stingrays gliding across the sand floor. Very nice. Kim tours us around for a while, and finally motions each of us over to a small depression in the reef. There he shines his torch and indicates for us to have a look. With my bad eyesight, I stare at the place for quite a while, not really seeing anything except 2 pieces of drifting seaweed. Then, I realize that the 2 pieces of seaweed are exactly the same shape, one larger than the other. They are ornate ghost pipefish! Extremely cool!

Like the last dive site, this one is again LOADED with fish, schools of snappers and fusiliers everywhere, criss-crossing and merging into 3-dimensional highways over the reef. It is a pure delight to be in the middle of it all. Kim leads us to the location of a gigantic fan coral, nearly 2.5m across.

At one point, I spy a nasty titan triggerfish down in its nest. Its evil eye fixates on me, and mine on it, while I respectfully fin around. Unfortunately, the current pushes me an inch or two too close, and the triggerfish scurries up directly at me, with teeth bared, ready to take a bite. I'm successful in shooing it away with my fins, but Linda is laughing at the whole encounter.

Kim finds more tiny stuff, including a gorgeous thecacera nudibranch, bright orange with flowing wings. There are giant morays, regal angelfish, chromis, and schooling bannerfish that delight us at every turn. At one point, we spot a sea snake, black and white striped. Never seen one before this.

At our safety stop, we're entertained by a small turtle, and then by a beautiful school of lunar fusiliers. After seeing so many fish during this dive, it seems only appropriate that they should be present at the safety stop, too.

Sealife Observed on this dive:
Kuhl stingray
giant moray
orante ghost pipefish (2)
lunar fusilier
thecacera (nudibranch)
regal angelfish
glossodoris atromarginata (nudibranch)
jawfish
turtle
sea snake (sea krait?)
titan triggerfish
longnose butterflyfish
schooling bannerfish

More
Dive
Info:
Fins:
Tusa Xpert Zoom Splitfin
Computer:
Oceanic Veo 200
Tank:
80 ft3 Aluminum
BCD:
Rented from Gecko Divers in Phuket
Dive Type:
BOAT, Queen Scuba
Body of Water:
Andaman Sea
Mask:
Tusa Visio Tri-Ex
Protection:
Borrowed 3mm full suit
Regulator:Rented from Gecko Divers in Phuket
Weight:
4 kg
Water Type:
Salt
Video Equipment:
None