WEDNESDAY 4 - THURSDAY 5 AUGUST 2010
I had booked two morning dives, and went to the Big Bubble dive centre at 8.15, and after a briefing were taken in a small boat out to the large dive boat at anchor further out in the bay. We dived Green Rock first of all and my buddy and dive leader, Jack, had told me what we were likely to see, including Titon Trigger fish which are about 50 – 75 cm. and can be quite aggressive if you get near their ‘nest’. Jack pointed one out when we were underwater and as we were retreating from the area, but he kept coming at us. Jack kept trying to fend him off with his fins, but he kept on attacking. In the meantime we were surrounded by about another five Trigger fish, all of whom were definitely aggressive and kept darting towards us. Eventually, we managed to get out of their area. Jack told me one instructor had been bitten on the head by a Trigger fish and she need 3 stitches! Apart from this excitement, I also saw a white-eyed moray eel, beautiful long fin banner fish, a brown and white pipefish (similar family to sea horses), lots of parrot fish and a large grouper. I was also nibbled at by small blue wrasse, which are called ‘cleaner fish’ as they swim alongside other fish and feed off them. I wasn’t too impressed that they chose to nibble at the cut on my leg! I know I paid for fish to eat me in Chiang Mai but these wrasse seemed to have bigger teeth and it stung!
After a rest on the boat we dived ‘Red Rock’ area where we saw the colourful ‘Christmas tree’ worms, so called because the hairs on their back look like Christmas trees. We also saw some lovely coral, including a large white coral about 6 metres wide, some beautiful yellow butterfly fish and a sea snake which is very poisonous if it bites, but as it only has a small mouth can only bite the earlobes and the skin between the fingers, therefore the underwater sign for it is to cover your ears!
On the way to the dive boat the next day we spotted 2 black tipped reef sharks which are usually in the bay next door, aptly named Shark Bay. I did two dives with Nico, a German, and Jack and as soon as we went underwater a Ramora fish kept following us, and was playing with Jack’s fins. Amongst the usual coral, nudibranch and brightly coloured fish, we also saw a Blue Spotted Stingray. It is such a pleasure to dive in a shortie wetsuit where the water temperature is 30 degrees at 18 meters!
That evening, Nico, Jack, myself and our Dive Leader who is from New Zealand went on a night dive. I was a bit nervous at first, but relaxed and enjoyed it as soon as I was in the water. Although it is dark, we all had torches so it was easier to spot each other. Different species are active at night and we saw several crabs, a lobster, about 5 blue spotted Stringrays, a small stone fish (which can be dangerous) and a couple of cuttlefish. We were lucky with the weather as it was a beautiful calm night, but the previous 2 evenings it had rained very heavily. This was my longest dive ever – 69 minutes, not including the 3 minute safety stop!
Some dive schools offer reduced accommodation prices , but Big Bubble didn’t. However they let me do the dives for a reduced price of 700 baht each instead of 900, plus 200 extra for hire of the torch for the night dive. My total bill for diving was 3700 baht (about £75) for 5 dives which was extremely good value.
