The weather at the Similan islands and Khao Lak.

From the 28 - 30 of March, we had heavy rain here in Khao Lak, big waves on the 29th at the Similan islans. It's raining all day all night for 3 days.

 The waves are smaller on the 30th and the sea is calm again on the 31st. I work up this morning and did not hear the rain anymore. I was so happy, our day trip speedboat is going out again after a few days of canceled the trips. The live-aboard is leaving tonight with full boat. Everything is back to normal again. I'm looking out the glass window while I'm writing this and see that the customers are happy the staff are busy taking care of the guests. I have seen this situation everyday for the last few months but still not use to not joining them, get excited and wish I can be on the boat with them too. I think I miss diving.

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures will run the trip as normal until the 16th of May, if the weather is bad we will inform you and we will not go out, better to be safe first. We are checking the weather forcast frequently. Get more information about the weather at the Similan from http://www.myweather2.com/Holiday-Destinations/Thailand/Khao-Lak.aspx?sday=1 or http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=72309

M/V Manta Queen III

     MQ III is on duty since 23rd of February 2011. She is big and beautiful. Here are some photos, if you want to see more photos please go to our face book fan page "Khao Lak Scuba Adventures"

Main Deck

Sun Deck

Living Room

View Point

Dive Deck

Bunk Bed Cabin

Come to Dive with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures on M/V Manta Queen III from November until May. We will give you the experience you never forget.

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures's new look.

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures from the front.

Looks nice and clean, the customers sit here while they are waiting for the trip to depart.

The classroom with air conditioner.

Administration area.

Relaxing corner.

Management area in the room behind administration area.

Product of the month.

     Aqua Lung Lycra is a fabrics designed specifically to support athletes and active people in their sporting activities. The Lycra fabrics deliver a range of stretch and recovery power designed to help consumers move and perform at their best, while feeling comfortable. This Lycra is 80% polyamide and 20% spandex, treated UPF 50+SPF. It retain 98% of UV and limit heat loss while allowing ease of movement. It can be warn under a wet-suit or on its own for water sport which require a combination of light-weight, breath ability, muscle support and freedom of movement. 
     Get one of the top Lycra from Khao Lak Scuba Adventures detail outlet, we have from small size up to XXL in many different colors.

Giant Clams.

On the 28th of Febaury I went to Tai Mueng to help to put 300 giant clams into the small reef there. Why Giant clam? Besides their beauty, clams offer  benefits to the sea. Their ability to filter nutrients from the water. The colorful, fleshy part of Tridacna clams that is displayed when the shell is open is called the 'syphonal mantle. This mantle contains both an incurrent (intake) and an expelling orifice (opening). The clams use these openings to move water through their internal organs, where nutrients and plankton are filtered out and consumed by the clam.

Tridacna clams not only use nutrients from the water to satisfy their nutritional needs, but also employ algae cells called zooxanthellae within their mantle. These algae cells use nutrients from both the clam and the water, and along with light, they photosynthesize. The energy that these cells produce through photosynthesis is then returned back to the clam which uses this energy source to aid in its growth.

The nutrients that clams remove from the water are mainly ammonia and nitrate. When a clam feeds upon ammonia, it eliminates this nutrient from the system before it is processed by the biological filtration. The biological filtration is what facilitates the nitrogen cycle, and by not allowing ammonia to enter into this cycle, the end product nitrate will not be formed. This ultimately reduces the biological load and lowers the overall nitrate level.

Department of Fisheries and Coastal Fisheries Research and Development Bureau are doing a research about Giant Clams and have managed to breed 200,000 of them. Many organizations are helping to put the clams in the sea. To make the water more clean, have more oxygen and less potentially harmful phyto- and zooplankton.

Manta Research.

     A terrific lecture from Dr Angela Marshall of "Queen of Mantas" fame. The event was hosted by Andy at Walkers Inn In Khao Lak and was well attended by many dive staff and customers alike.
     The evening was packed with useful information about the feeding, mating and social habits of both Reef Mantas (Manta alfredi) - which aggregate in large numbers in places around the Indian Ocean and SE Asia, and Giant Mantas (Manta Birostris) - which migrate across and even between oceans.
     Both species can be encountered at our regular local diving spot at Koh Bon, though the Giant Mantas (which can grow over 7 meters across!) are the most commonly sighted here between Christmas and Easter. There are very few people researching these beautiful and enigmatic creatures but Angela, whose research base is in Mozambique, has produced a wealth of information, much of which is available to view at http://marinemegafauna.org/
     The site also suggests what we can do as recreational divers to help with research and preservation. There is a special Facebook page for Manta sightings in Thailand so if any of you have good photos of the underside of a Manta Ray, you should submit them here: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_150283268350675.
     Angela's website provides details of the kind of shot required (mouth to tail, 'wings' less important) to best display the Manta's unique spot pattern by which individuals can be identified and migration routes determined.
     On http://marinemegafauna.org/new-manta-ray-research-page/ you'll also find answers to questions like:
How to tell the difference between the two species?
How long do Mantas live? (if they're not caught by fishermen or tangled in nets and mooring lines)
Where are all the baby Mantas?
How far do they range?
How deep do they dive?
What do they eat?
How should we dive responsibly around Mantas?
How are Mantas threatened by man?
What can we do to assist conservation efforts.
     The lecture reminded me that here on the Andaman coast we're in the front line of encounters with these wonderful creatures and we must try to keep focused on and enjoy what we still have and keep fighting to protect it rather than dwell on what we've lost.
     Thanks Angela for coming all this way, sharing the fruits of your research with us and involving us in your work.
                                       Story by Paul Effeny 
                                       Diving instructor of Khao Lak Scuba  Adventures

New boat.

M/V Manta Queen III

A day scuba diving or snorkeling at the exciting dive sites of the Similan Islands and beyond is the perfect choice for guests who are on a limited time schedule and for those who like to enjoy the amenities and comforts of their hotel or resort on land. Joining a day trip you can spend the whole day diving or snorkeling at exciting and remote locations and still make it back to Khao Lak in time for dinner.

Due to the distance to the Similan Islands, it is also possible for divers and snorkelers to stay overnight like the very popular 2 or 3 day overnight trips on M/V Manta Queen III. Our custom built live-aboard M/V Manta Queen III is cruising continuously around the Similan Islands National Park.

The vessel is fitted with air-conditioned cabins for up to 24 guests. The boat has 3 types of cabins
- 6 shared twin bed bunk cabins with extra bed "Standard Cabin"
- 2 shared twin bed bunk cabins with extra bed and private bathroom "Deluxe Cabin"
- 1 double bed cabin with private bathroom (14 sqm) "Master Cabin"
Our M/V Manta Queen III is 35 meters long  8 meters width, the hull is metal, 2 Hino engines and contain 20,000 liters of fresh water.

A daily transfer by our two 675 horsepower speedboats “White Dolphin” and "Dolphin Express" in the morning takes you to the diving vessel M/V Manta Queen III making it possible to start on any day an overnight trips for any length of time that suits you. After the main briefing our guests will be separated into groups in order to accommodate all their individual needs. The White Dolphin then departs to shallower and calmer reefs for the non dive activities and diving students while our certified divers will dive from the M/V Manta Queen III.

This fast transfer to the Islands by speedboat and diving from a comfortable dive vessel while separately servicing dive courses, non divers and snorkelers is the best way to ensure that everyone will have a fantastic time enjoying the treasures of the Andaman Sea. This two boat dive system introduced by Khao Lak Scuba Adventures has proven the most flexible and popular over the past few years.This flexibility ensures that your dream dive trip will fit into your holiday schedule.