Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5-6
We took it easy
and got up around 8:30 as we decided together the night before, one
of the great benefits of a private boat charter is the fact of not
having to follow a strict schedule, it can be tailor made to suit the
personal needs and preferences.
There's
nothing better then having the chance to wake up in a tropical
paradise, which in this case was Similan Island #4 where we were
moored during the night, and have right away a
nice refreshing dip in the turquoise sea.
After
a generous and delicious breakfast prepared by our cook and a few
minutes of relaxation we set up our diving equipment.
Once ready we gathered for a quick but detailed dive briefing from
Jason and around 10:00 the captain finally dropped us at the entry
point of of the first dive of this fantastic cruise, on Island #7. As
usual Similan Islands offer the best conditions with good visibility
and lots of fish, Stefano and Giovanni are very experienced divers so
we easily managed to do a very nice 60 minutes dive without having to
worry about air consumption.
After
we got back on board, dried out and exchanged the typical comments
about the exciting dive, we climbed to the upper deck and quickly
after that we saw the caring cool Ms. Rat coming up the ladder with a tray
full of ham & cheese sandwiches as previously requested by
Stefano and Giovanni who prefer to eat light things for lunch, as
anyway on Sai Mai there are always plenty of
fruit and snacks available so it's impossible to get hungry.
In
early afternoon we decided to move and more in the northern bay of
the Island #8 also known as “Donald Duck Bay” due to a granitic boulder
which shape really reminds the head profile of a duck .
 |
| Duck head shaped boulder |
This
part of the island is nothing short of spectacular, the beach is white,
the water is turquoise and everything is surrounded by majestic
boulders of granite rock formations scattered and arranged in a very
particular way and mixed with the lush vegetation
of the island. It's like if a giant hand put them there for some
reason, and all this makes an amazing play of colors.
After we rested
for a while in the shades to let the hottest time of the day to pass
we decided to set foot on the island to have a look around, wo with
camera and sunglasses at hand we jumped on the dinghy boat always
available as support on Sai Mai and the seaman accompanied me and
Giovanni to the beach, while Stefano preferred to stay on board to
chill out and enjoy the views.
Island
#8 is equipped with some Bungalows, tents and other facilities
provided by the National Park to receive the numerous visitors of the
day trips departing from Khao Lak. They also built a trail that
allows to reach the top of the highest pile of granitic boulders,
from which you get a breath taking view over the bay.
The trail itself is very interesting because sneaks through the narrow passages and tunnels between the boulders.
 |
| View point over Donald Duck Bay |
The trail itself is very interesting because sneaks through the narrow passages and tunnels between the boulders.
 |
| Narrow pathway through the rocks |
After an hour spent taking awesome pictures and getting our skin cooked under the heat we
decided to return on board because here in Thailand sun sets quite
early around 18:30 and we planned to do one more dive before it got
dark.
As soon as we
rejoined with Jason, Stefano and the crew we untied the mooring and
moved towards the nearby Similan Island #9 which also delimits the
northern end of the archipelago. Short briefing, all ready and jump
for the second dive of the day, this time on the site called
“Breakfast Bend” on the north-east corner of the island.
Also
this one has been a pleasant dive, the site is
characterized by a slope that starts from the surface and meets the
flat and sandy bottom at a depth of about 20-25 meters, on the slopy
part there are many coral pinnacles creating the perfect environment
for the typical varieties of tropical reef
fish.
Later in the dive, while we were at a depth of 20 meters on the sandy bottom, our attention was seized by a
strange and heavy rectangular shaped object partially buried in the
sand, on which grew a thin layer of coral. Shape, size and texture
made us one think of a small metal hermetically sealed box.
Unfortunately the air in our tanks began to run low and we were now
close to the no-decompression limit so we had to abandon our short
"archaeological" experience and ascend to make the safety
before surfacing.
The fanciful hypotheses on the possible identity and contents of the
"mystery box" have been funny subject of discussion almost
for the entire cruise.
After admiring the
typical breathtaking sunset that the sea always gives at the end of a
sunny day, we sat at the table to taste a delicious Thai dinner.
Quality of food on Sai Mai can match the best Thai restaurants in
Phuket. Don't necessarily need to do a long cruise to experience this. it's easy to try the daily Sunset Cruise and Dinner on MV Sai Mai.
