A liveaboard in the Andaman Sea, one divers tale.
I boarded the vessel in mid-February along with my newly certified parents. We were about to embark on a 5 day journey to the famed Similan and Surin islands. What a place to gain your first fun dives! My parents were thrilled at the prospect of warm water and stuff to look at. They had been certified in the chilly quarry of Baltimore not 6 months earlier and saw only a sunken car. We woke up the next morning bright and early for a day of amazing dives. Beginning at 7am with two morning dives, an afternoon dive, and a night dive, our day was sure to be exciting. Not wanting to miss out on the nocturnal animals, my parents began their advanced course.
I acquired a new dive buddy, Daniel from Oz, who proved to be ideal. Not only were we both slow-paced photographers, but our air consumption was also identical. Good things to look for in a dive buddy also include the ability to have fun and to not take yourself so seriously. The days began to float on by as I spent 4 out of every 16 waking hours underwater. I began to grow gills. I formed a nice tan, as the other 12 'waking' hours were spent in siesta on the boat's sundeck. I got to know some of the other divers and we formed bonds as our experiences together grew. The day we saw the manta rays was definitely the pinnacle of those bonds. You either saw them or you didn't. Luckily I was in the first group.
When I saw the first one at the start of the dive I was frantically trying to get Daniel's attention. At the same time I started to make a video with my camera. In that first video you can distinctly hear me shout "Oh my God!" (through the housing and with my reg in, you can clearly hear my excited voice) and then you see the camera drop from my grasp while still trying to get the attention of my dive buddy. Luckily, the camera strap was securely attached to my wrist. While this was not the best footage I was to make of the mantas, it was definitely the funniest.
At the end of the dive we encountered the frolicking mantas again. They were very near the surface, so my buddy and I ascended to a safety stop where we would remain until our air was nearly consumed. It was here that I witnessed a huge flying manta heading directly towards me. It was a bit intimidating to see this huge (3m wingspan), beautiful, horned, winged animal coming straight at me. I had no choice but to begin filming him, completely unsure if he would go over, under, around or into me! As it turns out he got right up to me and flipped upwards, displaying his massive white underside while he swam back to where he came from. This is why I dive. Moments like this will live forever, permanently etched in my underwater memory. So beautiful, so thrilling, so REAL.
Outside of the manta ray dive, the highlight of this trip was without a doubt Richelieu Rock. What a fantastic dive site! I could have spent the rest of our dives in that one spot out in the middle of the Andaman Sea. So rich with corals, anemones and fish of all colors. Wonderful rock formations, schooling fish, octopuses, morays, seahorses and prolific beauty that defies imagination. I know one day I will return to the Andaman for another chance to experience this one of a kind dive site. It is truly spectacular and worth the long journey out to sea.
We were lucky to have a resident videographer on board with us who captured the entire trip. So not only do I have my memories, I also have a video logbook of all 14 dives. It is a beautifully shot one hour long video, including above water antics by fellow divers. Let me know if you want to hear more about ZeroBar.org's destination: Andaman Sea. We can take you there and you'll have the satisfying knowledge of contributing to the conservation of our underwater playground.
Next stop: the pristine, crystal cold waters of Ketchikan, Alaska. I will be spending the summer months here leading scuba and snorkel tours. Maybe I will see you there?
~Kelly, a zerobar.org Zooplankton
Want to share a dive adventure story? Please contribute to stories@zerobar.org with subject heading "expedition" .