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| A Woman's Directory For Travel and Life. WAVE Journey is your one stop online resource for women oriented businesses and services around the world. WAVE Journey is for every woman to enjoy. If you love to travel, cook, read or revel in outdoor activities this website is for you. If you are looking to connect with other like-minded women or if you are interested in finding businesses or services that cater to women, WAVE Journey is your number one online resource. |
| WAVE Journey |
| Women's Adventures, Vacations, Experiences ~ Your Journey Starts Here! |
A Whale of a time:
Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock Liveaboard, Thailand ~ continued
By Doug Olthof
Similan Islands & Richelieu Rock Liveaboard, Thailand ~ continued
By Doug Olthof
By the next morning, with the joyful sight of such a large pod of dolphins, spirits were
universally high. The sky was clear and the calm waters had taken on an almost impossibly
bright and inviting shade of blue. As the divemaster briefed the divers on the first dive of
the day (the “test” dive) the excitement on board became palpable. By just peering
overboard you could see that the crystal clear waters were teeming with life. After the
briefing and a thorough check of our equipment we were in the water and ready to begin
our first dive. The first dive of a trip always begins with a few minutes of uncertainty as
even experienced divers have to get used to the idea of being a fish again. But soon we
were all back in our respective comfort zones and ready to start playing our roles as
guests in an underwater utopia.
universally high. The sky was clear and the calm waters had taken on an almost impossibly
bright and inviting shade of blue. As the divemaster briefed the divers on the first dive of
the day (the “test” dive) the excitement on board became palpable. By just peering
overboard you could see that the crystal clear waters were teeming with life. After the
briefing and a thorough check of our equipment we were in the water and ready to begin
our first dive. The first dive of a trip always begins with a few minutes of uncertainty as
even experienced divers have to get used to the idea of being a fish again. But soon we
were all back in our respective comfort zones and ready to start playing our roles as
guests in an underwater utopia.
After a stunning introduction to the natural wonders that
would captivate us for the days to come, we were
rounded up by a crew member in a small inflatable
motorboat and brought back to our temporary maritime
abode. There we were helped out of the water, relieved
of our equipment and, once dry, we found a wonderful
meal waiting for us on the upper deck. The trip was
punctuated by one delicious meal after the next. Different
boats cater to different tastes, with some serving mostly
Thai fare and others catering to the western palette, but
they are all Thai boats and this is a country where eating
is priority number one. This means there is never a
shortage of good food on these boats; throughout the
trip we were constantly and contently stuffed.
Thus the divers on board quickly fell into an idyllic routine.
A stunning dive would be followed by a delicious meal.
Divers would then disperse to pore over fish guide-books,
take a nap in the climate-controlled cabins or
would captivate us for the days to come, we were
rounded up by a crew member in a small inflatable
motorboat and brought back to our temporary maritime
abode. There we were helped out of the water, relieved
of our equipment and, once dry, we found a wonderful
meal waiting for us on the upper deck. The trip was
punctuated by one delicious meal after the next. Different
boats cater to different tastes, with some serving mostly
Thai fare and others catering to the western palette, but
they are all Thai boats and this is a country where eating
is priority number one. This means there is never a
shortage of good food on these boats; throughout the
trip we were constantly and contently stuffed.
Thus the divers on board quickly fell into an idyllic routine.
A stunning dive would be followed by a delicious meal.
Divers would then disperse to pore over fish guide-books,
take a nap in the climate-controlled cabins or
compare stories of the wonders encountered below the waves. In the first three days we
had seen several beautiful sea turtles, numerous big red octopus, bizarre frogfish,
curious garden eels, befuddling ghost pipefish, lethargic leopard sharks, four massive and
graceful manta rays and such an array of fish as to leave one breathless (well…not
literally!).
had seen several beautiful sea turtles, numerous big red octopus, bizarre frogfish,
curious garden eels, befuddling ghost pipefish, lethargic leopard sharks, four massive and
graceful manta rays and such an array of fish as to leave one breathless (well…not
literally!).
