The diving on the western coast of Thailand is supposed to be the best the country has to offer. But, in rainy season, the more remote destinations (Hin Daeng, Hin Muang, Similan Islands) are closed due to unpredictable/nasty weather and low demand. But, we were able to get a taste of what the area has to offer by diving Koh Haa which means five islands in Thai. It’s actually 6 boulders/small islands in some shallow water with some nice corals and animal life.
Here’s a different species of barracuda, smaller than the barcode barracuda we’d seen in Sipadan, Malaysia.
Soft coral below – you almost just want to pop each bubble. No… we didn’t sneak a little pop in.
I’d say find the fish, but this one’s obvious. It’s not a flounder though, it’s a sole – yes, the kind you find in the supermarket. Now you know what one looks like and that it’s a bottom feeder, for what it’s worth.
Here are some nudibranches (sea slugs) which some dive guides get really psyched about because they can be quite colorful and are sometimes hard to spot. They don’t really float our boat, but here are a couple where the photo actually came out.
We’ve been fortunate enough to see several turtles in Malaysia and now Thailand. You have to remember that these guys can be rare and you’re lucky to see one on a dive. There’s a reason there are so many turtle conservation organizations out there.
All-in-all, we liked Koh Haa. The visibility was far superior to dives in Malaysia and our dive guide (David from Pimalai Divers) said the visibility was bad. So, it goes to show that the high season is probably phenomenal. We’ll have to come back.
Here are some more photos our journey and dives:
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Next, we head to Mai Khao (near Phuket)…