Where to start? This ship is so different to the other liveaboards...
The Junk is an original chinese merchant ship from the last century, wooden hull, three masts.
From the website:
The Junk “June Hong Chian Lee” was built in Penang, Malaysia.
The keel was laid in 1961
she was launched in 1962. Her registration in Penang was P27.
In total there were in that period 6 sister ships built all about the same dimensions, about a 120 ton displacement capable of about 45-60 tons of cargo.
In the early eighties she arrived in Thailand and she was redesigned for the first time as a pleasure craft. She spends a little over ten years in Phi Phi Island and in 1997 she was converted to a diving liveaboard vessel.
During 1985 she was restored and redesigned for the first time to serve as a classic yacht. The new owner acquired The Junk in 1984. He then put for the first time in its history a deck on it. On top were two master cabins and below deck a kitchen, one toilet and many bunk beds all in one open space. Life was still very communal on the Junk.
During that time an ordinary long tail boat was chartered to transfer divers to and from the dive sites. A portable compressor on deck and that was it.
In 1997 the next owners spent the whole of 1998 restoring and rebuilding the Junk.
An old Chinese carpenter came out of retirement to oversee the job. It took a team of about 15 carpenters more than a year to rebuild this ship. More than 60 Ton of teak was used for this restauration.
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April 11
We did our check dive at The Channel and Monument, between Islands #5 and #6
Team China with their own guide Xiaobin Chen, a finnish family, Mario from Austria, a very sympathetic english family from Hong Kong, and the Nitrox Gang, that's Rabea and Manuel from Switzerland, me, and my trusted guide and buddy Marco.
We dive a Nitrox mix of 30% from a membrane system.
Rabea, Manuel and me have almost the same air consumption, which makes a lot of things much easier.
On the second dive that day at West of Eden we make out a frogfish in the corals
Dive 3 is at Three Trees, and we finish off the day with a true night dive at Breakfast Bend, entry time is 7:55pm, pitch dark, but I could shoot some Nudis and other creatures
April 12
Next day we start diving at the Koh Bon Ridge, we see some mantas, but the visibility is not the best, the pictures and videos came out blurry. Further up in the shallows I find a Black Maldive Sponge Snail, very cool color, blueish black.
The second dive brings us the mantas we have been longing for. Marco sure knows his ways around on this site, hanging out at 24 meters depth for 5 to 7 minutes, and then the show begins.
The Dinghi driver found a dead whale's carcasse on the surface, we decide to have a look. Windward ok, but in Lee it stinks like hell. We let go, cycles of life, and return to the ship.
Today is the Freddie's birthday, she is one of the two daughters of that very sympathetic family, she gets 24 today. Her mother asks me to take some pictures of her. I will have a little birthday movie for her next day.
Off we go to Tachai, the Pinnacle and a night dive, this time guide Jerome from Menton, France, at Tachai Reef. When I see Jerome in the water, I want to try sidemount diving once. Shot some night pics
April 13
We cruise to Richelieu Rock in the early morning hours, the plan is to have a full day with four dives there.
I always set my alarms to half an hour before the wake up call, love those quiet minutes on deck when the sun starts coming out, there are only some crew and dive staff, the rigging sings in the soft breeze, a toast with salted butter and a hot cup of black tea with ginger on the railing get me started.
On the first dive starting at 8:05am we go down to the deepest point on this trip, 32.2 meters, because we want to visit the seahorse living there. Marco knows exactly where to look for it, a beautiful yellow Thorn Seahorse.
Further on into the dive we make out two cuttlefish, probably mother and child, very curious creatures, Mama gives me the eye, as I take a movie shot of the two.
On the following dives I let myself get carried away with the beautiful landscape underwater, fields of soft coral in blue, purple and white, fly through the rocks and just have a really good time underwater.
The sunset dive has some special effect: surge. At some points we swing 3 meters to the left, 3 meters to the right and again to the left. You can hardly make a direction or course. But if you don't fight it, it has a soothing, calming effect. 10 more minutes in that surge and I would have slept like baby in a cradle...;-)
Today is Michael's birthday, 62, he spends everybody a beer, and we show the little birthday nightdive video to Freddie and Monty. They love it, and they get a copy on a USB stick.
The ship feels very much like home by now already. It's always funny to see, when the minivan bus collects the guests, everybody is a complete stranger to everybody else, but after 3 days you know everybody by name (except team China, we cannot talk so much anyway), heard interesting life stories, and have made friends.
April 14
We have taken course towards the mainland in the very early morning. Last two dives are on the Boonsung Wreck, a former tin scraper of huge dimensions, which has been broken to pieces, big pieces, during the tsunami.
Marco is not very fond of diving the wreck two times, so we go out onto the sand for the second dive. Rabea and Manuel don't take the dive, but Timo from Finland kicks in. He is diving on air, so we adapt to his NDL times (For you non-divers out there, the NDL is the No Decompression Limit, the time you may stay at a certain depth without needing a decompression stop. Dive computers calculate that time constantly, and you have higher NDLs with Nitrox, means you can stay down longer)
Marco finds a wight belt with two big weights and a dive compass, Suunto SK7, while we slowly swim above the sand away from the wreck!
By the end of the dive we see a big very evenly formed crater, about two meters deep and 8 to 10 in diameter. It looks alien in the flat sand.
Of course it's not a natural phenomenon, and no sea creature has built it. This is what dynamite fishing looks like, when the pot explodes on soft sandy ground.
We wash and dry our dive gear, the thai crew is of immense help with that.
A last warm shower on the deck
April 11
We did our check dive at The Channel and Monument, between Islands #5 and #6
Team China with their own guide Xiaobin Chen, a finnish family, Mario from Austria, a very sympathetic english family from Hong Kong, and the Nitrox Gang, that's Rabea and Manuel from Switzerland, me, and my trusted guide and buddy Marco.
 |
| The Dive Groups |
We dive a Nitrox mix of 30% from a membrane system.
Rabea, Manuel and me have almost the same air consumption, which makes a lot of things much easier.
On the second dive that day at West of Eden we make out a frogfish in the corals
 |
| Frogfish in a coral |
 |
| Frogfish in a coral, closer |
Dive 3 is at Three Trees, and we finish off the day with a true night dive at Breakfast Bend, entry time is 7:55pm, pitch dark, but I could shoot some Nudis and other creatures
 |
| I love Nudis and slugs |
 |
| Lionfish out for hunt at night |
 |
| Say "Hello" and "Sabaidee!" |
April 12
Next day we start diving at the Koh Bon Ridge, we see some mantas, but the visibility is not the best, the pictures and videos came out blurry. Further up in the shallows I find a Black Maldive Sponge Snail, very cool color, blueish black.
 |
| Black Maldive Sponge Snail. Yes, a snail |
The second dive brings us the mantas we have been longing for. Marco sure knows his ways around on this site, hanging out at 24 meters depth for 5 to 7 minutes, and then the show begins.
 |
| Mista Manta checking the hood |
The Dinghi driver found a dead whale's carcasse on the surface, we decide to have a look. Windward ok, but in Lee it stinks like hell. We let go, cycles of life, and return to the ship.
 |
| Dead Whale drifting about half a mile off the Koh Bon Ridge |
Today is the Freddie's birthday, she is one of the two daughters of that very sympathetic family, she gets 24 today. Her mother asks me to take some pictures of her. I will have a little birthday movie for her next day.
Off we go to Tachai, the Pinnacle and a night dive, this time guide Jerome from Menton, France, at Tachai Reef. When I see Jerome in the water, I want to try sidemount diving once. Shot some night pics
 |
| Crab |
 |
| Slugs |
April 13
We cruise to Richelieu Rock in the early morning hours, the plan is to have a full day with four dives there.
I always set my alarms to half an hour before the wake up call, love those quiet minutes on deck when the sun starts coming out, there are only some crew and dive staff, the rigging sings in the soft breeze, a toast with salted butter and a hot cup of black tea with ginger on the railing get me started.
 |
| The deck, early morning, about 6:15 am |
 |
| Ready for the next dive |
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| Ready for the next dive |
On the first dive starting at 8:05am we go down to the deepest point on this trip, 32.2 meters, because we want to visit the seahorse living there. Marco knows exactly where to look for it, a beautiful yellow Thorn Seahorse.
 |
| The most beautiful shots of a seahorse I ever took |
 |
| The most beautiful shots of a seahorse I ever took |
 |
| The most beautiful shots of a seahorse I ever took |
Further on into the dive we make out two cuttlefish, probably mother and child, very curious creatures, Mama gives me the eye, as I take a movie shot of the two.
 |
| Cuttlefish are so cute and curious |
 |
| Cuttlefish are so cute and curious |
On the following dives I let myself get carried away with the beautiful landscape underwater, fields of soft coral in blue, purple and white, fly through the rocks and just have a really good time underwater.
 |
| Fishsoup |
 |
| Fishsoup |
 |
| Hanging out |
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| Hanging out |
 |
| Feathered Star. Crinoids, around for million of years already |
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| A beautifully colored nudibranch with eggs |
 |
| Spot the grumpy old fish... |
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| Coral Beauty |
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| Passing by. Trumpetfish? |
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| Explorers at "work" |
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| Coral Beauty |
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| Batfish cruising in the blue |
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| Coral Beauty |
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| Coral Beauty |
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| Triggerfish |
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| Tiny, tiny. wait for the video |
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| Tiny, tiny. wait for the video |
 |
| Grumpy old man |
 |
| Coral Beauty |
The sunset dive has some special effect: surge. At some points we swing 3 meters to the left, 3 meters to the right and again to the left. You can hardly make a direction or course. But if you don't fight it, it has a soothing, calming effect. 10 more minutes in that surge and I would have slept like baby in a cradle...;-)
Today is Michael's birthday, 62, he spends everybody a beer, and we show the little birthday nightdive video to Freddie and Monty. They love it, and they get a copy on a USB stick.
The ship feels very much like home by now already. It's always funny to see, when the minivan bus collects the guests, everybody is a complete stranger to everybody else, but after 3 days you know everybody by name (except team China, we cannot talk so much anyway), heard interesting life stories, and have made friends.
April 14
We have taken course towards the mainland in the very early morning. Last two dives are on the Boonsung Wreck, a former tin scraper of huge dimensions, which has been broken to pieces, big pieces, during the tsunami.
 |
| Wrecks can be eerie sometimes, and the Boonsung is no exception. |
Marco is not very fond of diving the wreck two times, so we go out onto the sand for the second dive. Rabea and Manuel don't take the dive, but Timo from Finland kicks in. He is diving on air, so we adapt to his NDL times (For you non-divers out there, the NDL is the No Decompression Limit, the time you may stay at a certain depth without needing a decompression stop. Dive computers calculate that time constantly, and you have higher NDLs with Nitrox, means you can stay down longer)
Marco finds a wight belt with two big weights and a dive compass, Suunto SK7, while we slowly swim above the sand away from the wreck!
By the end of the dive we see a big very evenly formed crater, about two meters deep and 8 to 10 in diameter. It looks alien in the flat sand.
 |
| Bomb crater from dynamite fishing |
Of course it's not a natural phenomenon, and no sea creature has built it. This is what dynamite fishing looks like, when the pot explodes on soft sandy ground.
 |
| Timo plays with some fish eggs I cannot identify |
 |
| A Black Shrimp Gobi. They live in symbiosis with a shrimp. The fish is out to be on guard for any danger, the shrimp is in the hole (left) and does the housekeeping. Very shy, hard to get both in one shot |
 |
| The famous motorbike at Boonsung wreck. Definitely not as old as the wreck itself, maybe 5 years old. Maybe some diver was very pissed by another, or someone just had a prank on someone else |
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| Lobster, anyone? |
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| The Honeycomb Moray Eel. Lovely plumage |
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| Masters of Camouflage |
We wash and dry our dive gear, the thai crew is of immense help with that.
 |
| Tiger |
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| Preparing to dive again |
A last warm shower on the deck
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| This big pot on deck is for showers after dives. It is ideally positioned in front of the Air Con converter, so the warm air from the machine heats the pot and the water. Grab the pot with handle inside and pour comfortably warm water over you. |
Pay our bills, national park fees, honesty list on the fridge, t-shirt merchandise etc. and pack the bags.
Disembarkation is a fast and well organized procedure, everybody has a minibus bringing them to their destination. Hugs, kisses, "stay in contact!", "Here's my facebook", everybody looks so familiar suddenly, "bye, Bye" and after 5 minutes you sit in a bus bringing you away from the pier to some other place, where you continue.
Here is a video for you with some highlights in diving with The Junk:
Some Similan Highlights 2017 from Vo Sta on Vimeo.
This trip was an outstanding experience, it had all I could wish for.
Missed only one "thing": my crazy Irishman Brian,
who couldn't take this trip, he had hurt his foot. So I will have to book another trip and see you then, mate!
I have 142 dives in my logbook after this trip, and I did 40 of them with Marco in the Similans over the last two years. That's roughly a third, or 28.16 percent for you precisenicks out there, of all my dives. Nobody dived more with me.
I call this absolute Pro and crack my buddy and I am proud he calls me his buddy on dives.
See you under water
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