Getting closer to it! 40 days!

Blank timespan filled, going to dive Sipadan!

Sipadan, legendary dive site Borneo

End of January, and tomorrow there is only 40 days left to the start.
(Play Muddy Waters Forty Days now)
I've been busy planning and booking, the itinerary is almost complete.
I finally made up my mind  about going into the blue or on a planned schedule, I decided for a schedule with some room in it...

So here it is, Trip so far:
5 days kao lak
4 days Similans Liveaboard Sawasdee Fasai
4 days Similans Liveaboard Pawara
2 weeks Ko Tao with my son
4 days Similans Liveaboard The Junk with Marco and Brian
3 days Kata Beach, see my friends at Kata Noi Beach restaurant On The Rocks, chill at Ska Bar...
10 days Ko Lanta and Ko Lipe, meet Peter and do some dives at Ko Haa Cathedral
10 days Borneo with Sipadan, at Scuba Junkies at Mabul Island, Barracuda Point...

7 days Sulawesi with Bunaken/Lembeh, at Bastianos Resorts

9 days Raja Ampat with Gemma from buceothailandia
6 days Gili Air, Manta Dive Resort

Then it is May 27...Not clear yet if I go to Hawaii then, I wait for more surprises by the new president before I decide if I go to USA 😉

All acommodations has been reserved or booked, some connections are yet to be booked, e.g. from Ko Lipe to Krabi Airport, Kuala Lumpur to Manado, Manado to Sorong, and that's it. The End ist still open...

3 days ago I bought a Macbook Air for editing fotos and videos on the trip, and I am really delighted by the responsiveness  and speed of that thing. For comparison, my iMac at home is now 10 years old, cannot be updated to the latest version of the OS and I can sometimes easily outtype it... ;-)

This month I will do the React Right First Aid course and have a last date with my doctor, then ready to go!
(Play Muddy Waters I am ready now)


40days from Vo Sta on Vimeo.

See you under water

MV Flying Seahorse sunk!

A week ago, Peter of Lanta Diving Safaris had to post on FB that his ship, the Flying Seahorse, is lost. No lives were lost, but the boat is completely battered by the raging sea in a typhoon that came without warning.
He had put all his money and energy into this business and is now confronted with a big black void.

MV Flying Seahorse before and after the Typhoon 8. january 2017

Peter is the only operator to offer liveaboard trips from Ko Lanta way down to Ko Lipe, deep south. There is a lot of day cruises, but no one to offer 5 days 4 nights trips in that area. What a pity.
I had booked and paid a trip to Ko Lipe with this boat, April 20-24, but now there is no boat anymore.
I gave Peter a week and asked today, how it is going to go on, but have no answer yet.
Other friends of Peter set up bank accounts for donations.
Peter sent my money for the trip back completely. I retransfered 200 Euros, roughly a third of my payment for the trip, as donation for the loss. Hope it helps.

So now I have a blank timespan again, April 14 til May 13

See you under water

60-days-visa Thailand: Check!

See you under water

Next Liveaboard: The Junk

During my first searches for Liveaboards in the Similans I stumbled over The Junk, an extraordinary vessel, built in 1961/62. Last year on a trip to the Similans I saw it pass by our boat silently and with the unique grace of a vintage sailboat...  It was clear to me: I would have to sail and dive on this one as soon as possible.

The Junk “June Hong Chian Lee”

Yesterday I learned that my trusted dive guide and buddy Marco Coelho will work as a dive guide on The Junk for the entire Season 2016/17.
Luckily, there is a trip with some spaces available that fits perfectly in my schedule, so I did not hesitate a minute and booked it right away, April 10th to 15th.
As a consequence, it is no longer possible to do a Divemaster course on this trip, because there is no more timeframe of at least six weeks continuously. Decisions have to be made and so be it.

So the updated schedule looks like this:
5 days in Phuket
five days on the Sawasdee Fasai
5 days on the MV Pawara with Fernando
two weeks on Koh Tao with my son Leo
5 days on The Junk with Marco
4 weeks without plans (Flying Seahorse to Koh Lipe, Seaventures Dive Rig and Sipadan, Bunaken, Lembeh)
1 week Raja Ampat with Gemma and viajaybucea
no plans for May 21 till June 30, but some ideas...: Hawaii and Mexico on my way back home ;-)

Exciting.

See you under water

First underwater pics with the Canon G16

Mediterranean Sea, Italy and Spain, Depth 12-24 meters

Canon G16, Meikon Housing, SeaLife Seadragon 1200 Light

See you under water

First test of the new camera

Surprising depth of field, super fast, white balance just a click away. Looks good so far,,,

MV Pawara has got a new Sister Ship

Exciting news found on FB: The MV Pawara, operated by West Coast Divers Phuket, now has a new sister ship: The Sawasdee Fasai. Prices are a bit higher than on the Pawara, around 10 percent.
I would really like to try it.

More pictures here: Clicki click 

The boat looks great, I sent an email to Doo at West Coast Divers immediately, to find out, if she is in charge for the booking of MV Sawasdee Fasai as well.
Their schedule shows a trip starting March 14th, my day of arrival in Thailand, till March 18th, one day before I go on board the MV Mariner of Wicked Diving...

More important: Will Marco, Brian, Beto and Fernando be working on the Pawara or the Sawasdee this season? Wanna dive with these guys again, no matter which boat! With them I would go to the Similans even in a Dinghy!

Update: Booking is open for The Sawasdee Fasai! Temporary page: http://www.westcoastdivers.com/mv-sawasdee-fasai-schedule/

See you under water