Manta Queen 3 - Trip 229 and Manta Queen 5 - Trip 102.
Our apologizes for the mechanical problems on Manta Queen 5, hope the free upgrade to Manta Queen 3 has cleared all the issues.
Manta Queen 3’s departure from Khao Lak harbour was on a balmy and calm night and we made excellent speed on our way to the Similan Islands. A diverse group of divers with experience levels ranging from PADI Open Water student to seasoned PADI Dive Instructors with 1000s of dives went on the search for their perfect underwater experience.
We started on the gentle slopes of Anita’s Reef, before the crew and guests of Manta Queen 5 joined us at Similan Island number 9. Then we gradually went on to the more challenging dive sites such as the world renowned Koh Tachai Pinnacle and the eternally beautiful Richelieu Rock. Although getting close to full moon, we had hardly any current throughout the trip. Instead, a swinging surge softly swept us back and forth across the sites.
The Similan Islands fantastic marine life gave us an excellent show. We saw the super small - frilly blue dragons and bumpy lamellarias, see-through cleaner shrimp and tiny, excited clownfish babies. And we saw the big stuff: a baby green turtle cruising past (“Dude!”), schools of yellowtail barracudas hovering over the dome and an rather frustrated octopus trying to eat a sea snake during the night dive. We even had some white tip reef sharks and at neighbouring dive sites North Point and Christmas Point an inquisitive eagle ray said hello twice under water.
So many of our divers used the opportunity to become even better divers. Congratulations to Armelle, Camille and Luis for becoming PADI Open Water divers, Maryam, Luis, Shirley, Sean, Antoine and Jenny for becoming PADI Advanced Open Water divers. Christiane, Martina and Lukas for finishing the PADI Nitrox course, Michael and Maryam for achieving their PADI Deep Diver Specialty ratings. And lastly, Mathieu and Brooke for becoming a Self-Reliant Diver. Well done all of you!
Remember to dive safely and come and see us again soon!
The Team of the Manta Queen Liveaboard Fleet 3 and 5 powered by Khao Lak Scuba Adventures
