We had an amazing day yesterday scuba diving off the islands of Ko Phi Phi.  Not cheap but worth every penny.  Not having dived since we qualified 4 months ago, naturally we were a little apprehensive – but we needn’t have been!

A coral and fish dive off Bida Nai and a shark dive off Palong.

Bida Nai: two minutes in, the apprehension just drifted away, it seemed like only days since we had dived previously and all the skills became second nature.

It was breathtaking, so much better than our four previous dives.  Within minutes a leopard shark drifted past, then a bamboo shark and a barracuda, wow!  The area was amass with colourful fish, the only names we remember were lion, snapper, trigger, clown, brown marbled grouper – and many many more.

We dived a depth of 19m but only lasted 34 minutes – showing our lack of experience, but that will improve over time.  Visibility was around 20m.

Sadly, our camera played up yet again – as soon as we entered the water ‘memory card error’ – and we could have got some amazing shots, what a pain in the asshole.

Palong:  As it was a shark dive, the area and conditions were somewhat different, little colour and very few fish.  Low and behold, the only sharks we seen were on the first dive – damn!

We dived a depth of 12m and lasted a whopping 55 minutes, a big improvement.  Visibility was a poor 10m.

Luckily we had a spare memory card and the camera behaved, but the pictures are disappointing – next time eh!

The rest can be seen here, no.39.

Just a heads up, it’s Sam’s 29^th birthday tomorrow and she’s very excited as you can imagine.  It would be nice to receive a few birthday wishes as I’m guessing she may be feeling a little homesick, especially as it’s her dad’s birthday on the same day – Happy Birthday Keith!

To take her mind off being away from home, I’ve booked us on a nice surprise outing, which I’m keeping a secret for now in case she reads this post, so you’ll have to check back over the next few days for an update.

There will be no phone coverage or email for the next day or so, but we will receive all messages on our return.

I hope she likes the trip .

A great day out touring Ko Phi Phi Leh with two Swiss couples for about four hours.

First we headed for Ao Maya, which was controversially used as the setting for the filming of The Beach starring Leonardo DiCaprio.  As you can imagine visitor numbers have soured since and and it was packed at 10am when we arrived. We can’t imagine what it would be like when the sun’s out!  We stayed no more than 15 minutes, took some pics and headed off to the quieter areas.

Our cheeky ‘captain’ took us to areas where there was an abundance of coral reefs crawling with marine life beneath the crystal clear waters.  We spent hours ducking and diving and got some great shots – thankfully, the camera worked on this occasion.

To end, we headed for monkey island where, unsurprisingly, there were a fair few monkeys.  Again, a bit of a touristy thing, but we got a few snaps with a monkey on our backs.

A great few hours and enjoyed the company immensely, thank you guys!

Our first night on the island and after a long day at the beach and having swam for miles while snorkeling, it was a quick bite to eat, a few bevies and straight to bed. 

We went to see Thai boxing in a a local bar and though you would enjoy this video which shows one of the hardened fighters getting flattened (about 10–15 secs in).  And a restaurant billboard which captures the humour of these great islanders (line two).

We have booked a longtail for the day with two other couples to explore Ko Phi Phi Leh, so more on that soon – that’s if our camera works.

Oh, how beauty can be a burden.  Like Marilyn Monroe, Phi-Phi’s stunning looks have become its own demise. Everyone wants a piece of her (Lonely Planet).

Wow, is all we can say.  As it’s just entering high season, it’s a hassle get getting accommodation, but once you’re settled in you can immerse yourself in the shear beauty on offer.  Ko Phi Phi (as we know it) is split into two islands – Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh – the only accommodation is on Phi Phi Don and it’s a short boat ride to Phi-Phi Leh, a Marine National Park.

We checked into our hotel and excitedly headed straight for the beach for some long awaited snorkeling – it was bliss as you’ll see from the photographs.  With the temperature well above 30 degrees, we baked ourselves for hours.

The exceedingly tragic Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, turned back the eco-damage meter when it wiped out nearly every standing structure on the densely populated twin bays of Ao Ton Sai and Ao Lo Dalam.  In terms of loss of life and property, Ko Phi Phi Don was second only to Khao Lak.  Admittedly, it is very very expensive, but the islanders are still rebuilding and restoring this place to its former glory and that comes at a huge cost.  Although it seems expensive compared to the rest of Thailand, if you compare it to other pin-up islands around the planet, this paradise comes pretty damn cheap.

We will enjoy our stay here for sure.