Diving in Maya Bay near Phi Phi Island had reignited my love for scuba diving, so I decided my next adventure after leaving Phuket would be a 4-night trip on a liveaboard dive boat. Lisa Walsh at Andy's Scuba Diving in Raiwai arranged the trip on the Pawara with West Coast Divers. A liveaboard is a scuba vessel with sleeping quarters, a place to eat, a briefing area, and a diving deck to prepare equipment. It is the best way to experience the remote dive sites in the Similan Islands.
The Similan Islands are a group of 11 islands off the coast of Southern Thailand in the Andaman Sea. They were designated a National Marine Park in Thailand in 1982 and are only accessible by boat. The park is open from mid-October to mid-May and closed for the rainy season the rest of the year. Some of the best dive sites in Thailand are located in the Similans including Richelieu Rock made famous by Jacques Cousteau. The Surin Islands are close neighbors to the north.
In late November 2021, I took a bus from Nai Harn to Khao Lak and boarded the MV Pawara. The Pawara is a custom-built liveaboard dive boat that is 35 meters long and features 12 cabins.
I had booked the budget cabin with a shared bathroom, but the boat was not full due to COVID, so I was upgraded to a luxurious cabin with its own bathroom. After receiving a negative COVID test on the pier, I was escorted with 9 other guests and 4 dive instructors aboard the Pawara. We set sail that night.
Life on the Pawara was incredible! I woke up the first morning, walked up the steps from my cabin, and was in awe of the turquoise ocean and surrounding islands. The staff was so friendly and inviting; including the cook, Ta, who provided 3 delicious meals and 3 snacks a day.
The daily schedule was as follows:
6am- Dive Instructor Eric rings the wake-up bell
6:30am- light snacks
6:45am- safety briefing before the first dive
7:30am- Dive number 1
8:30am- breakfast
10:30am- Dive number 2
11:30am- lunch
1:30pm- Dive number 3
2:30pm- "tea break" (ice cream)
5:30pm- Dive number 4 (followed by warm hot cocoa and hot towel right after the dive)
7:30pm- Dinner
Pretty much sleep, eat, dive, repeat, for 4 days.
The people on the boat were awesome! There was my dive partner, Theo from the Philippines, Alicia and Dillion from the US, Ralf the firefighter from Germany, JS and Aron from Malaysia, Robert and Ana from Sweden, and Hadrian who is a physician from Switzerland. Several people were getting their advanced dive certification and Theo was getting a nitrox cert. I was shocked to learn I was the oldest diver on the boat at age 49! I found out later the captain was 53 so I guess not quite the oldest on the entire boat.
The dive staff were all topnotch; concerned with safety, but also a lot of fun. My dive instructor, Eric, was from France and quite the character. He was married to a Thai woman and had this big D energy. Steve was a bit younger, tall, and extremely good-looking. He was Mr. Safety and a by-the-book kind of instructor, but so sweet. I crushed on him a bit. Phon was a Thai woman from Koh Lipe and just so funny and kind. I got to know her well when drinking beers after the last dive on the final day.
The diving itself was a mixed experience for me. I had gotten my open water certification at age 21 as a PE credit my senior year in college and had taken about 15 years off from diving before last May. I was renting all my equipment and struggled with mask fog and blisters on my toes from the fins.
Dives on Day 1 included Hideaway right smack in the middle of islands 4 and 5, Deep Six AKA "The Living Room" with a swim through to boulders that formed a large circle, West of Eden, and finally, Monument Bay for the evening dive. I had never gone diving in the dark or used a torch and it was breathtaking surfacing as the sun set.
Day 2 started at Elephant Head Rock where I saw a shark. We then took a break on a dingy to the shore and explored the most beautiful area on Ao Kuerk Bucht (Donald Duck Bay) beach. The water was the most stunning color of turquoise I had only ever seen in the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, there was a lot of trash on the beach. Hadrien and I spent a while picking up cans, plastic, and even a toothbrush! How the stuff got there hurts my heart as the island was pretty abandoned with only a small resort closed due to COVID.
The group decided to take the hike to Sail Rock on the island. It was about a 10-minute steep walk through the jungle to a viewpoint. Words can't describe how spectacular the view was. The sea was the most amazing hues of blue and green. We boarded the dingy back to the Pawara with full hearts.
We went to Christmas Point for the second dive, and the current was very strong, which made visibility poor and getting on and off the boat terrifying. The waves were huge, and tanks and gear were flying around, which made the situation worse.
After the second dive, we headed to another site nearby called Breakfast Blend for the third dive. The seas were incredibly rough, and my mask was fogging, which made visibility terrible. I was exhausted after that dive, and I almost skipped the fourth dive, but I didn't want to quit, so I forced myself to go despite my fear.
The last dive of the day was an amazing sunset dive at Koh Bon, and the coral was spectacular. I even saw a lobster!
We sailed overnight to the Surin Islands and awoke to the first dive of the day at Ao Pak. The current was calm, and the coral was beautiful. Dive 2 that day was the famous Richelieu Rock and wow. Just wow. Unfortunately, the visibility was not great but with my torch, I experienced an underwater paradise. The macro marine life at this site was breathtaking. Dives 3 and 4 were at Tachi Pinnacle, a divemaster's choice.
The weather in the Surin's had turned rough with rains and high wind. Remarkably, the current was much calmer in this area. On the last day, we dove Tachi Pinnacle again in the morning, and then headed south for the last dive at Koh Bon. The seas were crazy huge, and I was sure we would capsize several times.
Lunch was delayed for a few hours and I was thrown from a seat in the dining area from the waves. Another dive boat bite! We pulled into Khao Lak later that evening and said our see you next times.
Before embarking on my voyage, I was told that a liveaboard experience in the Similans would be life-changing. It took me about 14 dives to completely shut down my mind and just be in the moment. Diving is a lot like life, and I began to see it from a Buddhist perspective. There will always be ups and downs, and suffering comes from attachment.
We often compare the present moment to one in the past, worry about the future, or become too attached to something amazing and lose the moment. Doubts such as imposter syndrome can arise, like imposter syndrome. For instance, I felt like I was not good enough to experience scuba diving as an almost 50-year-old woman. However, I realized these thoughts and feelings are temporary and always changing. No matter where we go, the only constant in life is change.
For more information on Andy's Scuba Diving visit https://andyscubadiving.com. To book the Pawara directly visit Pawara, Thailand - LiveAboard.com.
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