Our Saimai fixed on a mooring

Diving at the Similan islands

When I start this album from our diving tours to the Similan islands I'd like to show my underwater photos captures with a simple FUJI FinePix F31fd pocket camera usually designed for lady handbags. Its an evidence that even with a small low-cost pocket photo camera you can shoot acceptable pictures underwater. The necessary UW housing also comes from FUJI and was a quite inexpensive equipment to…  (read more)
Brilliant blue doctor fish

Brilliant blue doctor fish

24 Nov 2009 503
Many of this species are brightly colored like this one.
Colorful soft corals

Colorful soft corals

07 May 2009 1 519
Unlike stony corals, most soft corals thrive in nutrient-rich waters with less intense light. Drifting over this gloriously colorful corals is always an unforgettable experience.
More neon fusilier fishes

More neon fusilier fishes

07 May 2009 525
Bluestreak fusilier fish

Bluestreak fusilier fish

07 May 2009 1 862
Also known as blue-dash fusilier, dark-banded fusilier, bartail fusilier and neon fusilier which are close relatives of snappers, but are much smaller and more slender. Seen in large schools along deep reef drop-off's. They varies in color from blue to red with night and day.
The dive through a tunnel

The dive through a tunnel

07 May 2009 1 598
At Similand island Nr. 7 called Hin Pusa is a dive place called the Elephant head. The site is named after an unusually shaped rock that juts out of the water just southwest of Koh Similan. The huge boulders that form Elephant Head Rock create daring swim-throughs, arches, caverns, gullies and tunnels. One of my favorite diving places of all but due the heavy current it is a dive place for advanced and experienced divers only.
Night dive

Night dive

04 Dec 2010 1 482
At every dive tour we organize two, three night dives after sunset. The organism coming out in the evening is different then the UW animals watching during the day dives.
Gold band fusilier fish school

Gold band fusilier fish school

07 May 2009 1 1569
Goldband fusiliers grow to 21 cm. They are a non-migratory fish, found during the day moving in schools at depths between 5 and 35 metres among coral reefs, seagrass, along outer reef slopes and around pinnacles in deep lagoons. Its always a phantastic experience to observe the fish school passing us.
Suckerfish are sharks best friends

Suckerfish are sharks best friends

08 May 2009 2 1 650
Remoras (suckerfish) are commonly found attached to sharks and became the name as "shark sucker".
Drift dive over a coral reef area

Drift dive over a coral reef area

07 May 2009 2 476
On of the most exciting diving experiences are the drift dives. We just jump into the water and dive down to 20 meters. The current let us fly over the colored coral banks from the starting point to the edge of the bank without moves with the fins.
Acalyptophis peronii sea snake

Acalyptophis peronii sea snake

08 May 2009 2 1 1292
This species reaches a length of about one meter and is very toxic, people say as poisonous 30 times the cobra toxic. But the snake never is aggressive to divers and there a rare fatal cases that sea snakes harmed the humans.
Sea Anemones

Sea Anemones

09 May 2009 540
A sea anemone is a polyp attached at the bottom to the surface beneath it by an adhesive foot, called a basal disc, with a column shaped body ending in an oral disc. Most are from 1.8 to 3 centimeters in diameter, but anemones as small as 4 millimetres or as large as nearly 2 metres are known. There is a crab on the right side caught by the anemones.
Manta ray behind the fish swarm

Manta ray behind the fish swarm

09 May 2009 1 1 566
These harmless rays have a short tail without a stinging spine. They are very acrobatic; they can even leap from the water. They are graceful swimmers and swim by moving their pectoral fins up and down.
One more photo from the manta ray

One more photo from the manta ray

08 May 2009 499
During our dive near Koh Tachai we were surrounded by perhaps ten of fifteen mantas showing their performance. It seems very clear, that the mantas have fun to play with us divers, because they often return very close to us and do not desapear.
The manta underneath the surface

The manta underneath the surface

09 May 2009 2 1 662
Some manta rays swim to the surface and turning around during our security stop in 5 meters. It makes diverting the resting time.
Close to mantas head

Close to mantas head

09 May 2009 2 1 698
Nearly every time the manta ray carries two or more cobia fishes who use the manta for a free ride on its backside of the head. Many people believe that the cobias eat the parasites out the skin from the mantas, but they only suck on the head for a free transportation. The mantas cannot shake off the uninvited freeloader, but we can do it - and the manta likes it.
The manta ray ready for a photo shoot

The manta ray ready for a photo shoot

09 May 2009 2 1 910
Mantas like the present of us divers but shout never been touched or ridden. The surface of the body is covered with a film for their own protection against any infects. The ray is mostly bugged with two Cobia fishes on the wings which are free riders. The ray cannot remove them by itself but is very happy if we do it.
Manta ray the divers friend

Manta ray the divers friend

09 May 2009 1 1 470
Fishes in different sizes

Fishes in different sizes

09 May 2009 4 2 738
The small fish swarm of barbs in the foreground in ration to the huge manta ray with its wingspan of more than three meters.
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