{"id":12310,"date":"2024-03-17T23:59:30","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T10:59:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edwinov.com\/edwininnz\/?p=12310"},"modified":"2025-09-01T23:50:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T11:50:37","slug":"thailand-day-17-liveaboard-day-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edwinov.com\/edwininnz\/2024\/03\/thailand-day-17-liveaboard-day-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Thailand Day 17 \u2013 Liveaboard Day 5"},"content":{"rendered":"
\r\n
\r\n \r\n <\/i>\r\n <\/a>\r\n 4 <\/span>\r\n<\/div>
\r\n \r\n <\/i>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/span>\r\n<\/div><\/div>

Day 5 of the liveaboard, 06:15, close to sunrise<\/p><\/div>\n

Today’s schedule<\/p><\/div>\n

Heeey! A Bluespotted Ribbontail Ray<\/a> (we just called them blue spotted stingray), haven’t seen one of those in ages<\/p><\/div>\n

They’re so elegant<\/p><\/div>\n

Since they are so underrepresented in my photos, this one deserves a second photo<\/p><\/div>\n

And even a third<\/p><\/div>\n

Close up of some coral<\/p><\/div>\n

I think this is the best dive site so far here in the Similan Islands. Visibility is awesome. It’s teeming with life and all very colourful<\/p><\/div>\n

I mean, look at that!<\/p><\/div>\n

Stunning here at ‘3 Tree’<\/p><\/div>\n

Beautiful fish this one, an Orangespined Unicornfish<\/a>, and boy are there many<\/a> surgeonfishes!<\/p><\/div>\n

I just love the dark blue, red, green, purple and white combination<\/p><\/div>\n

I think it’s the Common Bluestripe Snapper<\/a> (or is it a Bluestriped Grunt<\/a>?)<\/p><\/div>\n

Nah, it’s got to be the snapper<\/p><\/div>\n

These fish often swim in big (loooong) schools<\/p><\/div>\n

Another octopus<\/p><\/div>\n

They’re very smart animals<\/p><\/div>\n

I don’t remember now what kind of fish this is but what I wanted to point out was the two cleaner fish, one of them is actually cleaning in the big fish’s gills<\/p><\/div>\n

Oh come on, what are these called again?<\/p><\/div>\n

Blue Surgeonfish<\/a>, they’re called surgeonfish because of the (allegedly very sharp) ‘scalpels’ they have where the body becomes the tail (bright yellow within blue in the photo)<\/p><\/div>\n

Surface interval at Koh Bon, we’re not the only boat there<\/p><\/div>\n

I’m practising my ‘coral foreground blue background’ photos<\/p><\/div>\n

Moray Eel with Cleaner Fish<\/p><\/div>\n

Puffer<\/p><\/div>\n

Parrotfish<\/p><\/div>\n

Ginormous Clam<\/p><\/div>\n

Emperor Angelfish<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Approaching Tachai<\/a> Island<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The staits leading to the sun deck<\/p><\/div>\n

Blue Surgeonfish again<\/p><\/div>\n

Batfish<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Lovely undamaged corals here<\/p><\/div>\n

Like this one; closer to Phuket (eg at the Phi Phi Islands) there are a lot more inexperienced divers who at some point will accidentally damage the coral, it’s much more pristine here. Also because if I’m not mistaken the national park here is always closed for half of the year (to limit the exposure to humans). Not sure if just for diving or even just to visit the islands<\/p><\/div>\n

What is this? It looks like someone took a Spiny Cushion Star<\/a> and told it to act up and put some effort into looking like an actual star, I mean it has the colouring of some of the cushion stars I have seen but also some arms (legs?)<\/p><\/div>\n

Another Crinoid<\/p><\/div>\n

Ooh, I love the shape and colour of this coral!<\/p><\/div>\n

Close up, it looks like some upside down purple broccoli<\/p><\/div>\n

Mr Titan is triggered again<\/p><\/div>\n

Big fan coral<\/p><\/div>\n

Crinoid, still haven’t seen one swim<\/p><\/div>\n

Batfish getting a proper clean<\/p><\/div>\n

Soaking up the last rays of sunshine<\/p><\/div>\n

Isn’t it funny how we still say ‘The Sun goes down’ when it’s really more a matter of Earth turning it’s back on the poor Sun?<\/p><\/div>\n