Underwater Photography and Scuba Diving in the world of Cayman's Cathy Church

The Adventure Continues...Thailand, February 6 - 25, 2003:
Round trip travel dates; includes boat and land tour. (Boat dates only: Feb. 8 - 18, 2003)

All new bookings for this trip are accepted only for those people doing both the boat and the land tour.

We are going to visit Thailand above and underwater and all nice people are invited. I have wanted to go to Thailand for a very long time, and we finally have it on our schedule.

Presently we plan to leave Los Angeles (or NY/JFK) on February 6, 2003 and arrive in Phuket on the evening of Feb. 8. We will have nine days of diving aboard the M/Y Aqua One in the Andaman Sea and Burma's Mergui Archipelago (weather permitting). We disembark Aqua One February 18 and fly to Bangkok and overnight before our next flights. The land tour continues to Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand (Hilltribe Country) and Angkor Wat--an incredible ancient city in Cambodia, near the Thailand border. (More information below.)

Cost for the boat portion is$3425.00 for lower deck rooms and $3675.00 for upper deck rooms ($3562.00 and $3822.00 respectively if paid by credit card); air from New York or Los Angeles is $1125.00 plus tax. All air must be booked through Poseidon Ventures *in California (1-800-854-9334). Price does not include one overnight in Bangkok when we get off the boat. There will also be a US$150.00 cash payment paid during the trip for the Burma entry fee. The land tour price is $1357.00 for a double room per person or $1772.00 for a single. (*We require a group air booking because flight schedules have been subject to last minute changes. If this happens, we need only notify one agent to take care of everyone. We have booked this trip as a complete package through Poseidon Ventures. Also, if we book as a group we will have more clout should a problem arise.)

The AquaOne is a nice boat, 35 m long and a beam of 6.5 m, specially built for 16 divers in 8 staterooms, each with private head and shower, piped-in music, reading lights, hair dryer, wardrobe and plenty of storage space. The upper deck rooms are slightly smaller and have windows and the below decks rooms are larger, but no windows. On the main deck, there is a smallish lounge/dining salon/entertainment area with large panoramic windows; on the upper deck is an air-conditioned lounge that serves as the photography

station and library. There is an open-air barbecue/eating area and an open-air sitting area forward. Of course, there is sun bathing on the very top deck accessible by ladder.

Thailand provides the backdrop for the menu with an emphasis on Thai, oriental and seafood. According to their brochure and from what we have learned from Poseidon, the food is delicious and healthy, with three meals and lots of snacks daily. They presently tout a Cordon Bleu Chef on board.

The dive deck provides spacious gearing up and storage areas. Large twin staircases lead down to the diving platform. Diving is done from the deck when moored, and from one of the two 15-foot support inflatables. There are hot towels after every dive and four showers and a toilet are on the dive deck and dive platform. Nitrox is available for Nitrox certified divers at $8.00 per tank, or $15.00 per day with whole trip package for up to 5 tanks per day.

They process E-6 on board and have slide projector and viewers so that we can enjoy the results of our photography. They also have TVs and video systems.

If you want to try something else, you can take up sea kayaking, knee boarding, exploring uninhabited islands or rest on a quiet beach.

The staff is certified to carry out first aid treatment and cell and sat phones allow quick contact with the mainland, including the DAN approved decompression facilities in Phuket.

We will dive in the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea Northwest of Phuket and Burma's Mergui Archipelago further north. Average visibility ranges from 50 feet to over 100 feet, the water temperature is a warm 83 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and February is right in the middle of the best time of year to dive here.

We will enjoy destinations that may include such great dives as Richelieu Rock and the Similan Islands--a scattering of massive granite boulders almost 50 nautical miles northwest of Phuket. Here it is possible to find everything from small beautiful nudibranchs, rare species of anemones and their anemone fish, frogfish, ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp, to larger shovelnose rays and potato cod.

The top thirty feet of the pinnacle is a carpet of red, blue and purple soft corals and often, swirling schools of snapper, jacks and barracuda flowing in and out of the canyons between the boulders. Whale sharks and manta rays once common are becoming more rare.

The water off Myanmar (Burma) has long been off-limits for the average tourists, but since 1997, a limited number of permits have been issued and of course, the Aqua One has one. The Mergui Archipelago is made up of hundreds of islands offering a rich variety and even some unique creatures. I can't wait to see dive sites such as Black Rock, Okay rock (I hope that doesn't mean just okay), High Rock, North Twin and Little Torres. If any of you have been here, let me know which is your favorite.

Some friends just got back and plenty to tell me. On sites closest to Phuket, such as Richelieu Rock, there were sometimes dozens of other dive boats. Many sites are in the open ocean and the weather was too rough for them to get to the Burma Bank. They loved all of the diving that they did. Of course, the weather can affect literally any trip, so I am sure that you are not surprised at the possibility.

They said the water was cool, so bring a wetsuit. They noted that the visibility was up and down, but we already knew that too.

The group will return to Bangkok overnight, and fly to Chiang Mai (in the north) for 3 nights, and then to Siem Reap (via Bangkok where we can pick up our stored luggage) to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia for 3 nights. The Chiang Mai portion will include an elephant ride, an hour rafting on the scenic Mae Tang River and a two hour drive through the country side back to our hotel. In the morning, we will drive and bike and trek to get a close look at the countryside, Hilltribe villages and a temple. On the third day, we will continue to experience this incredible region including a waterfall and orchid farm. This trip can be modified if you wish a less active visit. To visit Angkor Wat, we will fly via Bangkok to Siem Reap, a short bus ride away from the temple areas. This is an incredible area with hundreds of beautiful, ornate and fascinating temples dating from the ninth century. This is the best place in the world to see such amazing temples. Some are over grown by jungle, as shown recently on the "Today" show.

The cost for the tour per person (double occupancy) is $1357.00 or $1772.00 for a single. Cost includes the flights, hotel, tours and most meals. Details are ready for those who are interested.

Please let us know right away if you wish to reserve a place on this trip, as we are almost full. What is not to love about this trip? Fabulous above water scenes that you will never forget, combined with exciting, top notch diving in a destination that is new to us. Call 345-949-5864, or email us QUICK.