Throughout most of the year here on Koh Tao we see lots of travelers, backpackers & families navigate their way to our fine shores, mainly for the picturesque scenery, beachfront social scene and a general feeling of 'getting away from it all'. However, due to the brief but ominous monsoon season during the month of November the general pace of the island slows and the number of tourists dwindles, giving those that work here a chance to 'get away' and go in search of yet more sunshine and more importantly, great diving.

Clownfish

Recently, my partner Evan and I joined a liveaboard trip to the Similan & Surin Islands, just off the West Coast of Thailand. The visibility is renowned for being at it's best around this time of year.  The widely diverse array of healthy underwater life there makes it an amazing & exciting place to film. We booked our four day trip with West Coast Divers based in Phuket and, equipped with a Sony XR500 HD camera & an Aquatica HD Wave housing, we set off on our underwater adventure!

Peacock Mantis Shrimp

We began each morning at 6am with a briefing about the dive site and conditions and then excitedly geared up and jumped in! Each dive was amazing in it's own right. Some sights like Elephant Head Rock were deep, sloping off to well over 40 meters with lots of boulders and swim-throughs. Others, like East of Eden were filled with amazingly colored soft corals and a staggering variety of reef fish. My favorites were Anita's Reef & Richelieu Rock. Both sites had an abundance of life and at times I found myself torn between what to film next! We saw everything from rays to mantis shrimps, seahorses, turtles, cuttle fish, giant eels and much more. Among the many unforgettable moments of the trip, one in particular stands out. The first dive of the third day was at Koh Tachai. We were nearing the end of the dive when I came across an octopus which, as soon as it saw me, fled back into it's protective hole. After much patience the octopus emerged, flashing different colors and sat proudly on the coral which enabled me to get some beautiful shots.

Octopus

So after a great trip, it's back to work. I'm looking forward to starting the new season with Pete and John who are here to take our BSAC Professional HD Underwater Videographer course!