Appreciated change
Until now, live-aboard diving excursions have concentrated on the destinations accessed from the western coastline of the country; As far as operators in the Gulf of Thailand were concerned live-aboard excursions were something that simply happened elsewhere. Thankfully, this has just changed, and with over two hundred small islets and islands in the Gulf, it's a very welcome one. At last there's a chance to go exploring

There are now two different types of regular excursions plying the waters, and both are offering big savings on their usual charter prices, but with no compromises on the standard of service or enjoyment. Both cover the area in its entirety but in two completely different ways.

The sites
The northernmost sites are those found around the island of Koh Tao where a mixture of seascapes are suitable for all levels of divers. Gently sloping reefs make excellent places for observing smaller examples of marine life whilst in contrast the high occurrences of pelagic encounters at the action-packed sites such as Chumphon and South West Pinnacles can only be marvelled at! There are different types of coral reefs all around the island. Firstly, those in the deeper waters follow around towering pinnacles and are highlighted by a variety of hard and soft coral species; the most prominent being Black Corals in the form of sea whips and fans.

Heading south are the two local favourites of Sail Rock and the Samran Pinnacles, two great pelagic magnets and tremendous wall dives. Both are heavily encrusted with orange sponges, oysters and clams all clinging bravely to their craggy surfaces. The south east face of the former site has a natural chimney eroded into the rock. Inside it is light and spacious with enough room for a buddy pair to ascend together, but be careful as poisonous bearded scorpionfish and sea urchins are in abundance. Whale sharks are often spotted here as are a number of other shark species. To the west lies The collective islets forming the Ang Thong Marine National Park. The diving here primarily follows around large fallen rocks and boulders with gaps large enough to pass through. The associated reef creatures are both diverse and colourful. Sheltering amongst the rocks are a variety of snappers and groupers along with a rich assortment of nudibranchs, shells and tube worms. There's also plenty of sea anemones and their associated hosts of anemone fish, crabs and shrimps.

Introducing Koh Losin
In the far south lies the relatively unexplored island of Koh Losin. The so-called 'island' is really no more than a tiny rocky outcropping designated on Navigational Charts as a 'marine hazard'. However, what lies below the surface is worthy of the title of 'island' albeit submerged! This tiny outcrop literally cascades slowly down to depths in excess of thirty metres in marvelous examples of hard coral terraces and ridges all crowned with gently undulating coral gardens animated by groups of angel and butterflyfish. The amount and size of corals here really is breath-taking; vast tables of stag and elk horns, punctuated by encroaching boulder corals and sponges. Marine-life away from the reef is relatively scarce but the regularity of whale sharks and mantas more than make up for that!