Liveaboard Articles Thailand, Burma, Bali - Komodo and Andaman Islands.

Welcome to our articles and trip reports, this is your portal for stories and articles from liveaboard trips to Mergui Archipelago and Burma Banks in the north, via Similan Island and Richelieu Rock, to Phi Phi Island and Hin Daeng in the south - as well as exotic destinations like Komodo - Indonesia and Andaman Islands - India!

Thailand – Burma - 09

AMAZING WALLS, BEAUTIFUL CORALS & INCREDIBLE MARINE LIFE! − So, this was our second time in Andaman Islands, India. Breathtaking walls, 60 meters visibility, beautiful corals, massive barrel sponges and fish galore.

CRITTER CRAZY! − Yes, we DID have the Mantas, we DID have the Leopard Sharks, and not only one, but TWO (extremely rare!) Bowmouth Guitar Sharks.

A RARE GUITAR SHARK! − Encountering the elusive Guitar Shark is a special event, and on top of that, this was the Bowmouth, even more rare (the other model beeing the Shovelnose).

MATING LEOPARD SHARKS! −Two mating Leopard Sharks at the very last dive.

WHALESHARK in BURMA! − It’s always a great experience seeing a mighty Whaleshark, and this time was no exception, as it came slowly flying above us like a Boeing 747, at Submarine Rock in Burma.

ENORMOUS NURSESHARKS − At ”Shark Cave” in Burma, not only did we have a cave, but also actual sharks in it! Two huge Nursesharks, to be more precise.

Komodo - 08

GRAND FINALE − This beeing the very last trip for the Komodo season, the day we spent at Manta Alley was a fantastic Grand Finale!

MOLA-MOLA!! −Somehow things you don’t really expect to see, make the greatest impressions. Not that an encounter with a prehistoric-looking Mola-Mola wouldn’t, but since we were all busy looking for the Mantas, it was a wonderful surprise, as this strange animal moved in to one of the cleaning stations in South Komodo.

MAJESTIC MANTAS! − The Mantas lined up to get cleaned, they scooped up plankton at the surface, mouths wide open, but most of us opted for the actual alley, where the huge rays were hanging out in the current.

Critter Parade in Komodo − Blue-ringed Octopus, an unreal, solar-powered Nudibranch, two different kinds of Pygmy Seahorses as well as Robust Ghost Pipefish, Blue and Black Ribbon Eels, Mushroom Coral Pipefish and Spanish Dancers.

Mobula Rays in Komodo − Extremely shy Mobula Rays, really special and this happened one night at Gili Lawalaut, in Komodo National Park.

A rare Blue-ringed Octopus! − I HAVE seen one before, but that was eight thousand dives ago.

Manta Fiesta −We had a special quest this trip: five of the guests had never seen a Manta Ray. So what could be a better place to sort them out, than Manta Alley in South Komodo?

Spanish Dancers in Komodo! − The King of Nudibranchs, the mighty Spanish Dancer, can be seen in many tropical waters. But rarely as big as we have them here in Komodo National Park.

Nautilus in Komodo! − This elusive cephalopod lives on 200 – 400 meters of depth, so seeing one on a dive is extremely rare. It stayed with us for 15 minutes, before returning back into the deep.

Dolphins in Komodo! − A pack of Giant Trevallies rounded up smaller fish at a coral bommie, and as the feast started, White-tip Sharks and Dolphins joined in. Quite spectacular!

Hammerheads in Komodo! − Dolphins, Eagle Rays, Rhinopias, Pygmy Seahorses, Manta Rays, Hammerhead Sharks – on this trip we just had it all!

Mantas in Komodo - So, here we are, back in Komodo again... As always, really good diving, with a great range from the tiniest Pygmy Seahorse, only a centimeter long, to the largest Manta Ray, spanning 4 meters across. And pretty much everything in between!

India - 08

Mantas in Andaman Islands - This was the maiden voyage to the Andaman Islands for Mermaid 1, so everybody was quite excited about the whole thing. Even though the Andamans belong to India, they are actually much closer to Burma.

Thailand - Burma - 08

Manta Action - This was the last Burma Safari for the season, and it certainly started well, with excellent Manta action at Koh Bon! Three big individuals stayed with us for two full hours. Shame we won’t be back here until November.

Whaleshark In Burma - Three Islets, our first stop in Burma, surprised us with a Whaleshark. For seval of the guests, this was their first one! But, of course, there were the usual suspects: Marble Rays, Nursesharks, Seahorses and Cuttlefish.

World Wildlife Fund With Mermaid I In Burma - This trip was a very special one, arranged by WWF (World Wildlife Fund). No scuba diving, but instead snorkelling, bird watching and beach combing at some of the most remote islands of the Mergui Archipelago.

35 Devil Rays In Burma - We had a fantastic dive at Tower Rock, with lots of these rays. A few times a big school of 35 flew by, but we had several of them around us pretty much the entire dive. Awesome!

Whaleshark in Burma - We had a wonderful encounter with a whaleshark at North Twin in the Mergui Archipelago. Still young and curious, it stayed with us for 15 minutes!

20 Mobula Rays in Burma - OK, to be perfectly honest, we only counted 19, but I’m sure there was another one or two in the back that we didn’t see.

Manta Action at Koh Bon - Nothing like a bunch of Manta Rays to cheer you up in the morning, is it? This happened to us already the first day of the trip, at Koh Bon - Similans, famous for these magnificent animals.

Mobula Rays in Burma - Despite all the sharks, frogfish, seahorses and ghost pipefish, I think what will stay with us most from this trip, is this school of Mobula Rays we were lucky enough to come across at Tower Rock, way up north in the Mergui Archipelago!

Thailand - Burma - 07

Huge Nursesharks in Burma - 28/11 - 7/12 2007
There is nothing wrong with seeing a big Manta ray. As a matter of fact, they are my favourite animals! But I think we were all more impressed by the size of the Nursesharks we found on this trip to the Mergui Archipelago in Burma.

Mobula Rays in Burma - 18/11 - 27/11 2007
This was the first Burma Safari of the season, and we were all excited about what we would encounter. We started off in the Similan Islands, with a beautiful dive at Anita’s Reef. At Tower Rock, way, way up north in the Mergui Archipelago, we were lucky enough to see a school of around 20 Mobula rays passing by!

Bali - Komodo - Indonesia - 07

Whalesharks in Komodo - 20/10 - 27/10 2007
Whalesharks in Komodo. OK, so we only saw the whalesharks from the boat, but still an impressive (and for Komodo, rare!) sight. And a nice little bonus for the very last trip this season in Indonesia.

Dolphins and Mantas in Komodo - 13/10 - 20/10 2007
The serious manta action, however, was at Manta Alley in South Komodo. We usually see quite a few here, but this trip it was absolutely crazy. They were EVERYWHERE! Five to eight big mantas together pretty much anywhere you looked! And for two full hours! Truly amazing!

Manta Mania in Komodo - 06/10 – 13/10 2007
Manta Mania in Komodo! Unbelievable manta action at Manta Alley, South Komodo. Over the two dives we did here, we had so many of them we simply lost count.

Massive Schools of Fish - 29/09 – 06/10 2007
Massive Schools of Fish. I think most of the guests on this trip will agree with me, if I say the most memorable dives were the ones we did at Takat Toko (Castle Rock) in the Komodo National Park. Enormous schools of fish, from 40 meters depth all the way up to the surface.

50 Mantas in Komodo - 22/09 – 29/09 2007
50 Manta Rays in Komodo! So, how about those 50 Manta Rays? Well, let’s start with the following day’s dive at Manta Alley in south Komodo. Around 25 Mantas were hanging out there, getting a morning fix at one of the cleaning stations, or just playing around. I don’t think we had a single minute without them.

Whales in Komodo - 08/09 -15/09 2007
Whales in Komodo. Even though we had excellent diving this trip, I think most of us will best remember the appearence of a Minke Whale next to the boat, escorted by a pod of 30-40 Dolphins. We also had 30 Pilot Whales just in front of us.

Dolphins and more Dolphins in Komodo - 01/09 - 08/09 2007
This trip was a real Dolphin treat. Apart from having these beautiful and intelligent animals around the boat every day, we were also lucky enough to see them underwater at four divesites.

Dugongs at Komodo - 25/08 - 1/09 2007
During this very lucky trip, coming through the Komodo Channel, four Dugongs surfaced next to the boat. These gentle animals showed no fear, just slowly swam north. A wonderful sight, and a first for most of us on the boat.

Manta madness in Komodo - Indonesia - 18/08 – 25/08 2007
Liveaboard trip Bali - Komodo 18/8 – 25/8 2007. Again, we were treated with great Manta action in South Komodo. For a full hour, we had 15 – 20 Mantas cruising around us at Manta Alley. Absolutely awesome. And hard to forget for the lucky ones joining this trip.

Liveaboard trip Bali - Komodo - Indonesia - 28/07 - 04/08 - 07
Another day of excellent diving in the Komodo National Park, and we rounded off this trip with a couple of dives at Moyo Island before cruising into the sunset with a beautiful view of Lombok.