Having never been to southern Thailand before, we didn't really have an understanding of where the 2004 tsunami hit hard other than the islands of Phuket and Koh Phi Phi. But this morning we read that the town of Khao Lak, where we are now, was amongst the hardest hit. Looking around, that does make sense - a lot of the resorts on the beach look very new, some hotels farther up the beach are being rebuilt, most of the trees along the beach are large (the smaller ones may have been destroyed) and have few low branches, and a huge tower with loudspeakers and sirens on top stands beside the beach to warn of a tsunami hazard. We spotted a sign beside the road just above the beach where the ground is about 10 feet above average sea level that states the water level on that fateful day was over 16 feet deep. That implies that over 26 feet of ocean came roaring ashore - no wonder so many people were killed. On the positive side, we heard that the tourism side of things has fully recovered.
With a few hours before we were to meet the crew at the dive shop for departure, we made the difficult decision to spend some more time at the beach. Late afternoon we sized some dive gear and then piled in a van bound for the dock. The M/V Dolphin Queen is what you could call a budget liveaboard - nothing fancy, a little cramped, but functional. There would be 18 people on the trip, which seemed like a lot until we heard that the boat holds 24 (plus crew!). Downstairs is a "cozy" dive deck packed with tanks, gear, equipment bins, wetsuits hanging, rinse bins, and compressors. A small kitchen, some washrooms, and then two double and four quad rooms. Upstairs is a big covered dining area, two more double rooms, and the captain's quarters. On top of it all is a sundeck complete with lounge chairs and big mats to lie on.
With a few hours before we were to meet the crew at the dive shop for departure, we made the difficult decision to spend some more time at the beach. Late afternoon we sized some dive gear and then piled in a van bound for the dock. The M/V Dolphin Queen is what you could call a budget liveaboard - nothing fancy, a little cramped, but functional. There would be 18 people on the trip, which seemed like a lot until we heard that the boat holds 24 (plus crew!). Downstairs is a "cozy" dive deck packed with tanks, gear, equipment bins, wetsuits hanging, rinse bins, and compressors. A small kitchen, some washrooms, and then two double and four quad rooms. Upstairs is a big covered dining area, two more double rooms, and the captain's quarters. On top of it all is a sundeck complete with lounge chairs and big mats to lie on.
We pushed off from the dock and pointed southwest as the sun was setting. The crew did a detailed briefing and then served up dinner before everybody scattered to set up dive gear and unpack. By midnight we should be moored at the Similan Islands, ready to dive into one of the top ten dive areas in the world as soon as the sun comes up!
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