16 Nov Snorkeling “off the beaten track”
Hi, I am Ralph, the founder of Andaman Snorkel Discovery. My passion is to snorkel – I simply love to free dive and to discover all the fishes down here in the Andaman Sea. I’ve been going to the Surin islands for 12 years now for snorkeling. The snorkel experience itself can be very different – let me explain you…
How snorkeling on a daily speedboat-trip is mostly like…
Everybody is trying to find nemo and we find him on all our tours =)
The first 2 years I was working as a guide on a speedboat, so I collected the first impressions on Surin. On this trips, the guests only had the opportunity to snorkel within a radius of 50 meters around the boat. As you might imagine, this is not very effective. Additionally, there is not only 1 Speedboat going to the spot – no. Usually there are about 2, 3 or even 4 boats that stopped there at the same time. Bad timing? YES!
The crowds make the fishes disappear so quickly…
Now, you probably can imagine that about 80 to 120 snorkelers in the water make the most fish to leave quickly. Snorkelers do not belong to the everyday life of the underwater world, so what the animals do, is to disappear. And that is a shame. There is a chance to see the fishes, sharkes, corals and sea turtles in the sea, but not when its too crowded. That’s why I decided to build a snorkel safari boat 10 years ago. I felt like I need to change something.
How snorkeling on the Reggae Queen of Andaman Snorkel Discovery is like…
Snorkeling “off the beaten track” is what makes the differenc
When I started my business with our boat that is called the “Reggae Queen”, I wanted to go to places where nobody else goes for snorkeling. We discovered new reefs off the beaten track that are unique in their variety of coral and fish. Moroeover, on our snorkeling trips we explore the whole reef. What does that mean? Well, we enter the water at one point, then we follow the current of the ocean for about 1 hour. The dinghy is constantly on standby and grante us the security. Just in case somebody gets in trouble and needs help, the dinghi is there. When we finish the session, we get back in the dinghi and drive back to the Reggae Queen. We do not snorkel around the boat. We snorkel from one point and get picked up somewhere else.
El Niño hit the Andaman Sea in 2009 – but the sea life recovered well…
The nocturnal lion fish
Ten years ago the “El Niño” hit the Andaman Sea. The “El Niño” is a hot water stream that continuously drifts around the ocean when the water temperature is about 32 degrees. After 3 weeks, corals start to bleach and die. The good point is that within the time, new corals grew.
Nowadays, they bloom in all possible colors and shapes. It is a blessing to see how nature recovers. So lucky about that! When on snorkeling trips, we always find soft corals that are usually reserved for divers only because they are at certain depths. But trust us, we know the best places around Surin and do not go where the crowds stay. Moreover, a sunset snorkel session is a part of every tour. Before the sun goes down, we discover lionfishs. They are nocturnal, so you only get the chance to see them when it gets dark. Their beautyness is impressive!
Snorkeling off the beaten track makes the difference…
Do not miss the beauty of the Andaman Sea when you are in Thailand.
Why I am writing this article? I clearly want to point out that there is more to see in the Andaman Sea than a few, good looking colorful fishes. There are sharks, turtles, lion fishes, little “nemos” (clown fishes)… – BUT, and thats is what makes the difference: They all disappear when you snorkel with the crowds. Andaman Snorkel Discovery provides tours with small groups only and heads to spots that are totally unique. We would be glad if you join us on a tour.
PS: Besides the snorkeling experience, we also have great Thai food, good music and for sure, cold beer on board!
