June 1st is a very special day for us at Scuba Cat Diving

Sarah Kench, Course Director and her team took over ownership of Scuba Cat Diving 5 years ago.

To help you celebrate this very special year with us we invite you to receive 10% discount on any Scuba Cat Courses, Daytrips or Liveaboards made during this month. (excluding Professional Courses and Internships)

Scuba Diving Courses

MV Scuba Fun

• Daytrips to Racha Yai, Racha Noi, King Cruiser, Shark Point, Koh Doc Mai and Anemone Reef

MV Scuba Sport

• Half Day trips available November to April

Snorkelling for the Whole Family

MV Scuba Adventure Liveaboard – starting from 2 days one night

•  Similans,Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock
• Hin Dueng, Hin Mueung, Koh Ha, Phi Phi

If you book and pay in full anytime during June 2012 you will receive 10% discount not only for this month but for the rest of the year…… plus you will receive a free Scuba Cat T-Shirt with all Courses during the month.

The future for Scuba Cat:

Vision

Scuba Cat Diving aims towards creating interaction between people and aquatic life which is fun, safe, educational and sustainable.

• Sustainable for customers means someplace they can come back to where there is a wide range of services which satisfies and/or challenges them for years.
• For the environment it means interaction with the environment in such a way that the benefits for the environment/ecology outweigh the drawbacks.

Mission

To be the best Dive Centre in Phuket through good diving practices, great instructing, increasing ecological awareness and responsible interaction with environment.

Values

Everything we do are based on the following set of values. They are not stand-alone values but all apply at the same time one way or the other.

• Good intention – What we do is not as important as why we do it
• Value for money – We have no intention to be the cheapest, only to be the best. Our prices are competitive, and represent great value for money
• Quality – Only the best is good enough
• Safety first – There are always expectations, however, we will only do what we consider to be safe
• Entertainment – We don’t just provide great courses and dive trips – we provide great experiences from the start to the end…….Fun!!!!

Come and see for yourself, we believe we are achieving our goals but dont just take our word for it see what people have said about us on Trip Adviser!

Northern Cruise to Similan Islands and Richilieu Rock

This trip left from Tap Lamu with Peter and Bente from Denmark, Emil and Patrick from Sweden and Urs from Switzerland. We sailed for a few hours to Koh Bon where we slept for the night. The first morning we had a check dive on Koh Bon Reef. Urs, who was doing his Advanced Open water course on board completed his deep adventure dive. The reef was active with beautiful schools of yellow snappers, the 2 resident golden trevellies made their appearance. The resident Napolean also made a visit.

After breakfast Patrick did the skills for the Discover Scuba. He was very confident and managed the skills with ease. The second dive had octopus, cuttle fish, banded sea snake and a manta!!!! We decided to move to Koh Tachai where we attempted to do the Pinnacle. Unfortunately, the current was so strong that Kath couldn’t make it to the mooring line… Another time!! All was not lost as we headed to the reef where we had a gentle easy dive. The night dive was also on the Reef. Fred, the resident barracuda accompanied us throughout the dive trying to hunt by torchlight. For a predator, he is not good at catching his prey (maybe he needs glasses!!)

On day 2 we went to Richelieu Rock where we did 3 dives. Each dive was completely different. The school of barracuda were hanging around the crescent as usual. They are a magnificent sight. One of the first things we saw was a Devil Scorpion fish moving along the bottom. This dive site is an incredible place and offers so much diversity from large schools of fish to macro. Each diver really enjoyed looking into cracks and crevices to see what could be found…pipefish, shrimps, moray eels, mantis shrimps and so much more. A Devil Ray was seen at the surface during lunch. A rare sight!!! Our final dive was at Koh Tachai. Emil, Peter, Bente and Kath went onto the pinnacle with zero current. A vast change from the day before. Peter and Bente had to abort the dive. A pity, as it was truly amazing. A huge school of barracuda with hundreds of fish appeared and stayed for a while. The batfish were hanging around one of the boulders and the trevellies were menacing the snappers and fusiliers. Elaine, the Dive Master on the boat took Urs and Patrik onto the reef where they saw a turtle.

The first dive on day 3 was on Koh Tachai. A good dive with some current. The soft corals and gorgonion sea fans are stunning. This dive site always has so much activity on it that it is difficult to put into words. You just have to experience it first hand. Our second dive of the day was on Koh Bon Reef heading towards the West Ridge. A manta made it’s appearance towards the end of the dive. Albeit a brief encounter it way still lovely to see this majestic creature. After dive 2 we headed to the Similan Islands and into Donald Duck Bay, where some of the customers went onto the beach to take photos from the view point. Urs completed his navigation dive as part of his advanced course. The natural navigation part of the dive was a dream with us finding a Green turtle sitting quietly under a rock. Our third dive on Three Trees was enjoyed by all on the boat. The reef is a sloping running reef on Island 9. There were several turtles in the shallows. We saw a Napolean Wrasse as we dropped in. Three Trees has an abundance of aquatic life. Our final dive of the day was a night dive on West of Eden. This site with the rocky formations and coral blocks is an ideal environment for many nocturnal creatures. There were plenty of lobsters, various crabs and shrimps. A free swimming giant moray was actively hunting. Always a great sight.

Day 4 and our final dives were on Shark Fin Reef. The South side has the most incredible rock formations. The enormity of the boulders is very imposing. During this dive we saw garden eels and numerous blue spot rays in the sand. We were lucky enough to see a huge bump head parrot fish hiding in a crack in one of the rocks. To see this fish so close was breath taking. The surgeon fish always look as if they are kissing the rock as they feed on the algae growing. Shark Fin also has the large boxfish, something that isn’t seen often on other sites in the Similans. Our final dive of the trip was on the north side of Shark Fin. Once again we saw the bump head parrotfish. The north side has rocks in the shallows and slopes gently to the bottom. A relaxing dive for the end of the trip.

Congratulations to Urs for completing his Advanced Open Water on the trip and to Patrik who had several dives on the Discover Scuba program. He is now bitten by the diving bug and will at some point in the future do the Open Water Course, so he can dive with his brother Emil.

North Andaman Liveaboard –  Similans, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai  and Richilieu Rock MV Scuba Adventure departed from Patong on the evening of the 4^th en-route to the Similans. Kath, the Tour Leader and Steve, the Dive Master welcomed on board Lucrezia and Rene from Switzerland, Mats from Sweden, Guido and Gianna from  Italy and Peter and Karen from England. With the boat briefing completed, cabins allocated, equipment set up we had a relaxing dinner where everyone became acquainted.

We woke to the beautiful scenery of Island 5 and 6, which is the home of Anita’s Reef. With the dive safety and dive sight briefing done we kitted up for our first dive of the trip. Anita’s reef did not disappoint. The stunning coral bommie was covered in glass fish, which was a sight to be seen. Nudibranch, Fusiliers, Snappers were all out in their glory. The pristine white sand was home to the dancing Garden Eels and Khuls rays.  A banded pipe fish was found on one of the large boulders on the corner of Island 5.  After breakfast we headed to Island 9 and North Point. This site is a combination of huge rock formations and reef. It is briefed as “but one get one free!!”  The rocky formation has several swim throughs together with coral gardens nestled between the rocks.   Turtles were in abundance as they poised for the photographers in the group. The turtles here are not at all shy and continued munching away as if to say”Oh they’re only divers!”   We also saw a banded sea snake head to the surface for air. In the shallows a rock formation was covered in Purple Dragon Nudibranch. A treat for the macro lovers on the boat.

After lunch we arrived at Koh Bon for our 3^rd dive of the day. We were fortunate as we were the only divers in the water at this popular sight. We dropped in on the corner and made our way to the West Ridge. A large school of yellow snapper were below us as we reached the ridge. On the ridge there were hunting Long Nosed Emporers, Trevelly and Rainbow Runners.  A Devil Scorpion was camouflaged amongst the broken coral on the reef.  A meter away was an octopus hiding in a rock. There was so much to see!!! The glass fish again, were food for the larger hunters…a feeding frenzy. A Mantis Shrimp quickly ran across the reef, which was a first for some of the divers.

A highlight of the dive was to see 2 Napolean Wrasse swimming around us for a while.  The divers who chose to do the night dive on Koh Tachai Reef saw many different types of crabs, shrimps and spent about 10 minutes with a free swimming moray, which hunted successfully catching an unsuspecting fish for dinner!!

Day 2 and the Captain started the engines at 3.40am. We were on our way to Richelieu Rock. Here we did 3 dives. The Rock is worthy of multiple dives as the marine life here is so prolific. A school of giant barracuda were waiting our arrival! Fortunately, we were able to locate a sea horse and 2 ornate ghost pipe fish.  Cuttle fish were in abundance as they displayed their courtship ritual. The whole area was like being in fish soup with large schools of fish swimming around us. Cleaner pipe fish were found in the crevices, mantis shrimps along the bottom hiding and a devil scorpion camouflaging itself as a piece of coral. Needless to say there were many more creatures too numerous to mention. One highlight was seeing a zebra moray free swimming in the shallows.

The 4^th dive of the day was a sunset dive at Jetski Rock on Koh Tachai. A chilled out relaxing dive. The trevellies were in menacing hunting mode as they circled the glassfish on the reef. They are truly the “Gangsters” of the reef. A moray was enjoying being cleaned by a cleaner shrimp as the surrounding marine life prepared for bed. The sunset when we surfaced was spectacular and gave the perfect ending to a great day. Day 3 started with the morning dive on Koh Tachai Pinnacle. With a slight current it was easy navigate around the site.  The corals on the pinnacle are beautiful. Soft corals, gorgonion sea fans, whip coral are abundant.  A few barracuda were hanging above the site and the resident bat fish were between two huge boulders. Rene and Lucrezia were lucky and saw a leopard shark. They did have photographic evidence, so we had to believe them!!

The second and third dives were on Koh Bon. Hunters were menacing as they circled amongst the glass fish and then without warning a feeding frenzy. The third devil scorpion fish of the trip was also seen. However, the icing on the cake at Koh Bon was the manta on dive 2. We were in the shallows coming towards the end of the dive when the manta appeared. This amazing creature brought smiles to all our faces as it approached us several times. Dive 4 was a sunset dive in the Similans and on West of Eden on Island 7. This dive was relaxing as we slowly worked our way along the reef swimming between the coral blocks. Glass fish in abundance, feather stars in every colour and an array of fish. Day 4 and an early start on Elephant Head Rock and boy oh boy did it pay off…..As soon as we dropped in we had a white tip reef shark laying on the bottom at 20m. As we approached it swam away. However, several minutes later we saw two side by side. Elephant Head has some lovely swim throughs and one of the white tips swam into it. Kath was the only diver to see this. The huge granite boulders with the coral gardens between are very impressive. The second dive on Shark Fin Reef was an easy dive for the end of the trip. Shark Fin reef has dramatic scenery of huge granite boulders. In one of the long cracks in a rock there resting was a Jenkins Ray. Further along the reef we saw a large school of giant barracudas. This was the first trip of the season to the Similans and Richelieu Rock and if this trip was anything to go by then we should have a wonderful season.

The Similan Marine Park is located 70km west of Thailand Phang-Nga province. This group of islands is considered to be one of the top dive destinations in the world, mainly due to the clear water that surrounds the islands.

Similan was derived from the Malay work for nine “Sembilan” as the little archipelago is made up of nine islands. The islands do have local individual names, but are usually referred to by their respective numbers from North to South.

The Similan’s were designated as a National Park of Thailand in 1982 and cover an area of 128km2, which includes Koh Bon and the two rocky outcrops of Shark Fin Reef and Hin Pusa.

In 1998 an extra 12km2 of area was added when Koh Tachai was added to the park, which is now a total area of 140km2, of which only 15km2 is land.

Most of the islands are uninhabited with the exception of Islands 4, 8 and koh Tachai, which have national park offices located on them.

With the nine islands you get a wide variety of experiences, activities and stunning views, there are white sand beaches and massive boulder formations.

Underwater there are amazing coral gardens and diverse marine life ideal for all divers.

The topography differs between the eastern and western sides of the islands. The east side consists of sandy bottoms with wide and colourful soft and hard coral fields that slope down to 40m in some areas. They have gentle current and make for easy diving.

The west side is characterized by large, stacked granite boulder formations which create tunnels and archways with impressive scenery. Currents here can be unpredictable which can make the diving more challenging for beginner divers. But this side is exposed to the open sea and provides good opportunities to spot big pelagic life.

Island 1               Koh Hu-Yong

The second largest island lies 8km south of island 4, it has the largest white sand beach of the Similan National Park which is located on the north side of the island. The beach is a protected area and has a Turtle hatchery, you need special permission from the forestry department to enter this island.

Island 2 and 3     Koh Pa-Yang and Koh Pa-Yan

These two islands are also protected, their topography is granite boulders with mountains and cliffs, no beaches. At resent all the first 3 islands are closed to diving in an effort to preserve the underwater environment. The most southern dive sites are the rocky outcrop of Shark Fin Reef and the submerged site of Boulder City.

Island 4               Koh Miang

The island has a marine park office, camping, small bungalows and a fresh water supply. There are 2 beaches, Haad-Yai or Princess beach on the north and Haad-Lek or Honeymoon beach to the East. There is a trail that runs between the two through the forest. Also on the island is a view point where once you reach the top has a spectacular view of the south islands of the Similans, the trek to get there is a little energetic though.

Islands 4 and 5   Koh Ha and Koh Hok

These two islands are located to the East of Island 4 and are the smallest in the group. The landscape underwater is spectacular with both fringing reef and boulder formations.

Island 7               Koh Pa-Yu

The island has a combination of granite formations and sand beaches. The East side of the island is now closed to diving, but the north and west sides offer rocky pinnacles as dive sites which are covered in soft corals. Again these sites are open to the ocean so currents can be encountered along with the bigger pelagic life.

Hin Pusa

Is located between islands 7 and 8 and is a group of boulders known as “Elephant Head Rock” as the shape resembles the head of an elephant. The site is recommended for experienced divers due to the depth and current.

Island 8               Koh Similan

Is the highest and largest of the islands and has a marine park office and camping in the North of the island at Donald Duck Bay. It is also where the famous Sail Rock is located which is a symbol of Similan. The view from the Rock shows the North part of the Similans. There is no diving on the west or East side of the island, leaving only the North area available.

Island 9               Koh Ba-Ngu

The island has no beach, but is a favorite with divers due to the scenery underwater, it has a mix of coral reef and rocky outcrops.

Koh Bon

The island is North east of Similans, with no sand beaches it is a limestone island with an unusual “hole” which traverses the island on the west side caused by sea erosion. The most popular dive is the ridge where a cleaning station for Manta Rays can be found.

Koh Tachai

This is most Northern part of the Similan Marine Park.  The island has a beautiful white powder beach where the park office is located. With many dive sites including a plateau to the south it is a popular dive destination.

Richelieu Rock

Although not part of the Similan marine park this is often dived on the same liveaboard trips. It is actually part of the Surin Marine Park and is located between the mainland and Surin islands. It is a submerged pinnacle know for it colourful soft coral and rich diversity of life, which can include the smallest creatures such as ghost pipe fish and sea horses to the largest of whale sharks and Manta rays.

Manta Rays have to be one of the most spectacular and majestic creatures in the ocean.  Sighting this magnificent ray is often a highlight in a diver’s experience.  In Thailand, we have one of the few populations of Giant Mantas in the world. There are several sites that they can be seen on a regular basis and these are only accessible by liveaboards.

"Giant Manta Ray"

Scuba Adventure’s program maximises the chance of seeing mantas.

Scuba Adventure

The sites include Hin Daeng and Hin Muang on the Southern itinerary and Koh Bon and Koh Tachai on the Northern  itinerary.  Last high season was spectacular on the Southern sites.  Normally, mantas are seen on the Southern sites in April and May, but we had them for the whole season. We couldn’t believe our luck when on the first trip of the season we had 3 mantas on the first dive on Hin Daeng and the second dive we had 6!!!!!! That wasn’t sightings, but mantas!!!

Manta Madness

Mantas have their unique markings. The black and white on their underside is how mantas are identified.  We were so lucky as mantas were seen on virtually every trip much to the excitement of the customers. There was one trip where not only  the customers were diving they were able to snorkel with the mantas too.

A truly amazing experience for everyone on board.