It’s that time of year now on Lanta when the sea is flat, the sun shines and the rain is no-where to be seen, High Season is definitely here

Yesterday Cecile and Christophe completed their Open Water course with us, and congratulations to them. Cecile is diving again today and Christophe is starting his Advanced Open Water on Sunday. Congratulations also to Bastian on completing his Open Water a few days ago and we are looking forward to introducing many more people to the wonders of the Andaman Sea over the next few months.

Our speedboat was out a Hin Daeng and Hin Muang yesterday, however we haven’t seen any mantas yet this season but we’ll let you know as soon as these amazing creatures arrive, and of course we’ll keep you updated with any more whaleshark encounters!

Diving around the Bida Islands has been particularly nice recently, there are a lot more fish around than there have been for a few months now and we’re also looking forward to our trip to Koh Haa tomorrow.

This is also a great opportunity to introduce myself as a new team member with Dive & Relax, I’ve been teaching diving in several places throughout Thailand for a while now and after discovering the wonderful island of Koh Lanta, have decided to make it my home for the next few years.

The boat is returning soon, so I’ll finish there and hope to see you all soon.

Cameron

A new season has started and we are looking forwards meeting many new dive guests but also seeing some of our regular divers again.

New this season:

Dive & Relax has changed their boat departure and is now leaving right in front of the Lanta Castaway resort. Departure for the local dive sites is still 9.00, for Hin Daeng we leave at 8.00 this season in order to be back around 14.00 and to avoid as much divers as possible on the dive sites.

Same same, no different:

Our captain To is still there as well as our boat boy Long. Fabrice our French instructor is back and we have two other instructors speaking German and Dutch, all of them very familiar with the dive sites in the area.

Weather and dive conditions in Koh Lanta:

At the moment the weather is very hot and the ocean is as flat as it can be. Yesterday in Koh Haa the visibility was very good (around 20 meters), but Koh Rok today had some thermo clines that affected the visibility a little. No manta rays have been spotted yet this season, but we are going to check it out by ourselves tomorrow.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Bianca

I did not realize it was such a long time since my last article. Good news, we spotted our first whale shark of the season on our way back between Koh Haa and Koh Lanta three days ago. This means they are back in the area and might surprise us on one of our next dive excursion. Robert has finished his PADI Open Water (congratulations Robert), he had two spectacular dives on the Bida islands where he saw his first 5 Leopard sharks and turtle.

During the low season we have given our speedboat Saya the maintenance she needed; new cushions on the benches, a new floor and some paint here and there. She looks splendid again for the next season.

Bianca

We went out for three dives to the Bida islands yesterday … did I regret not to have brought my camera. The visibility was one of the best I have ever seen on the Bida islands; on certain areas it was crystal clear and full of fish! There was quite a bit of current hence the amount of fish in the water. The Leopard sharks paid us a visit on every dive and in dive 2 a group of 5 Black tip sharks were circling below us while we did our safety stop.

After a spectacular third dive bad weather was kicking in and we had to quickly enter the boat and return towards Koh Lanta. Luckily we passed the storm quickly and it was nice and sunny again once we arrived in Koh Lanta.

Bianca

After a full week of heavy wind the weather finally calmed down and we managed to go out again. With two Open water students Dorothée and Sebastien we went for our first two dives to the Bida islands. The visibility was more or less 12 meters, which I had not expected. The next day we went for the last two dives of the Open Water course to Koh Haa. The visibility was even better (around 30 meters) and the sites were full of fish. Dorothée told me she always wanted to see a turtle and so we did on both dives. They both got certified and I wish them a lot of underwater fun in the future.

At the moment the weather is back to beautiful again and the sea is extremely calm.

Bianca

The last day of the month and July; I went diving several days with John (alias Malle Pietje) and Karin from Holland. Apart from the fact that we had lots of fun, the diving has been really nice. The visibility in Koh Haa improved enormously (about 15-20 meters) and on almost all the dives we saw a shark or a turtle. On Wednesday we went with our boat for a great snorkeling trip around the National Marine Park of Phi Phi and visited the “almost virgin” beach of Maya Bay together with other 100 or so visitors. It was a nice day after all as the sun was shining and the ocean was fairly calm.

Unfortunately this morning we had to cancel our dive trip as the waves were too high. Hopefully it will calm down in a couple of days, but for the sun lovers it still is hot and sunny.

Bianca

Today was the first time in a while we made it to the Bida islands in the south of Phi Phi and the conditions were perfect, recently calm sea and a blue sky. As soon as we jumped in we noticed that the visibility was not great at all, so we had to focus on the small creatures on the reef. We dived Bida Nok first and then Bida Nai and had an extremely enjoyable couple of dives; hardly any current, hardly other divers, lot’s of fish and 5 Sharks (4 Leopard sharks and 1 Black tip). The sharks came very close and we all had a good look; together with some big groupers, a huge barracuda and lot’s of smaller fish circling us, we honestly did not need a bitter visibility.

Bianca

After being a little “low-season-lazy” it about time I write something again. Dive & Relax is open during the low season and it will be me (Bianca) who will guide you on your dive. I managed to get away from my office desk and surprisingly remember how to dive! The low season in Koh Lanta has been very dry and hot so far, we did not get much rain yet. Although the ocean has been a bit rough last week it looks like the weather is clearing up again. If you think about planning a holiday to Koh Lanta, check out www.airasia.com as they have very cheap London-Kuala Lumpur tickets available. We hope to welcome you soon in Koh Lanta.

Bianca

It is the end of the season in Koh Lanta … so they say. It is true that there are less people on the island and fewer divers in the water, but the dives we did yesterday could definitely not be beaten. We left early morning with a blue sky and a very flat ocean towards the open sea dives of Hin Daeng and Hin Muang. We arrived first on the dive site and started our diving on Hin Muang. No current and a perfect visibility. We did not see any big fish during the first dive, but as soon as we took our kit of on the boat we heard somebody shouting “whale shark”. We all jumped in with masks (although some forgot their fins or snorkels in all the excitement) and everyone had a good 10 min snorkeling with a 3 meter whale shark.

We spotted a rare weedy scorpionfish during our second dive and saw plenty of manta rays and a whale shark again during our third dive on Hin Daeng. What more can I say, it was a great day with brilliant conditions and very happy divers. The pictures will speak for themselves.

Bianca

The whale shark in Hin Daeng at only 10 meters

Anja and the whale shark in Hin Daeng

Spectacular reef of Hin Muang

Rare weedy scorpion fish in Hin Muang

Review in Trip Advisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g303905-d1383034-r28953792-Dive_Relax_PADI_Dive_Resort-Ko_Lanta.html

I love Koh Lanta. Having visited the island many times now, I still find myself returning to experience the uniquely relaxed atmosphere and glorious sandy beaches year after year. Of all the easily accessable islands in the Andaman Sea, Lanta has to offer the ideal combination of sophistication and solitude, of natural beauty and bar life. Everything takes a little longer on Koh Lanta - even seemingly the sensational sunsets.

It was on Koh Lanta that I originally decided to take a PADI open water course. I wanted to explore the ocean’s wonders that lay just off shore and like many others before me, beat the well trodden path into Saladan and signed up with the largest outfit in town. The experience was so at odds with the Lanta experience that the whole episode nearly put me off diving for life. Whilst professional, I awoke every morning relaxed and refreshed, only to be herded onto a wagon, thence packed onto a boat like a sardine, then invited to thrash around in the water with 101 other novices laden down with equipment and with the turning circle of a double decker bus. In short the experience was stressful in the extreme and at no time did I feel I could enjoy observing the wildlife surrounding me in these new surroundings - indeed I was concerned for it’s wellbeing, being surrounded and trodden on my hoards of helpless humanbeings.

I passed the course but for a couple of years visited Lanta with no intention of diving again. I wanted to relax - not to put myself through all that stress. I had that at home for heaven’s sake!

So when I came across Dive & Relax a few years ago I was still sceptical. It took some persuading to get me back in the water but since discovering this wonderful operation, I have been back year on year - with the diving being the focal point of the holiday. Run by a delightful couple, the atmosphere is immediately less formal and more friendly. The fact that they manage to combine this with such levels of professionalism and knowledge of the local marine life is remarkable and requires a delicate balancing act.

In short, I get picked up later after a good breakfast. I get to the dive sites in style earlier than the poor souls crammed onto the big boats. And I get back to the beach suitably invigorated in time for a late lunch and siesta in a hammock.

Never has a company name been more indicative of the experience the client can expect. The staff have always been friendly. The groups are much smaller so the personal touch is always there. Post dive drinks are seemingly a pleasure for the staff rather than a chore.

The highlight of my trip this year was diving with three manta rays at Hin Daeng - just me and my instructor from Dive & Relax who thoughfully managed to film the whole encounter for me. A memory to treasure - my trips with Dive & Relax have been filled with them. I thoroughly recommend the company if you want to be treated as a guest and not as an anonymous number. I’m already planning my trip for next year.