Diving Day - Saturday 22nd September, 2007

Koh Rin and North Rock

 

 

I got to take a day for some scuba diving today.  Woohoo!  I missed out on diving last weekend, with a sore back...don't ask.  So I had to get back in the water after a long break from diving.

The first dive of the day was at Koh Rin.  This is considered one of the "far islands" from Pattaya, so the visibility is usually a bit better out here.  The second dive was around the "North Rock."  It's a small island just north of Koh Rin that had more fantastic coral formations.  These were to great dives!

Pictures below.  Click on the image to see a larger version.

 

Looking at the island of Koh Rin from the boat.  This is a secluded area, with no development.

The ubiquitous urchins...they carpet the bottom.

An unexploded ordinance of some sort...pictures only...

A sea cucumber

 

 

 

 

A sponge with a nice blue/purple.

Big coral formation.

Christmas Tree Worms!  I took lots of pictures hoping for a few good ones...

More Christmas Tree Worms.  They can be different colors, as you can see.

 

 

 

 

A coral formation.

Christmas Tree Worms

Pink Anemonefish inside their "host" anemone.

A coral formation.

 

 

 

 

More pink anemonefish with their host anemone.

Another coral formation.

Colorful coral/anemone.

Seastar

 

 

 

 

 

 

Barrel sponge

Coral formation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And pictures from the North Rock dive...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A porcupine fish...not a great photo, but a cool fish none-the-less.

Another pink anemonefish with its host.

Large coral formation.

Worms/sea cucumbers living on the side of a barrel sponge.  (Not sure of the ID yet.)

 

 

 

 

Coral formation.

Close-up on the worms/sea cucumbers living on the side of a sponge.

Another picture of the blue-purple sponge

Christmas Tree Worms.  Can you tell I like taking pictures of these?

 

 

 

 

 

And a blue-spotted ray.  Very cool!  It was hidden under a coral formation.

Looking at "North Rock" with Koh Rin in the background.

A friendly couple from Italy, Marco and Lorena, with me on the boat ride back to shore.  They were taking their "Discover Scuba" class and are now addicted and will be getting Open Water certification.  Woohoo!