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Similan Islands Liveaboard Trip Report: Day 4
Read the prologue to this trip report here.
Read Day 1 here.
Read Day 2 here.
Read Day 3 here.
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We were now heading back towards Phuket, three days of solid diving done and only two more to go. Everyone on the liveaboard was friendly enough, and by now we knew each others’ names and would have conversations about all sorts of things (and not just diving). Even after twelve dives everyone was still looking forward to the next one. For some reason I was up early, and so was nearly everyone else – all drinking tea or coffee and eating toast while waiting for the morning’s briefing to start.
Koh Bon Pinnacle
Dive thirteen was on Koh Bon Pinnacle. Pinnacles usually have an abundance of life, so we were looking for a good start to the day. We entered the water and headed down the mooring line. As we were descending, Sharky and I noticed a Zebra Shark lying on the bottom. As we headed towards it, it moved off; they do get spooked easily, but we were quite a distance from it at the time. We watched it make its way down into deeper water and followed it. This time it stayed put. I looked around to see if anyone else had followed us down, but at 45m, it wasn’t likely. We didn’t have too much ‘no deco’ time at this depth, so after a few photo’s we headed back up the pinnacle to the others. There were lots of life, all of which we had seen before (that was the first shark I’d seen, however another group had seen a zebra shark on an earlier dive).
Dive Fourteen was going to be back on the ridge, once again trying to see something big; however, our luck on trying to see something big hadn’t been going so well. I hoped our luck would change, as ‘something big’ always refers to either Manta rays or Whale Sharks. Unfortunately not though; quite an uneventful dive really. We saw all the usual fish and a lobster, but nothing too memorable.
Beacon reef
Dive Fifteen. This time it was going to be Beacon Reef. I had never dived Beacon Reef as it had suffered from quite a lot of damage from bad fishing methods, and was not known for its beauty. The main interest on this reef for us was the wreck of a dive boat that sank several years previously. At last, a wreck! I had missed diving wrecks on this trip; and OK, it was only small, but hey – it was still a wreck.
We all made straight for the wreck, which even after several years still looked like a boat. It had been well stripped, apparently by the divers who were on the boat when it sank; they had made several trips back to recover their belongings and equipment. The wreck lays at an angle of about 30 degrees. The stern is at around 28m depth and the bow around about 14m. We had a good look around and headed down towards the dive deck. As we entered the dive deck area we were greeted by a few batfish. We swam into the wreck and came out through one of the broken perspex windows half way along the boat. We did look into the bridge area but there were cables hanging down and thought better of it. A very enjoyable little wreck, short and sweet. We then headed along the reef. There was a lot of life on the reef, although it wasn’t the prettiest, but we did see the full range of reef fish.
It was now time for our second hour on dry land in four days. We were set ashore by the tender in what was quite choppy for the Similans at this time of year (no worse than a flat day in England, but the Thais were concerned). We wandered around the island and along a path to a beach the other side called Honeymoon Bay. The sea this side was considerably flatter; we all thought it would have been a whole lot easier all around if we had been dropped off on this side. Our hour was almost up, so we headed back through the jungle to where we had landed. As the tender made its way towards us they shouted “go round the other side”. It was too rough to land the rib, so off we went through the jungle back to Honeymoon Bay again.
Honeymoon Bay
Dive Sixteen. As the wind had now blown out our night dive site it was decided to dive the reef by Honeymoon Bay. No one knew its name. The brief was to jump in, swim around and come back. It was the usual entry time of 7pm, and we descended where the boat was moored. The reef looked quite pretty; lots of hard corals, a few fish in hiding. A hermit crab was sitting on top of a rock, dark red in colour, posing nicely for the cameras. A cuttlefish changed colours as we passed our torches over it , struggling to work out what colour would best disguise it. Torches flashed everywhere as more lionfish were found, but I was more interested in the biggest crab I had ever seen – it was trying to back into a small recess under some coral, but it was far too big. I would estimate that it was between 40 and 45cm across. Time was up, so we all went back onto the boat for even more food.
The main talking point of the day had to have been the wreck; although the other dives had been nice, the wreck made a change.
To be continued…
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Renowned anti-whaling activist Paul Watson has been released from custody in Greenland after spending five months in detention. Denmark’s Justice Ministry rejected Japan’s request for his extradition, citing insufficient guarantees that his time already served in custody would be credited against any potential sentence.
The 74-year-old Canadian-American was arrested on July 21 in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, when his ship docked to refuel. His arrest was based on a 2012 Japanese warrant related to a 2010 encounter in Antarctic waters. Japan alleged Watson obstructed operations and caused damage to a whaling research ship during efforts to disrupt illegal whaling. Watson has consistently denied these claims, maintaining his commitment to marine conservation.
Denmark, which oversees extradition matters for Greenland, concluded that while the legal conditions for extradition were met, the lack of assurances from Japan regarding time-served credit made extradition untenable.
In a video shared by his foundation, Watson expressed gratitude and relief, saying, “After five months, it’s good to be out… and good to know they’re not sending me to Japan.” He added that the most difficult part of his time in custody was being separated from his two young sons.
Watson is a pioneering figure in marine conservation, known for founding the Captain Paul Watson Foundation in 2022 after decades of activism with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. His bold efforts to defend marine life have earned him widespread support, including from celebrities and conservationists. His work has also been featured in the acclaimed reality TV series Whale Wars.
Watson’s lawyer, Jonas Christoffersen, praised the decision, stating, “We are happy and relieved that Paul Watson is now free.” He added that Watson is eager to reunite with his family and continue his vital work.
The arrest occurred while Watson’s vessel, the M/Y John Paul DeJoria, was en route to the North Pacific with a team of 26 volunteers to intercept a Japanese whaling ship. His foundation described the arrest as politically motivated and emphasized that Watson’s actions were focused on ending illegal whaling practices.
Japan resumed commercial whaling in 2019 after leaving the International Whaling Commission, asserting that whale meat is a cultural tradition. Conservationists, however, continue to challenge these practices, highlighting their impact on marine ecosystems.
Despite the challenges, Watson remains steadfast in his mission to protect marine life and bring attention to whaling practices. His dedication to ocean conservation has made him a globally respected advocate for the environment.
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