My final dive in Thailand is with yet another German woman. I think the Aryans are flocking to the Thai kohs (islands) after bratwurst consumption has become too addictive. But I'm not complaining as Annika is blond, tiny, and beautiful, with four tattoos running up her spine -- the tree of life, a phoenix, and the yin/yang symbol. She's constantly smiling and much less authoritative than my previous German instructor. Coincidentally, Annika did all of her dive master training at Big Blue, and was a dive teacher in Bali before heading back to the Thai coast.
We eat breakfast overlooking Koh Phi Phi Leh, and after some eggs and toast, arrive right there. We're in the water at 10:30am at Phi Phi Leh Wall. The visibility is only fair, especially compared to Koh Tao. The reef, however, is alive. We see a giant blue and black spotted grouper, yellow box fish, pink anemonefish, Nemo-like clownfish, bannerfish, butterfly fish, squirrel fish, goat fish with yellow slingshot-shaped cleaning the coral, red wrasses, porcupine fish, coral cod, large pufferfish, and a huge camouflaged scorpionfish (images from Google).
I'm beguiled by the bubble coral, which litters the dive site in shades of white, red, orange, and yellow. They look slightly like glowing lightbulbs. Or maybe discolored red blood cells. Or maybe those red & orange peach gummies.
The visibility is still poor during our second dive, but we're still able to see a huge school of yellow-striped barracudas and a massive trigger fish. We pass by a giant fish net, which looks like a lobster trap for mutants, beckoning us inside. More bubble coral is everywhere, plus a hairy crown of thorns starfish, sea urchins in shades of black/brown/white, giant clams that move and change color as we pass, Christmas tree worms, pufferfish, and orange spherical coral with white polka dots that look like sugared apple fritters.
Back on shore, Helga and I unsuccessfully snorkel for reef sharks at Shark Bay. During our excursion, a sprinting long boat almost hits us head on with its giant, hissing underwater motor. I have my arms furiously waving in the air and scream as he veers out of the way at the last possible minute before continuing onto his destination without so much as a pause to check for blood. Long Beach Divers really should invest in some snorkel equipment that doesn't blend in with the Andaman Sea. And long boat drivers really should lay off the Chang Beer before departing.
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