Ending the year with Turtles in Thailand...

After finding reports that Leatherback Turtles had nested and laid eggs just south of our Wicked Diving Khao Lak shop, a few of our divemaster trainees loaded up the truck and headed down to investigate.


While Turtle nesting may or may not be important in other location - here in Thailand the population of Leatherback (and other species too) have been decimated to the point of near extinction due to a variety of reasons. As these are pelagic species, they can often be caught as "bycatch" in the huge fleets of fishing fleets - and are too large to effectively be saved by the recent introduction of Turtle Extruder devices with an estimated 1500 mature females caught worldwide...which is approx. 8% of the total population. In addition to this Leatherback's also suffer greatly from the ingestion of plastic bags, balloons and floating waste that resemble the jellyfish that make a huge part of their diet. As this plastic are not digested - they actually prevent absorption of nutrients. 


There have been NO nestings of Leatherbacks in Thailand for at least three years. So this is huge news for species that once numbered in the tens of thousands here!


On our way to visit this nest, we stopped off at the Thai Muang Coastal Fisheries turtle conservation center. There they rehabilitate injured and sick turtles of all ages and maturity levels as well as hatch and raise Green and Hawksbills turtles. They are also unique in that they raise and release several other reef species including Giant clams.


Yesterday they had quite a few adult Turtles in rehab...with one enclosure holding 5 large adult Olive Ridley Turtles which are very uncommon in Thai waters.

After quite a bit of time spent communicating with the turtles big and small...we headed into the National Park to see the nests!



The nests are not common knowledge and have been left int heir natural state - though they are now fenced in and observed so no eggs are taken for traditional recipes.



The nests are fenced off, and documented. They are marked with placards noting the date of nesting and the expected hatching date (about 60 days after eggs are laid). In this case the eggs are expected to hatch about February 12th.

We are in contact with the National Park about supporting the hatching and making sure none are taken by poachers or collectors. Wait for more news about that....


Wicked Diving - we do things differently :)



-Khao Lak Diving

Cornetfish - the arrows of the Reef

One of the common species on the Similan Islands that many of our guests notice, but is not flashy or portrayed in the movies (like Nemo) are the Cornetfish. These are very long, narrow fish that are also called Arrowfish because of how long and thin they are.
they are no threats to humans and are not actively fished. They also tend to slowly move behind humans while diving or snorkeling, to better use us as camoflauge. Generally around 1 meter in length they are no exactly invisible....until they are pointing right at you!
Then they nearly disappear. Their profile while directly facing you is tiny...just a small dot blending into all the colors and motion of the ocean. This is their predatory adaptation. The more common and more colorful Trumpetfish are close relatives. These can often be seen from the surface while moored over many of the dive sites in the Similan Islands

The Cornetfish is not actively fished for and if caught as by-catch is generally just sent to make fish meal (feeding shrimps).
Just another fish that make up part of the big spectrum of sealife around the Similans.

This video was shot during a nightdive on our Similan Liveaboard. In this particular case the videographer did violate one of the rules of night diving by shining the light directly in the fishes eyes. This is not good for the fish as they can be stunned and/or temporarily blinded.

Clownfish on the Similan Islands

Many of us have seen the movie "Nemo"and fallen in love with the characters. And many in the diving community will argue over the voices and characterizations in the film....but it's still fun to watch. 

But Clownfish are far more complicated than the film lets on!

They lead a symbiotic life with the anemone's they inhabit. They feed on small fish and parasites that might otherwise harm the anemones and their fecal matter provides nutrients. That wasn't noted in the film :) 

But way more fascinating...they are hermaphrodites. They start life as males and as they mature, they will turn into females. In most cases the largest Clownfish in any anemone is the female and if she is eaten, then the largest male turns into a female and then each smaller size moves up the hierarchy! now THAT was certainly not in the film. 

There is plenty more to learn about our seas and even the simplest looking fish can lead an incredibly complicated life. AND they are cute too :)

We see Clownfish on almost every trip aboard our Similan Liveaboards....drop us a line if you'd like to experience these yourself :)

Great News for Thailand! Leatherback Turtle nesting...

For several years Wicked Diving has taken all of our Divemaster Trainees and a few guest to visit the nearby Thai Muang National Park, where there is a turtle hatchery. These are turtles hatched from eggs found on this last remaining stretch of undeveloped beach in the region and one of only two beaches where Leatherback Turtles nest in Thailand. 

Not a leatherback Nor on Thai Muang Reef...but still Wicked:)

We also dive on the reef directly in front of the park in a place called Hidden reef, as it was "discovered" by the WWF when doing research on the local reefs after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. (Several of us had dived there before that point...but hey, any publicity is good publicity!). A link to our sister site about diving Thai Muang Reef

It is appropriate that now, just a few days before the anniversary of the tsunami that some amazing news has come out of Thai Muang...the Leatherback turtles have returned!!!

There have been not one, but TWO different nests on the in the past weeks and with the method of Turtleback nesting, there should be more nests laid in the coming weeks! This is great news as it has been a few years since the last Leatherback nest was found. As this is also one of only two beaches in Thailand where the Leatherbacks nest...this is amazing news. 

Leatherback Turtles are quite susceptible to being caught caught in fishing nets as by-catch and on longline fishing (for tuna). Their numbers have dwindled dramatically in the past decades and even a sighting of one is rare, let alone a nest. Another major cause of their dwindling numbers is connected to the use of plastic bags. Yes, it's true...those cheap plastic bags you get can kill these turtles who mistake them floating in the ocean as jellyfish. The plastic is not digested and takes up space in their digestive tract, making them slowly starve. Please do not use plastic bags :( 

We hope to visit the hatchery in just a few days and possibly bring back pictures of the eggs and talk with the rangers about the process of hatching, gestation cycle and planned release dates and locations for the hatchlings. We'll bring you more news on that soon!!!

-Khao Lak Diving

Giant Moray Eels

Below is an excerpt from our marine life page on Giant Moray eels.

The giant moray (Gymnothorax javanicus) is in terms of body mass the largest of the moray eel species, from the family Muraenidae.

General Description
As the name suggests, this is a large eel, reaching up to 3 metres in length and 30 kilograms in weight. While juveniles are tan in colour with large black spots, adults have black specks that grade into leopard-like spots behind the head and a black area surrounding the gill opening, there is a greenish base colour with dark speckling, and a more pale area around the face. In some species, the inside of the mouth is also patterned.
The body is long and heavy set but despite this is very flexible and moves with ease.
The dorsal fin extends from just behind the head along the back and joins seamlessly with the caudal and anal fins. Most species lack pectoral and pelvic fins, adding to their serpentine appearance. Their eyes are rather small so giant moray eels tend to rely on their highly developed sense of smell, lying in wait to ambush their prey.


Where to find the Giant Moray Eel
Giant moray eels are found worldwide in tropical and temperate seas, particularly in relatively shallow water among reefs and rocks, in lagoons and seaward reefs, as well as in estuarine areas.
This immense moray hides in reef interstices, under ledges and in caves on reef walls and they live at depths of up to several hundred metres.
We encounter Giant Morays on many of our trips, but they are particularly common on dives done form our Similan Liveaboard trips


Similan Diving is Wicked Diving!

Indian Ocean Walkmen

Below is an excerpt from our page on Walkmen. We encounter these frequently on Muck dives in Komodo and very occasionally on our Similan Liveaboard

The indian ocean walkman (Inimicus didactylus) also known as the Demon Stinger fish, Scorpion fish, Devil Stinger fish, Bearded Ghoul is a member of the Inimicus genus of venomous fishes, closely related to the true stonefishes.
It is irregularly surfaced with spines and a knobby appearance. The fish has venomous spines to ward off enemies.

General Description
Adults can attain a body length of up to 26 centimeters in length. The body color is red or sandy yellow with light blotches, and very similar to that of the surrounding sandy or coral seabed in which they are found. This coloration acts as a camouflage which renders them extremely difficult to detect in their natural habitat. The skin is without scales except along the lateral line, and is covered with venomous spines and wart-like glands which give it a knobby appearance. The head is flattened, depressed and concave. The eyes, mouth and nostrils project upwards and outwards from the dorsal aspect of the head. Sexual dimorphism is not believed to occur in this species.
The species has a depressed head that is strongly concave on the dorsal side. The head is also covered with flaps of skin and raised ridges, and tentacles are present on the head, trunk, and fins. Its mouth points up almost vertically, and its eyes protrude visibly outwards. A raised knob at the end of its snout gives it the appearance of having an upturned nose.

Wicked Diving

Robust Ghost Pipefish

While many divers are keen on seeing the large pelagics, there are many of us who are keen on the small things. With patience and good eyes, there are many, many rewarding species to be found. One of the most fascinating are the pipefish family. Robust Ghost Pipefish are very hard to spot and typically in the very shallow areas. It is only with dawning awe that many a guest has realized that what we are pointing out is not a dead leaf but a living fish!

Robust ghost pipefish also better known as False Pipefish, Tube mouth Fish, Blue-Finned Ghost Pipefish, Squaretail Ghost Pipefish and Seagrass Ghost Pipefish are in fact not members of the Pipefish family, but are closely related to the Pipefish and Sea Horse family, which is perhaps why the Robust Ghost Pipefish while having the long tube-like snout taking up 1/3 of its size is similar to the pipefish, and its body covered with external plates makes its appearance and size more like a seahorse.

With their incredible ability to mimic their surroundings and their tiny size, it is not surprising that these spectacular critters are seldom spotted by divers. Robust ghost pipefishes are masters of disguise. In fact they may have some of the best disguises in the sea but when viewed, they are one of the oceans most beautiful creatures!

General Description

Robust ghost pipefish are closely related to Seahorses, but unlike Seahorses, male robust ghost pipefish do not have a pouch in which the young are reared. Instead the female has the pouch and has to look after the eggs.

Robust ghost pipefishes are also different to seahorses in several other ways. A robust ghost pipefish’s head is held at an angle to the body, but not at such a large angle as that of the seahorse. Robust ghost pipefishes have two dorsal fins whereas a seahorse only has one.

Colour varies from place to place blending in with surroundings ranging from Green to brown.

In certain habitats, like among rocks and macroalgae, they assume a blotched color pattern.

Komodo Diving

Marine Life - Eagle Rays

We get to see many amazing creatures on our trips. Rays are one of the ones that seem so foreign and exotic. Eagle rays, however have a very cute face (when seen from the front) and seem quite curious.

We are fortunate enough to encounter these in both our Thailand and Komodo dive centers.

The eagle rays are a group of cartilaginous fish that are part of the family of Myliobatidae. Eagle rays are basically large species of rays that unlike many ray species, tend to live in the open ocean rather than on the bottom of the sea.

The Genus name of this type of fish is Aetobatus which is a word derived from the Greek meaning eagle (aetos) and ray (batis).

General Description

The eagle ray has a very long tail and a well defined body that ranges from 48 centimetres to 9 meters in length.  They have inky blue bodies and a long tail that can reach up to 5 meters in length. The eagle ray also has a very angular disc and a long broad snout rounded like a duck's bill, with a “v” shaped flap.

It has a pectoral disc with sharply curved, angular corners, and no caudal fin; their jaws contain a single row of flat, chevron-shaped teeth. Each tooth is a crescent-shaped plate joined into a band.

The eagle ray swims by moving its two wings vertically - sometimes they break the surface of the sea and give the impression of two sharks traveling together. The eagle ray can also jump out and across the surface of the water.

Wicked Diving

Marine Life - Ornate Ghost Pipefish

Many of you know that here at Wicked Diving we are passionate about all the creatures we encounter in the seas...but a few of us geek out on the species we find in the macro rather than the larger species. Ornate Ghost Pipefish are masters of disguise and really take some searching to find. But once you do...they are amazing!


The ornate ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus) occasionally known as the harlequin ghost pipefish, is a pipefish of the family Solenostomidae frequently found along reef edges prone to strong currents.
The ornate ghost pipefish is one of the hardest fish to spot in the ocean.  First of all they are relatively small, only growing to about 12 centimetres in maximum length. This combined with the fact that their bodies look more like coral or seaweed than an actual saltwater fish, makes them a master of camouflage!

General Description
The ornate ghost pipefish can be recognised by its distinctive body form with slender appendages on the body and fins. It has deeply incised membranes in the dorsal, caudal and ventral fins.
Its colour varies from almost totally black to semi-transparent with red, yellow, and white scribbling, spots and blotches and they can reach a maximum length of 12 centimetres.
These pipefish are different to seahorses in several ways. The head is held at an angle to the body, but not at such a large angle as that of the seahorse. One also finds that they have two dorsal fins whereas a seahorse only has one. In addition, the ghost pipefishes do not have a pouch in which the young are reared, instead the female looks after the eggs in a pouch formed by her modified ventral fins. These fins are greatly expanded and united with the abdomen along the upper margin and together below for a brood pouch.
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Come with us and Dive Komodo National Park :)

Video - Similan Islands Reef Life with Wicked Diving

-Similan Islands Diving

Video - Shirmps on the Similan Islands with Wicked Diving

-Similan Diving

Christmas Tree Worm at Similan Islands

Not everything we see at the Similan Islands is huge! Keep an eye out for the little stuff too!

Christmas tree worms are a great way to remember this.


-Similan Diving

Video - Leopard Shark at the Similan Islands with Wicked Diving

Sharks are a frequent visitor to our dive sites like Breakfast Bend. These are non-aggressive species and no threat to humans in any way.

-Similan Diving

Video of Banded Sea snake at the Similan Islands with Wicked Diving

This and much more is seen by us at the Similan Islands. Join us for an ecologically friendly liveaboard through Thailand's most famous dive sites.



-Similan Diving

Similan Diving Video - Tomato Anemonefish

Here is another great video from Steff at Digital Aquatic.

This footage is of Tomato Anemonefish in their home.

Similan Diving

Sea snake - video while diving the Similan Islands

The Similan Islands Are home to a great diversity of marine life. Some of this life is not what you might expect. From the Monitor lizards, Nicobar Pigeons and the nesting turtles to the Flying Foxes that live in the trees. Sea Snakes are also a common occurrence in the region.

On our most recent Similan Liveaboard we encountered this sea snake. As they have no natural predators (aside from humans) they are virtually fearless. However - don't grab one!

David, from Digital Aquatic filmed this particular episode.



-Similan Islands Diving

Similan Islands Turtle Education - Trip Report

Similan Islands Turtles and Reef Special Education Trip

Wicked Diving is committed to far more than just diving. We are very passionate about our environment and how to reduce our impact on it. We do this with more than just good intentions and talk. We use only organic, biodegradable soaps, shampoos and conditioners. Even our washing up soap is organic and biodegradable. We also require all of our professional dive courses to initiate and implement and ecological program. Each year we donate 10% of our profits to local NGO's to improve the community around us.

But one of the most important pieces of our environmental program - is our educational trips. While being famous for offering the first and most thorough Whale Shark research trips in Thailand, we also offer trips that educate and raise awareness regarding Sharks & Rays, Turtles and even trips to our locals wrecks and pinnacles.

From the 5^th to 7^th of December, Wicked Diving conducted the first special educational trip of the season! Our eager participants learned about the 7 species of sea turtles, of which four hang around in the Andaman Sea: Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Olive Ridley's Turtles!

On each night of the trip our own Marine Biologist, Karina, conducted a presentation about Turtles. Ranging from the sea turtles life cycle to how and why they have adapted to live on the sea. We also shared information on what is the main threat to Turtles (humans - but in ways you might now expect!) Of course it does no good to just comment about the turtles and their threats - current research and conservation efforts were also shared. Most importantly - we learned about how can we help the Turtles and what we can do to make life easier for these endangered species!

We visited Similan Island #1. This island is off limits to all visitors (snorkeling and diving). as it is a Turtle sanctuary and hatchery. However, with special permission granted by the generous Rangers of the Similan Islands National Park, we were lucky enough to visit this remote location.

The nesting beach is protected from all visitors to prevent any disturbance to nesting turtles or to any freshly released hatchlings.

Ever vigilant - the rangers watch for signs of nesting (disturbed sand and tracks). Once the Turtles lay their eggs, the rangers will mark the nests and raise the eggs.

The sanctuary consists of 6 tanks to hold the new born turtles and nurse them for some months until they will have a larger size and a better chance of survival when placed back in the sea.

We learned that one of the biggest hazards to Turtle nesting is the cleanliness of the beaches. If there is too much rubbish, then the turtles can't actually dig their nests.

As part of all our educational programs - we strongly emphasize what we do DO. for the Turtle Education trip, we decided to embark on both an extensive beach cleanup, but also a reef cleanup.

As you can see, it took some effort! All guests and staff took part in this. Of course spending a day on one the most remote beaches in the world, helping preserve turtle hatching areas and enjoying life is not exactly the hardest work - but just look at how much rubbish we collected!

Of course there was more than just the beaches!

“TURTLE” someone joyously yelled as we were having a break time while moored on Donald Duck Bay at Similan Island #8. And there it was: a beautiful big sea turtle swimming on the side of our boat. Snorkels and cameras on, lets enjoy the meeting with this so ancestral, endangered and amazing animal!

Unfortunately the turtles approach the boats expecting to get food. Some dive operators try to impress their customers by feeding them with bread and bananas! This is both harmful as the foods are foreign to the ecosystems of the turtles - but it is also very harmful in another way. If the turtles were to approach a fishing boat - they are simply plucked out of the water and eaten! So to impress their guests, they are killing the turtles :(

At Wicked Diving we understand that creating dependence and disturbing feeding habits is not the way… We strongly discourage feeding and touching of any wild life! If you are with a dive or snorkel operator that feeds the fish - please point out the hazards of this horrible habit. Or even better - chose a dive operator that does not partake of such activities.

All the participants in our Turtle Educational tour were certified as Naturalist Divers as they also learned about the reefs, gastropods, cephalopods, arthropods, etc...

Sounds like a lot? It's just the marine life we see underwater everyday! Would you like to learn more? Come join us on our next special education trip - Manta Ray and Whale shark Conservation and Research on February 6- 8 2010!

As always - when you dive with Wicked, you make a difference!

-Similan Diving

Similan Islands Video - Triggerfish

This is some sweet footage of a Yellow-margin triggerfish. They are quite large and stir fear in some divers as they are very protective of their nests.
Here in the Similan Islands, their nests are usually at the bottom of the reef or out in open sand (benthic area) we tend to not encounter irritable triggerfish.

At the same time - Ricky and Laura were busy encountering a ray - probably a Devil Ray. David, the videographer, missed that one and only got their reactions :(

That's okay - many more Manta's coming soon!


-Similan Diving

-Underwater Video Interships

Thecacera - Incredible nudibranch

Yes, more critter time.

This time we are looking at the Thecacera, and very weird and gorgeous Nudibranch. It has two unusual "blobs" that are like rabbit ears, only MUCH larger (nearly as large as body) that just flap and flop in the currents

It has the coolest markings and is not camouflaged at all. It is also one of the fastest nudi's we've seen.

There is only one good picture of these that we've seen - on the back cover of the Debilius Nudibranch book.

This photo is from Amanda - Thanks!!!!


Want to see one? Similan Liveaboard





-Similan Islands Diving

Mantis shrimps - and your DVD player?

As always - keeping our eye on marine bilogiy and science - here is a great story about Mantis shrimps. We see this on many dive sites, but they are most noticeable on our local dive sites - especially Bon Soong Wreck and Premchai wreck.

Humans see three colors that, combined, allow us to enjoy the visible light spectrum. The mantis shrimp sees 12 colors, ranging into the near-ultraviolet to infrared parts of the spectrum. The creature can also distinguish different forms of polarized light.

Scientists now say this sea shrimp's remarkable eye could inspire a new generation of DVD and CD players.

Mantis shrimp found on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and have the most complex vision systems known to science. Special light-sensitive cells rotate the plane of the oscillations, or polarization, of a light wave as it travels through it. This allows the shrimps to convert linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light and vice versa.

Manmade devices called quarter-wave plates perform this essential function in CD and DVD players and in circular polarizing filters for cameras. But these artificial devices only tend to work well for one color of light. The shrimp's eyes work almost perfectly across the whole visible spectrum, from near-ultraviolet to infrared, the researchers found.

"Our work reveals for the first time the unique design and mechanism of the quarter-wave plate in the mantis shrimp's eye," said University of Bristol researcher Nicholas Roberts, lead author of a paper on the work, published in the journal Nature Photonics. "It really is exceptional – out-performing anything we humans have so far been able to create."

Polarization vision is used by animals for sexual signaling or secret communication that avoids the attention of predators, the researchers explained in a statement. It could also help them find and catch prey by offering a clearer underwater view.

"What's particularly exciting is how beautifully simple it is," Roberts said. "This natural mechanism, comprised of cell membranes rolled into tubes, completely outperforms synthetic designs. It could help us make better optical devices in the future using liquid crystals that have been chemically engineered to mimic the properties of the cells in the mantis shrimp's eye."

Similan Diving

Surin Islands

Similan Liveaboard