Adventure and Dive World Travel

French Polynesia, 2023

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:22:53 GMT

Spectacular above AND below the surface

Ahead of us, we had 5 full days of swimming with Humpback Whales in the waters around Moorea. Our days would start at 7am with continental breakfast in our bungalow, then we’d drive 2 minutes down the hill to where we boarded our super fast, comfy RIB. From there, we’d head either straight out into the ocean, or speed around via the protected lagoon, to the other side of the island, depending on the wind direction. All of us were on spout duty, looking for whales here there and everywhere.

The approach regulations in Tahiti are extremely respectful and whale focused, with vessels allowed up to 100 metres away from a whale. Once a calm, relaxed whale was found, we would slip in to the water with our guide and swim calmly in the general direction of the whale, making sure he or she wasn’t disturbed.

All of that was well and good, but this didn’t necessarily mean the whale wouldn’t try and disturb us! Gabby and her group got mugged by a teenage “crazy whale”, who barrel rolled and swam right up to the boat to have a big look at us while we waited in the water next to the vessel.

Not to mention the playful calf who rolled around and around on her mums nose, before doing a big breach right in front of us!

Which was made slightly less impressive by her mum doing a massive breach right after her while we were in the water just 20 metres away (we were too stunned to get a photo trust us it definitely happened).

Ron’s group were blessed with some super playful older calf interactions as well, one in particular circling around and around the snorkellers for an hour splashing and playing

Plus the over excited young male who just could NOT contain himself

The big chill solo female who was pretty content cruising slowly past us breathing and eyeballing also definitely deserves a mention

Afternoons were spent snorkelling in the lagoon, with a very cool stingray encounter. As our guide Ben described them, they come up to the snorkellers “like cats” to check you out, they are super comfortable with swimming right over the top of you! Notice in the photos the snorkellers have their hands on the stingray’s snoots to redirect them away if needed.

Of course, the ocean always provides in Mo'orea, so evenings were spent dining on incredible French inspired seafood, with most restaurants offering a real culinary experience for us at the end of some incredible days out on the water.

To us, Mo’orea offers the complete package for a holiday destination, with superb ocean experiences, incredible scenery, tasty food, excellent accommodation and a beautiful island culture.

Quest Tours will return for three tours to Mo’orea, French Polynesia, in 2024.

Africa, 2018

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 00:45:27 GMT

2018's Thrilling tour of South Africa, Zambia and Botswana

Victoria Falls

After a long flight from Sydney and a relaxing night at the Africa Sky resort in Johannesburg we arrived in Livingstone, Zambia for the first part of our African adventure. Our local guide, Kisswell took us for a walk around Victoria falls and we were all impressed by the sheer scale of this natural wonder. There are no photos that would do this place justice. This is the dry season so the volume of water is reduced but it is still a jaw dropping experience to hear the roar and see the spray produced by the waterfall.

Zambezi River

Some of our crew braved the grade 5 rapids of the lower Zambezi while the rest of us chose to drift 8km down the upper Zambezi. We had a dramatic moment when a huge bull elephant charged our raft and caused some frantic back paddling. We had encounters with Hippos and Nile Crocodiles as well as numerous bird species. The mighty Zambezi lived up to its fearsome reputation for both groups.

Ending the day with a sunset cruise on the Zambezi with Zambia on one side and Zimbabwe on the other. Spectacular scenery and lots of wildlife including Hippos and Nile Crocs. Great food and unlimited grog. Then G&Ts went down very well.

Chobe National Park - Botswana

Kiswell took us to the border of Zambia and Botswana today. Absolute chaos as hundreds of trucks carrying copper were waiting up to 2 weeks to cross the river on a barge.

Our game drive into the Chobe National Park was brilliant and as we travelled along the river bank we saw a large number of Elephants in family groups. Saw Hippos, Crocs, Cape Buffalo, warthogs and various species of antelope. Had lunch at a posh resort and went out on a boat tour of the same area, getting up close and personal with crocs and hippos.

Rhino Walk

Last day in Zambia. Had a great experience walking in small groups to observe a herd of white rhinos. The heavily armed escorts were a bit confronting but were obviously needed for safety.

We were all sad to wave Kiswell goodbye at the airport as we prepared for our flight to Cape Town via Johannesburg. A bit of a bonus had most of us bumped to business class for the first flight.

Cape Town

As usual, a very efficient Frank met us at the airport and transferred us to the luxury Commodore hotel near the V&A Waterfront precinct. We spent the next morning checking out the waterfront and the nearby markets. A guided visit to the spectacular Table Mountain was the afternoon’s activity.
Most of our group found great restaurants to sample the local cuisine for dinner.
The next day we had a scenic trip to the Cape of Good Hope and made the climb to the Cape Point Lighthouse. We lucked out with perfect weather for this trip as it can get pretty wild around this meeting of the Atlantic and Indian oceans.
For our final day in Cape Town, Frank took us to the Stellenbosch district where we got to sample the local wines and were very impressed with the quality … especially the local Pinotage. We also visited the Cheetah Outreach centre and the Raptor Refuge. Afternoon tea at a berry farm capped of a wonderful day.

Kariega Game Reserve

After a very early flight we arrived in Port Elizabeth and picked up our hire vehicles. The drive to Kariega was fun and we only got slightly lost a couple of times. Our group had to split up for the accommodation at this reserve … some went to the luxury Ukhozi lodges while the rest of us went to the Homestead. Everyone was very impressed by the standard of this accommodation, especially the ‘open bar’ policy.
At the Homestead we were woken the next morning by roaring lions just outside our compound. Saw lots of wild animals on our game drives and the knowledge of our rangers was amazing … so much to learn about African wildlife. It was breeding season and we witnessed lots of males challenging each other for dominance. A couple of young bull elephants were smashing each other right in front of our game vehicle.

Lalibela Game Reserve

A short drive from Kariega to our next game reserve. A big improvement in the accommodation at Mark’s Camp since our last visit.
Some of our crew did the optional ‘walk on the wild side’ where they accompanied local rangers on foot to track and observe the wildlife.
Saw a crazy lion fight and found the elusive local cheetah. Lots of great wildlife spotting and spectacular locations for our sundowners (drinks and nibbles at sunset).
A member of our group celebrated a milestone birthday here and the lodge staff sang a beautiful rendition of happy birthday as they presented her with a cake.

Mount Camdeboo Game Reserve

A scenic 4 hour drive into the mountains of the inland East Cape. Accommodation here was at a 200 year old Dutch manor. Beautiful buildings and fantastic grounds and gardens. The staff here were super friendly and made a huge effort to ensure the quality of our stay.
We were taken up to a site where a decisive battle of the Boer War occurred. Lots of other historical sites in this area. It is impossible to describe the spectacular mountain scenery here. Steep, snow-capped mountains with plateaus only accessible via rocky tracks.
Wildlife here included cheetah, black wildebeest (gnu), mountain zebra, buffalo and oryx.
Some of us did the helicopter option to see a different view of these mountains … a mind-blowing experience. We met the rest of the crew on a plateau for lunch. This was a great way to end our African adventure.

Maldives 2018

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 06:00:51 GMT

Mantas Mantas MANTAS!

A late night arrival after a very long journey, a quick hello to the crew & off to bed. Bloody bell rings at 6.00am & we drag our weary bodies to the lounge for coffee and our first dive briefing. Everyone looked like they had a Sunday morning hangover. We're filed on to the dhonie & told to gear up. A little bit of excitement manifests but it quickly dissipates as someone has a wardrobe malfunction and another has forgotten to pack a vital piece of equipment. Everyone hold stations.

Finally it's “go, go, go” and our combined entries varied from a failed half twist with pike to full on face plants. Are we really ready for this? As the bubbles steady and we all gather our senses, there was a combined muffled call through our regulators of “WOOHOO”

As we climbed back on board there was a few “Wow, sorry I didn’t get your name but did you see...” The water temp of 28 degrees, the viz of 30+ metres, the largest bright yellow eels resembling sea serpents hiding in rocks and slithering across the reef, huge schools of fish in various sizes and colours. The “Whoohoos” continued all the way back to our luxury 58 metre liveaboard yacht, “Ritrella”. Oh, forgot to mention, this was only our “check dive.”

Coffee cups clanged & rattled in saucers as we fiddled with our breakfast, each person throwing in another superlative to describe the dive. We talked & got to know each other in the next 2 hours of surface interval then it was on again. A quick but thorough briefing of the next site and we were off.

Our water entries this time resembled those of somewhat more experienced divers and we grouped together as we started our decent. One of our wonderful dive guides, Ari, signalled for us to keep low & still. As we layed there, half a dozen large mantra rays came in from behind the cleaning station and played in our bubbles for more than 40 minutes. They swooped and rolled, came face to face with each other in a playful dance then glided face first towards us as if posing for photos.

Back on the dhonie it was more of “Wow, your name was Bill wasn’t it, no?, doesn’t matter that’s not important, did you see the one that......”.All the way back to the yacht there were Cheshire grins on everyone’s faces.

On board, lunch was consumed with one or two bites in between more “wows” and silly grins. It was then time to get the cameras out to see if you caught that one special shot that you could gloat about or as in my case, wonder what was wrong with the camera to be taking such shitty pics.

The afternoon was spent exploring our new home for the week. Some relaxed in or by the pool some sunning on the top deck while others sort the comfort of the air conditioned lounge and endless cups of coffee.

5.30 and the bell rings in our ears. We're off for a night dive. Another quick but precise briefing and it was torches, cameras action. The moonlight shone through the surface as we descended down the side of the reef. Black tip reef sharks gliding by, turtles galore coming out to see what was going on, fish of all colours and sizes photo bombing your pics. As we swam to the top of the reef for our safety stop, we were entertained by a feeding marbled stingray and a spanish dancer sliding over the rocks. Back on board we repeated the woohoos and laughed at each others description of their encounter as we headed back to the yacht.

Dinner was served and consumed and we all wondered how our crew was going to top today’s experience, that was just about when the weary body said it was time for rest and we adjourned to our staterooms for a very much needed recovery sleep.

Day 2 and the bell once again rings at 6.00am. This time there was no hunched over, feet dragging walks into the lounge, no low gruntled groans from anyone saying it's too early, it was all “lets go” and “Can’t wait” as we sat in on our next dive brief.

Once again we plunge into the warm clear waters and as we descend to our max dive depth a large school of black tip reef sharks came in to investigate us. For 20 minutes they swam over us, under us, between us almost posing for the cameras. We ascended to the top of the reef where the eagle eyed ones searched for nudibranchs and they had their cameras pointed at anything colourful that wasn’t moving (or at least very, very slowly). Dive two of the day was pretty much the same but on this occasion we were greeted by a huge Napoleon Wrass that continued to follow us throughout the dive. Our third dive we were surrounded by schools of sweetlips of various colours and an assortment of hard & soft corals and huge gorgonian fans. The adventures for the day didn’t stop there though with the crew organising a night fishing expedition. Thankfully the galley was fully stocked because unfortunately our expertise in fishing definitely was not our strong point.

Day 3 felt like someone hit the repeat button with more sharks, schools and schools of colourful tropical fish and the ever continuing search for that stunning nudibranch. Our wonderful dive guides pointed out things we probably would have just swam by like the bright red frog fish or the burrowing manta cray. The 3rd dive of the day gave us a wonderful experience with a school of spotted eagle rays. Tonight we were ferried to shore of a tiny, uninhabited island in the dinghy for a full blown Maldivian BBQ. No words to describe, it just ticked all the boxes.

A beautiful slow drift dive for our 4th morning with turtles galore. Not ones that swim by slowly and scurry off as you approach them. No, this was their house and they weren't in a hurry to go anywhere. They swam towards you, over you, pushed you out of the way to get to their favourite feeding spot, real cool dudes. Ahh, can it get any better? YOU BETYA. WHALE SHARKS. Yes before our second dive of the day we got to snorkel with 2 whales sharks then we geared up and dived next to them. It may of only been a short encounter but it got us excited. Wow, Wow, Wow. You would think that would just top off not only the day but the whole trip. Not on a liveaboard in the Maldives. Oh no. That night we plunged into the darkness with our torches aglow to find more than 30 tawny nurse sharks that just wanted to be next to you. Look up, down, sideways, it didn’t matter, there they were, even snuggling up next to you in the sand. Add to that 4 or 5 large sting rays that also wanted to rub up against you and we had what some guys were saying as the best dive of their lives.

That 6.00am bell rang again on our next to last day but the group was a little more sombre realising it was our last dive day. Still we put in two wonderful dives that brought more hard & soft corals, schools & schools of fish, sharks and the endless search for that perfect pic.

What a great bunch of travellers, an amazing dive crew, superb accomodation and absolutely magnificent crew.

If you’re reading this and have ever thought, “that would be good”, do it. Get in touch with Quest Tours and put your name down for 2019 before spots run out.

Maldives we'll miss you.

Arctic Odyssey 2018

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 00:43:16 GMT

Rembrandt in the sea ice

Over five years in the planning, we finally set off on what promised to be the trip of a lifetime.

Arriving in Oslo we were greeted by an unusually warm 27C temperature. Several great days were spent in Oslo, including being guided around most of the iconic museums and sites; along the way learning much about life in Norway.

We then enjoyed one of the world’s great train journeys, Oslo to a showery Bergen. Our next two days in this stunning city, were bathed in very unusual warm sunshine. A fjord cruise and guided city tour, plus a day to explore the fabulous waterfront kept all enthralled in this pedestrian friendly city.

The next day whilst flying to Longyearbyen, we met up with the other seven travellers of the Quest Tours’ group. Flying over jagged mountain peaks and glaciers, finally the view of our destination, the world’s northern-most town appeared, as we flew down a long valley between two cloud-topped mountain ranges. Often fog-bound, we were fortunate to have this vista revealed, and being aided in avoiding the cumulo-granite.

A beautiful hotel, guided bus tour, sled-dog adventure, the fascinating, fabulous museum and the opportunity to wander around and explore this quirky outpost town at near the top of the world, fabulously filled in the afternoon and next morning. After-lunch we strolled down to the waterfront, to finally board our home for the next 18-nights, the beautiful gaff-rigged topsail schooner, the “Rembrandt van Rijn”.

After meeting the crew of 12, and the balance of 7 whom made up the rest of our 33-shipmates, we were given the orientation of the ship and safety briefing. Setting sail immediately we passed a multi thousand passenger luxury cruise liner; their cosseted passengers gazing at us from the deck as we motored out of the harbour. They would never be able to see or experience what lay before us; close-in to shoreline cruising, Zodiac shore and iceberg excursions, all not on their agenda.

We were now in the realm of the midnight sun, as we would only experience a few hours of darkness in the final few days of our voyage.

Our ship’s programme was now detailed; each day we would enjoy morning and afternoon Zodiac planned shore landings, or shoreline cruising excursions, as well as spur of the moment Zodiac launches, whenever wildlife, Polar Bears in particular, were spotted.

We were entertained and educated with afternoon and evening talks and videos by our two guides, the wickedly funny Jordi, and his cohort, Geologist, Glacierologist and all-round nice guy, Laurence. Subjects of these talks ranged from Geology, Glaciers, Polar Expeditions, Archaeology, Arctic History, Climate Change, Wildlife and Tall Ship Sailing.

For the next six days we explored the fjords, islands and shoreline of Spitsbergen (Spikey Mountains – Dutch), Shore excursions delivered two grades of walks, easy “ambles” and more active hikes (rambles). Glaciers, tundra, delicate Arctic flowers, bird life, Harbour Seals and Walrus, all up close left us in wonder, And recent Polar Bear footprints on the shoreline, ensured we stayed close to our two rifle-toting guides.

Our afternoon shore excursion the next day, took us to a sand spit where dozens of massive Walrus grumped together in a steaming pile. We very slowly approached this mountain of blubber, often stopping if they appeared restive, and then continuing as they became comfortable with our presence. Eventually we were around 20-metres away from the grumbling herd, tusks flashed as neighbouring bulls asserted dominance, all the while grunting and roaring. Just a fabulous, well managed excursion was enjoyed by all.

As we sailed into a fjord just after midnight, whilst most of us were asleep in our cabins, eagle-eyed Laurence spotted a Polar Bear off our starboard midships. “Polar Bear” came the call over the P.A. In minutes everyone was on deck, gazing to the shoreline off our starboard bow, where a huge male Polar Bear was prowling. Our guides now realised that this was a second Polar Bear, as the first one spotted was still swimming off midships.

We spent the next 3-hours or so on deck, as the ship followed the land based Polar Bear. Great photographic opportunities arose as the bear progressed at first along the foreshore, and then along a sunlit ridgeline, before returning to the shore. Here after a moment, he launched in and swam away into the sun. Wow what an experience! Breakfast call was late this morning.

A few more days of Seal, Walrus and Polar Bear spotting from the ship and the Zodiacs, plus shore and glacier front Zodiac excursions nearly completed our time exploring the many fjords and island of Spitsbergen.

Our final day at Spitsbergen had us exploring the island of Ytre Norskoya, which in the 16th century had been a Dutch whaling outpost. Evidence of this was to be found on the lower slopes, with the permafrost pushing archaeological remains to the ground surface.

A steep hike afforded beautiful vistas of both sides of the island. Puffins and Little Auks were nesting here and flying back with catch for their chicks. Arctic foxes and their so cute cubs prowled the cliffs, affording great photo opportunities

At nearly 80 degrees north, so close to the North Pole, we set sail in the evening for Greenland, passing yet another massive cruise liner hove-to off a glacier, nice for its passengers, but not even approaching what we had seen and experienced.

Heading out into the Greenland Sea, at the top of the North Sea, we set our sails for the first time, with all crew and passengers joining in the work, learning the ropes and having a great time. What a bunch of landlubbers we were, we could only get better!

Our crossing of the Greenland Sea was to take three and a half days; light winds and gentle seas, the norm at this time of the year, meant that we motor-sailed our way westward, for all but a dozen of hours under sail alone, in fickle, favourable breezes.

We were entertained on the crossing by thrice daily entertaining talks by our guides and members of the ship’s crew. These talks were interspersed by time on deck, setting and furling sails; as sailors we were improving, but hardly a well-oiled machine!

With the mostly calm seas and lack of wind, came reduced visibility in the sea fog that shrouded our passage. Sightings of nearby sea birds, Minke Whales and rare White-backed Dolphins shadowing the ship, had us all on deck peering into the swirling fog.

As we approached the Greenland coast, the lifting fog revealed huge icebergs, hidden from all but the ship’s radar until now. The size, variety of shapes and colours, as well as the bird-life that rested on and flew around them, had all of us fascinated and on deck with our cameras. Jordi wryly commented, “maybe we see bigger ones in Scoresby Sund”.

The ship now steered towards Kaiser Franz Joseph Fjord with satellite images indicating that the sea-ice was dissipating, we attempted to enter the fjord, only to be frustrated in our attempts by reforming sea-ice, forcing us to turn south and to attempt entry to other fjords down the coast.

As we approached the entrance to the next series of Fjords, two Polar Bears were seen swimming thru the ice flows, one very close to our stationary ship, sniffing the air for Uber Eats, us, or maybe our breakfast which was being served. A rare Hooded Seal was spotted resting on floating ice as we passed.

Finally, after another couple of frustrated attempts, we entered Store Fjord, which had not previously been explored by our ship’s crew. Exploration on the coast of the wildest country on our planet had the entire ship’s company excited with the adventure of it all.

A day of fascinating exploring then making way towards the next day’s adventure, exploring the unknown, uncharted and seldom visited Lille Fjord. For all of us, including our two guides, this was to be an amazing day, culminating in landing on Raffles Island at the entrance to the Fjord, where hiked to a spectacular hanging lake that had been a focus for research by climatologists in the 1990s. We completed our day by, in glassy calm seas, circumnavigating the island in the Zodiacs, sea birds nested in the towering cliffs and sea caves, small icebergs floated nearby, and after returning to the ship we weighed anchor and motored to the opposite cliff face to observe a cascading waterfall, what a great day of absolute adventure!

Sailing southward towards the world’s biggest fjord, Scoresby Sund, having heard so much about it, we all looked forward to seeing this amazing fjord. At anchor and after breakfast the next morning, the P.A. announced a mother Polar Bear and her two cubs swimming close to the ship. Zodiacs launched, we motored away from the ship, and then sat motionless as the mother bear approached very close to us, sniffing the air, before re-joining her cubs and climbing ashore, the Polar Bear family then walked along the shoreline, approaching our boats, before climbing the rocky scree to a grassy patch, where the mother bear proceeded to suckle her cubs.

That afternoon and into the evening we sailed into the further approaches to Scoresby Sund, past massive icebergs shining in the most beautiful light. The sky and cirrostratus cloud now turned on a display, with sunlight beaming thru the clouds and the ice crystals within. This created two meteorological phenomena; the Sun and one of two “Sun Dogs”, parallel smaller suns that appear to the side, and the “Bravais Arch”, also called a “smile in the sky”, an upside down rainbow visible above us in zenith of the sky. And whilst all of this enfolded, a fairly small iceberg that we just passed, commenced to roll, cracking and growling, it sent up plumes of spray and small waves as at turned over and finally settled into equilibriam.

The next days were spent sailing further into Scoresby Sund; bigger and bigger icebergs were encountered as we ventured further into the fjord. Scoresby Sund is over a kilometre deep and skirted by mountains on all sides over 2 kilometres high, the landscape was just stunning. Morning and afternoon shore excursions, ancient, discovering never before seen Inuit settlement ruins, that had been pushed up by the permafrost after 1100 years being buried, small herds of Musk Ox, Polar Bear tracks, occasional Arctic Foxes and swooping seabirds on the front of each glacier kept the guides alert and cameras clicking.

Finally, we approached the massive glacier at the end of Scoresby Sund, this is the “mother” of all big icebergs in northeast Greenland. We were confronted by three immense tabular icebergs that had calved off the glacier face; the ship’s captain estimated their size as 1.5-kilometres long x 1-kilometre wide and ½-kilometre deep. Extreme caution ruled as on these giants was actually bobbing in the calm water by some 3 to metres, indicating it was unstable and may break apart at any time. Jordi, was hoisted to the top of the mast to assess the way forward, and reported that this was as far as we could venture safely.

We retreated from our position and back down the fjord, anchoring and exploring new beaches, tundra and deltas as we headed south over the next few days. A number of smaller icebergs provided us with spectacular rolling displays as we wended our way.

We were now experiencing a few hours of darkness at night, and those to arise in the wee hours were treated with beautiful sunsets / sunrises and the most amazing light. Unfortunately cloud cover and surrounding peaks prevented observation of the hoped for Aurora Borealis, other than a green glow on the horizon later in our trip.

Exiting the Sund we sailed past familiar icebergs as passed by Jamieson Land, visiting a sometimes used hunters’ hut, and onto the only settlement in northeast Greenland, the tiny Innuit community of Ittoqqortoormiit, (ok, pronounce that). This settlement is home to just over 200 residents, smiling faces greeted our party as we went ashore to meet the locals, including some delightful kids and sled dog puppies who surrounded us.

Next morning we departed the “Rembrandt van Rijn” by Zodiac for the last time on this voyage, Ashore at Constable Pynt we were escorted by armed guards (Polar Bears prowl here), along the 2 klm track to the “International Airport”, no airline lounges here, just a Nissan Hut and wooden benches outside in the sun. The notice that a siren would sound and a blue light would flash, if a Polar Bear approached, reinforced the knowledge that Greenland is really THE wildest place on our planet.

Our charter flight was some 4-hours late in arriving in Greenland, but from there everything went smoothly into Iceland

A number of us picked up share hire cars in Iceland and set off on nine-day self-drive tours around, what is, the Number ONE tourist destination in the world.

Starting in the smallest capital in the world, Reykjavik, we firstly travelled south and east before returning on the ring road around the north west side of the island.

Iceland is justly popular, with so much to offer and see; dozens of magnificent waterfalls, glaciers, thermal hot springs and baths, Icelandic horses, Wallace & Grommet sheep, nesting Puffins, prolific other birdlife, hauled out Harbour Seals, beautiful countryside encompassing spectacularly situated farms, stunning little harbours full of colourful fishing boats and associated, picturesque small coastal villages, iceberg filled lagoons, black sand iceberg strewn beaches, and just breathtaking scenery everywhere.

Really friendly, helpful people, great (albeit expensive) food, a well-tuned service industry that ensures everything runs smoothly. What’s not to like?

This was such a wonderful experience, we are doing it all again in 2019.

Thailand / Myanmar with Quest Tours & The Deep Andaman Queen Liveaboard

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 05:34:57 GMT

Warm water, awesome viz, great company, professional crew & exceptional operation. Can't wait to go back!

Immigration was a slow and fairly steady affair into Phuket - not exactly what we were hoping for after a reasonably long journey. Collecting our bags and exiting the airport was all straightforward and expeditious after immigration though.

We were greeted by the very friendly Anna, one of the dive guides, just outside the exit. We piled into a pleasant air conditioned van and off to the Tab Lamu pier to board our home for the next 7 nights, the Deep Andaman Queen (DAQ).

Thus named because of her adventures throughout the less travelled sections of the Andaman Sea, the vessel is very spacious and thoughtfully designed.

The boat briefing, conducted by the cruise director Steve, is comprehensive and thorough. The DAQ we are told, isn’t like the majority of dive liveaboards, in that she has a large dive deck at the stern of the vessel, rather than tender boats/ dhonis. There is a rubber ducky/ skiff launched as backup when diving, but this is seldom utilised.

Settling into our cabins (Quad share, Twin Share and Deluxe Double), we discovered the ensuite bathrooms quite big and the rooms well equipped. Bedding is comfortable and the noise from the engines minimal. All in all a very good night’s sleep.

As we set sail overnight to the Similian National park, the Thai crew onboard set off fire crackers to ward off evil spirits and bring us good fortune for our voyage.

It appears to have worked - the crossing to the Similian’s was very smooth, and day dawned on the Monday to very flat seas and a sunny day.

Tachai Pinnacles (No. 2)

2nd dive of the day is about an hour after breakfast - giving us a good chance to organise camera housings etc and set up our photographic gear. Steve gives us a very comprehensive site briefing again, warns us about current and talks about using a mooring line to make it easier on us.

As we were getting close to a full moon the currents are stronger than usual - this pays off in very active pelagic fish life (cue schooling Barracudas), GT hunting anything they can chase, and a liveliness in the ocean that gives off a great vibe.

Visibility once again in the 20 - 25 metre mark. Steve was right about the current - it felt like around 3-4 knots which is a fair bit. Max depth 24.9 metres. EDT 49 minutes

The topography of the dive site allowed us to swim around with ease though - a lot of large boulders and underwater pinnacles provided respite from the flow of water.

Saw an octopus (❤️❤️), Barracudas as previously mentioned, some very cool swim throughs, giant gorgonian fans, anemones and clown fish, porcelain crabs.

Lunch was delicious - Thai fish cakes, pad Thai, rice with chicken coconut curry and salad. Delish!

Richelieu Rock (No. 3 & 4)

Perhaps one of Thailand’s most famous dive sites, this Rock protrudes just a metre above the surface at low tide (imagine the navigation hazard that posed before modern beacons)!

Dive briefing gets us buzzing - this dive site consistently offers incredible fish life and visibility. There’s always a good chance of seeing whale sharks and manta rays we are told.

Gear up, check NITROX, giant stride in and we’re underway.

There’s a small amount of current on the surface so negative entry is necessary. Down to the bottom and we see what all the fuss is about

The whole dive site offers a series of underwater pinnacles clustered together. The fish love this site - it is teeming with schools of GT, glass fish, yellow snapper, barracuda, bat fish, fusiliers. The visibility is incredible and the water is so BLUE!

Max depth 28.2m, EDT 53 mins

We’re offered a second dive here at dusk - only 8 of us decide to do it. 3 dives a day for most is enough. Boy were we glad we did that dive - the GTs became more active and the visibility cleared even more as the current dropped. The whole site was alive, twitching and turning with giant schools of glass fish blanketing every rocky outcrop. It was like diving in a silent nightclub all dancing to the same beat. Magical.

Max depth 16.8m, EDT 50 mins

We set sail for Ranong to exit Thailand (easy and very quick) and enter Myanmar (Burma - slightly more complicated and requires a VISA). It’s fascinating sitting in the channel and looking across to one side at Thailand, and the other side Myanmar.

We have a 6 hour steam ahead of us before reaching our first dive site in Myanmar ��

This gives us a lot of time to relax, eat, log our dives etc. And for me to blog, of course!

High Rock (No. 5)

We arrive at High Rock at around 4.30pm. It’s really quite an impressive sight - sitting around 20 metres high with a single tree covered in foliage atop it. Of course we all snapped a few photos

Entering the water I already notice the vis isn’t great - 5-8 metres at best. I silently thank myself for putting my macro lens on for this one!

There were a lot of ghost nets strewn over the dive site, disappointing. Plenty of schooling smaller fish. A few Nudibranchs and a pipefish under an overhang. A bit of current around one side.

In good vis this site would be magical, with the afternoon sun streaming down through a channel in the rock. During the briefing they mentioned it would be possible to see whalesharks here. I’m not surprised, although we didn’t get to see any.

Max depth 26.2m, EDT 56 mins

Dinner time - it feels like all I’ve done today is eat and sleep! Everyone onboard is looking forward to tomorrow and 4 more dives.

Black Rock (No. 6)

Wake up call echoes through the cabins and lower decks at 6am. I’m already awake, keen for the days diving.

It’s dark as we all emerge from our beds - lights from fishing boats are scattered throughout the ocean as dawn approaches. Coffee perks me up and we all dutifully listen to the briefing. Other boats have been seeing Manta Rays here around 3-4 days ago. Fingers crossed we are lucky. I decide not to take my camera down on this dive to increase our chances of a Manta encounter!!

Good thing I decided not to - 5 minutes in as we’re settling down to around 12 metres, Steve taps on his tank (this means one of two things - Manta Rays or Whalesharks - he doesn’t tap for the little stuff).

It’s a Manta Ray. She’s huge - much bigger than the ones I saw in the Maldives. This is very exciting. I silently thank myself for not taking my camera (its good luck and MUST be the reason we are seeing a Manta ��). She swims past our group at a reasonable distance away - she only hangs around for a couple of minutes before disappearing with her remoras off into the blue.

10 more minutes pass - a few morays, lots of anemone fish (Sonia is pleased), plenty of critters. A familiar tap echoes through the group - another Manta. Well, its the same Manta (she has a gammy fin on her left side) and this time she’s closer. It appears she’s getting more confident the longer we’re in the water.

The best part of the dive is towards the end - we’re lucky to see 2 Mantas at once around 15 minutes before we get out. Then, out of the depths a few minutes later, two more appear. Seeing 4 Mantas at once during our safety stop was AWESOME. They came right up to us. I remembered the cruise director mentioning to drop down a little so the Mantas feel dominant - this works, they approach confidently and swim right over the top of me. Such an amazing dive. And we’ve got 3 more dives here today.

Max depth 31.6m, temp 27 degrees, EDT 58 mins

During surface interval a pod of pilot whales swims past the boat - there’s around 50 or so cruising around the boat for 10 minutes. Very cool!

Black Rock (No. 7)

Back into the water for our second dive after a delicious breakfast. I used a small plate to try and force myself into not eating as much - all it did was ensure I threw food all over the table. Won’t try that again.

Only two mantas on this dive. Got some lovely video of Dave with a Manta behind him - perspective of this is great. Visibility was better in the first half of the dive than the first dive, but it got worse around the other side of the rock. Plenty of moray eels (one was at the dentist).

Max depth 32.3m, temp 27 degrees, EDT 53 mins

Black Rock (No. 8)

Our third dive of the day offers different conditions again - the visibility is much clearer and we explore further around the southern side of the rock - a long vertical wall runs along the island. There are crevices to explore and Mantas to look at throughout the dive.

Max depth 28.7m, temp 27, EDT 54 mins

Black Rock (No. 9)

I sat this dive out but reports suggest one Manta seen.

This afternoon we head south for around 5 hours to North Twin Island. There isn’t a cloud in the sky, so the sunset is spectacular and glowing on the horizon.

Tonight is the Full Blue Blood Moon (wow) - what a spectacular place to see it.

Twin Cheeks - North Twin Island (No. 10)

Chikka excitedly woke us 15 minutes early this morning at 6am, so a long leisurely coffee/ toast wake up was in store.

Briefing told us there would be current. I glanced out the back of the boat and noticed the dinghy out to the starboard side of DAQ - the complete opposite direction is should have been with the 15-20 knots of wind hitting the starboard of the vessel. Hmmm - they may be right about the current!

Negative entry was necessary for this one - the captain expertly placed us just above the reef and we headed straight down to 12 metres. The current, as predicted, was very strong. Probably running at 4-5 knots at a guess. The dive itself was gorgeous and very colorful. Heaps of gorgonian sea fans everywhere. Cute little cuttlefish at the start of the dive. Not a whole lot of fish life - probably attributed to the various fishing boats scattered around us.

Omelettes for breakfast this morning. Yum ��

Max depth 28.8m, EDT 41 mins, 27 degrees

Three Islets (No. 11)

This was such a cute little dive site with really interesting swim throughs and big boulders. Plenty of nudibranchs and lots of crevices to explore. There was a bit of surge during the dive but nothing us tough Aussies couldn’t handle. Huge school of baby barracudas right at the end before our safety stop.

Sonia lost one of her weight pockets on this dive. :-(

Max depth 19.7m, EDT 56 mins, 27 degrees

Square Rock (No. 12)

Lovely dive again, lots of smaller critters - we didn’t have to move very far at all to see Ornate ghost pipefish, a seahorse, a turtle, heaps of white eyed morays, and another school of baby Barracudas. Vis wasn’t the best but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Max depth 23.7m, EDT 54 minutes, 27 degrees

Rocky Island (No. 13)

Plenty of anemones and their corresponding residents on this dive. Unfortunately we weren’t graced with decent vis (5-8 metres at best) and being a dusk dive it deteriorated further as the sun went down.

Still interesting though!! Very big lion fish looking menacing. All in all a relaxing dive spotting critters. This was Petri’s (our Finnish NITROX extra in our group) 100th dive. Wendy was VERY disappointed that he didn’t dive naked. Kept his board shorts on the whole time. Bummer.

Max depth 19.1m, EDT 49 mins, 26-27 degrees

High Rock (No. 14)

The line of current was easily visible from the surface, so we knew we were in for a rough ride! As we descended, the current took us along the first half of the dive site very quickly - we weren’t able to stop to look at anything really.

Once we were around the western side of the rock we sought protection. Plenty of Nudibranchs, anemones, and a snake skin! The other group of divers spotted the three legged turtle - very interesting.

Vis wasn’t the best - 8 metres max.

Max depth 25 metres, EDT 49 mins, 27 degrees

Hard boiled eggs this morning - delicious! Now we cruise further south to Fan Forest Pinnacle. Visibility should be better here as it is further out in the ocean.

Fan Forest Pinnacle (No. 15)

We pull up at this site and we’re immediately keen for this dive - the visibility off the side of DAQ looks amazing - we can basically see the whole site from the surface.

Dive briefing gets us buzzing.

Go go go! The captain sounds his horn to signal that its time to get in. Descending down to 11 metres on top of the site we can see that the visibility is at least 20 - 25 metres, More gorgonian fans than I’ve ever seen in one area, stacks of fish life, hardly any current, coupled with what seems like millions of anemones.

I keep glancing out into the blue hoping to spot a Whaleshark - no luck I’m afraid.

Back onboard the DAQ lunch is ready. Once again, it’s absolutely scrumptious. Time for a quick sun bake and change of dive sites. We are moving only 40 minutes away and the vis should be good again! woohoo!!

Max depth 34.4m, EDT 52 mins

The Cave - Western Rocky (No. 16)

This was such an amazing dive!!! As some of you may know, I LOVE swim throughs and caves. This had both. This visibility as predicted was just as clear as the first dive (with the same warm water of course).

We swam through an incredible archway that led up to the entrance of the cave. This provided unbelievable photo opportunities!

We entered the cave (max depth 22 metres inside) and swam 40 metres through the island. Found a slipper lobster and one of those very calm, dopey box fish like in Pulau Weh.

Wendy also spotted something in a crevice. Steve jabbed at it with his knife as he thought it was a zip lock bag. Wendy took a photo. On review we all decided it was a vagina. Or an oyster. The Thai word for both of those things is the same so I suppose it doesn’t matter!

Eagle’s Nest - Western Rocky (No. 17)

Same rock, different dive site. Saw an ornate ghost pipefish - spotted by Wendy. It should be noted that this ghost pipefish was the worst disguised one I’ve ever seen - bright white and hairy (practically glowing) and hanging around a Red Sea fan. Props to Wendy though for spotting him! So cute. Octopus �� ❤️, moray eels, scorpion fish, and some bat fish.

Wendy’s housing took her phone for a swim this dive. Which is a shame. We will transfer her photos to my iPad and throw the phone in some rice.

Max depth 26.3m, EDT 47 mins, 28 degrees

Western Rocky (No. 18)

We were woken excitedly by Chikka at first light. Coffee and toast got the cogs slowly turning. Only two dives today.

We explored further around Western Rocky for our first dive. We all enter the water and Dave exclaims he has lost his fin. Petri came to Dave’s rescue - grabbing the fin and returning it safely to its owner. Sonia exclaimed at Breakfast “Hooray for the Fin” - which is a double pun, because Petri is Finnish. Anyway.

I saw a few Nudis, including two of them mating (I think they were mating... or playing a game of tag you’re it). Lots of Morays. Plenty of yellow striped snapper. A school of barracudas. A cuttlefish.

For breakfast I didn’t feel like the large spread of cooked food. Decided on peanut butter on toast and coffee. I didn’t realize though that we had run out of crunchy peanut butter and there was only smooth peanut butter. By far the most disappointing thing to happen to me this whole year. That’s definitely going on the comments form.

We motor back to Fan Forest pinnacle for our last dive in Burmese waters.

Fan Forest Pinnacle (No. 19)

Once again this dive site turned it on for us. The visibility was AWESOME. In addition to heaps of fish life and the giant gorgonian sea fans, we saw a school of around 20 squid swimming around us, and a Zebra Eel. Very cool as this is the first one I’ve seen.

This was such an enjoyable dive, with no current, warm water (as per usual) and plenty to see. We were disappointed when our hour was up, as this meant we only had one more dive left on the trip.

We began our journey back to Kawthoung in Myanmar to complete visa formalities. We had some time to explore this border town and actually step foot in Myanmar. It was quite a bustling hub, with many Burmese people playing a local game similar to hacky sack, but with a weaved ball. They were very good at it - they invited me to play but I really didn’t want to embarrass myself/ ruin their streak. So I was happy watching.

Alcohol was crazy cheap - a 1 litre bottle of Vodka was around $20 Australian - less than half the price of it back home.

We of course had to sample some local Myanmar beer - these went for 25THB each - about $1 Aussie for a schooner. So naturally most of us had to have 4 or 5 each.

Back onboard the boat - we set sail for the other side of the channel to immigrate back into Thailand. Of course the cruise director Steve sorts this all out for us while we all laze around sunbaking, drinking beer and eating dinner.

A good nights rest awaits us and a sleep in.

Max depth 31.6 metres, EDT 58 mins

Boon Sung Wreck (No. 20)

Late start to the morning and only one dive today. We enter the water at around 10am after breakfast. This wreck was fabulous - absolutely COVERED in schooling fish, eels, porcupine fish, box fish, lion fish, stone fish. Fish soup is an accurate way to describe it.

We were lucky enough to have 15 metre vis on this dive - it can be a lot worse so we were very thankful. This wreck is easily accessed from Khao Lak on day trips, so we timed our entry to avoid other divers. There was only one other boat there so we had it virtually to ourselves.

We swam around a lovely underwater Dolphin memorial for Isma - one of the local Khao Lak dive guides who sadly passed away.

Our dive guide Steve signals to do our safety stop and we all look a little disappointed - our trip has come to an end.

I manage to blow a passable bubble ring to celebrate. Steve laughs underwater at my terrible bubble ring skills.

Max depth 18.9 metres, EDT 55 minutes.

We bid the Deep Andaman Queen and all of her staff a very fond farewell at around 2pm. Piling into a comfortable air conditioned van, we journeyed to our hotel (around 1 hour away from Tab Lamu Pier). The hotel was fine - air conditioned, comfortable spacious rooms and balconies to dry out the rest of our dive gear.

Off we ventured at around dinner time towards Nai Yang Beach for a feed and some beers. We found a nice little Thai place - unfortunately they “watered down” our food and took most of the spices etc out of it, but nice just the same. Beer was cheap, like everywhere in Thailand.

The morning of our departure day dawned sunny and cloudless - very lucky. We decided to utilise the hotels free shuttle to and from Nai Yang beach to explore, pick up some trinkets, and grab some lunch. This wasn’t a mistake - the beach was pristine and not at all crowded. Cheap massages and manicures/ pedicures were available for the girls, beers and beach relaxing for everyone, and a delicious lunch at “Sea Almond”, right on the foreshore with a very interesting view of the planes coming in to land.

After a little delay waiting for our shuttle back, we headed straight for our rooms to freshen up and pack our bags ready for our journey home.

Our brief time in Phuket was enjoyable and relaxing - a perfect decompression couple of days before returning to reality.

All in all our time in Myanmar and Thailand onboard the DAQ was brilliant - food was excellent, dive crew professional and entertaining, and the boat staff exceptional.

Quest Tours will return again for this very special charter in 2019.