Bangkok Protests: The Effects

Apologies for not being able to write about this earlier. Mik & myself (Kerry) were happily out in the Similans having a ball with our lovely on-board guests and didn't have much of an idea until we returned to Chalong on 30th November. Understandably our day on land was spent trying to arrange alternatives for those guests leaving us and ensure those guests coming to join us on our next cruise could make it to us!

Believe it or not - I know the media can blow these things up - all went remarkably smoothly! All of our guests arriving for the next cruise had flown directly to Phuket with no problems. A couple were meant to be flying back to the US that day but made the genius decision to postpone their flights and join us for the next cruise, doing 2 cruises back to back. Brilliant! In the end, we had 3 familiar faces on board filling spaces that they had filled just a day before on our previous cruise. Mik and i would like to thank Alex, Steve & Beth for the ultimate honour of staying on board with us.

The long term effects are presumably not good, especially now that Thailand has been ranked in the top 5 most dangerous countries in the World to visit alongside Iraq and Afghanistan!! Really, it is absurd!!! But for any guests thinking of coming here, or for those of you that have already booked liveaboard trips with us for the rest of 2008 and early 2009, please do not worry or panic.

Phuket is safe. If you can fly directly to Phuket then you are probably at an advantage. Being on holiday in Phuket you would never have noticed the political situation in Bangkok. We are a good long way away here in Phuket and prefer the peaceful holiday environment that you are all hoping to enjoy on your vacations!

Bangkok is also safe but obviously any future closing of the airport will cause problems for anybody trying to reach us via Bangkok. All i can say is that the political situation for the time being is calm and doesn't look likely to explode into protests again any time soon. An election is currently being arranged (which can take some time) and it is highly unlikely that there will be protests during this time. If you are visiting Thailand, now would be a good time to make sure you have adequate travel insurance, but really, you should be fine.

In the meantime, relax and continue to dream of that diving vacation on MV Philkade. Check out some of these great pictures taken last week by Beth Welch of the USA while on-board for our Burma and Similan cruises. Also, if you do have any concerns or questions, please drop us an email at admin@philkade.com or check out our official web-site for all of our trip reports and general information.

The Season Begins

First of all, apologies for the absence. Mik, Kerry, and all the staff on board MV Philkade have had a busy few weeks!! When we last made contact through our Blog, MV Philkade was sat out of the water in the ship-yard getting serviced and generally cleaned up for the approaching 2008/9 season. It was literally 'all hands on deck' towards the end as we had made many improvements to the boat and we had to make the final touches of hanging the curtains, laying the carpets, scrubbing the decks, clearing the workmen's dust etc.

Finally we did it and on 2nd November it was a great feeling to see MV Philkade moored alongside Chalong Pier gleaming in the early evening twilight. By 8pm that evening, we were welcoming our first guests of the new season, a group of eight from Belarus that chartered the boat for 5 days and 6 nights to Similan and Richelieu Rock.

Since then, we have completed another trip with guests from Spain, France, Russia and the USA. Our second group did get a couple of day's rain on their trip but in general, things have gone swimmingly.

Mik and Kerry are particularly pleased with the condition of the reefs and marine life. Richelieu Rock has plenty of ghost pipefish and our pair of seahorses are still in their home. Leopard sharks, white tip reef sharks, barracudas, napolean wrasse and much much more have been spotted on the Similan Islands as well... and that's just with our first 2 trips.

Needless to say, for us, it's great to be back in water and back cruising the best dive sites Thailand has to offer on board the luxury and comfort of MV Philkade. Feel free to read more detailed reports of our trips on MV Philkade's official web-site.

Meet the Philkade Team...Part One

It's about time. When this blog was first set up the writers and editors said that they were the dive crew aboard MV Philkade. Their names are Mik and Kerry. They even put a couple of pictures in the first post so you were able to identify them easily. But who are they really? How did they end up on MV Philkade? There is so much more to MV Philkade than just the luxury liveaboard diving boat (although that helps!). In this article, we are going to expose all... (well, almost)...

Mik Jennings, Cruise Director

Born in 1972 it took Mik some 30 years to realise that he was in the wrong job AND the wrong place. Working as an IT consultant in Leeds he had his moment of realisation while stood in rain that was falling sideways and was accellerated by the wind to the point where it was leaving scars on his face. Within 5 months of that day he had quit his job, sold his house and car and jumped on a plane to Phuket.

His plan was to move around the tropics making a living as a divemaster, but Phuket managed to get it's claws into him. Great nightlife, beautiful beaches, peace and quiet, 10 screen cinemas, shopping centres, great food, great people. Oh, and great diving. And no sideways freezing rain.

From his first dive in the Red Sea in 1997 he's loved being underwater, and is now a slave to his addiction. Luckily after 4 years of tour leading both day trip and liveaboard boats and almost 3000 dives he's living the dream. Mik has been lucky enough to dive from Turatao on the Malay border through the whole Phuket area, Similan, Surin, and the Mergui Archipelago in Burma and is now working on the most luxurious boat in the area. As well as his wide experience around the Andaman Sea he has dived in Turkey, Isreal, Egypt, and Indonesia and is looking forward to adding The Andaman Islands to his list in 2009.

Kerry Leach, Diving Instructor (or whatever else might be thrown her way...)

"A 26 year old breath of fresh air!

And back to reality... Originally Kerry was born in Halifax and then brought up in Bradford, Yorkshire, in the north of England.

With an intro-dive in the Maldives and further scuba training in the somewhat murkier, chillier waters of the UK, her BSAC Instructor Dad (Barry Leach) is to blame for her 'water-based genes'. A scuba diving career was least expected however when she majored in History at university and signed up for a post-grad in Law.

But in June 2003, when a good friend (Mik) made the decision to uproot everything and move to Phuket in pursuit of a scuba diving career, she had her epiphany! First, she struck up a relationship with Mik and then packed her scuba diving gear to follow him to Phuket.

Since then she has accumulated over 2500 dives throughout Thailand, Burma and Indonesia. Of course initially both family and friends thought she had lost her mind but she is sure fellow-divers must understand why she chose the alternative career route and the alternative lifestyle. For those in doubt, Kerry says "I live and work on the best diving liveaboard in Thailand, and what's more... I love it!"

Together Kerry and Mik make up your Philkade Diving Team - sharing the same goals to provide guests a comfortable, safe cruise with many happy memories while on board the luxury diving liveaboard, MV Philkade. For more information you can view MV Philkade's official website.

Keep your eyes open for an introduction to the boat crew in the next few weeks...

More flights to Phuket...

That's right Ladies & Gentlemen. Bangkok Airways start a new schedule on 26th October to ensure more flights are available from Bangkok to Phuket through the high season.

Flights will leave Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport bound for Phuket 3 times a day. Flight time is just under 1hr 30 mins.

Furthermore, last month, Bangkok Airways began their 'on-line check-in' service so you can select a seat 24 hours before the departure.

To read more about Bangkok Airways services, visit Bangkok Airways official website.

Protests in Bangkok AGAIN...

Ok folks, it seems that i spoke too soon. There i was thinking that the blog was now up to date with things. How crazy of me? Once again, the Thais are kicking off in Bangkok. Nothing like a good riot at the start of the high season to enforce a slow-down on visitors to the country. Thank you very much!

On the up-side, Phuket is very quiet and there is no doubt that tourists visiting here are safe. My advice remains the same: You do not need to stay away or cancel your holiday. If you are thinking of visiting Phuket (for diving or otherwise) then you should. It is safe. Just don't be heading to the parliament buildings in Bangkok and joining in the crowds. There is no violence towards tourists, so stay away from the crowds, don't get caught up in it and you'll be fine.

For more information on the situation you can check out the facts in this short article from the Belfast Telegraph. If you have any questions for us directly regarding the situation or MV Philkade then please contact us.

I hope to post more good news next time...

Philkade's shiny clean engine room!

Hello again folks! Going through the photos that Mik and I took this week at the shipyard. I missed a few first time round so here are some pictures of Philkade's engine room...

Please note, the cling film will be removed! It is simply protecting all the hard work that the engineers and mechanics have done in the past few weeks. It's all so shiny and new. Mmmmm...

And here she is getting fixed up...

As promised here are recent pictures of MV Philkade having her 'make-over' for the coming season. Everything is on schedule and everybody is getting increasingly giddy about the fast-approaching first cruise of the 2008/9 season!

Here, our new captain (Jum - more about him soon!) explains to Mik the ins and outs of replacing the decking on the sun deck...

And for all of the changes to MV Philkade this season, we could not forget taking care of the number 1 man on the boat. Captain Jum has had a big say in how he would like all the electronics and safety equipment on board arranged in his newly-fitted wheelhouse! And here he is again with Mik explaining where things will go and how things will work...

Keep watching as the new 'MV Philkade' unfolds. If you are still looking to book then please check out MV Philkade's official website for more information with trips to the Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock, Burma, the Andaman Islands and Komodo, Indonesia!

All change - MV Philkade gets a make-over...

Mik & I (MV Philkade's dive crew) have just returned from a relaxing diving holiday in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Jolly good it was too! However upon our return to work on Monday, we learned something... You go away for 3 weeks and anything can happen!

When we left, Bangkok was in a mess with protests kicking off to oust the Prime Minister because of his appearance on a cooking show (among other things). Upon our return, the Prime Minister Samak has gone and protests have fizzled out to nothing with the controversial appointment of Thaksin's brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, to the post. No comment!

Also when we left Phuket, MV Philkade was sat on her mooring in Chalong Bay. Now she is having big work done on her in preparation for the coming season and i have to admit, i'm really rather excited about it all. The generators are basically brand new. We have a brand new high pressure compressor on board (making both of our air compressors less than 12 months old). We have a brand new dinghy. We have a brand new flat-screen TV. We have new dining chairs. We have new sun loungers. All the carpets have been completely ripped up in the downstairs cabins to be replaced by wood-laminate flooring. The teak decking has been re-done throughout. The entire boat has been checked and re-painted. There are even knew shower cubicles in some of the cabins... I could go on...

For the coming weeks then it really is all hands on deck! Mik and i will try to get ourselves to the shipyard complete with camera so we can post you some pictures of all this work taking place but in the meantime rest assured that MV Philkade is going to look stunning for the coming season. If you are still unsure then please take note that MV Philkade's owners, Arraya and Philippe, went to the difficulty and expense of bringing MV Philkade's original painters and carpenters all the way from Bangkok to carry out the work. I can't begin to explain how giddy i am for the coming season :)

So 3 weeks away and everything changes... but all for the better. Thailand is safe. MV Philkade is still the most luxury liveaboard dive boat operating out of Thailand and she keeps getting better!

Watch this space for further info! And if you are thinking of joining us this season for a luxury cruise then please hurry because places are getting booked up fast. Remember you can join us for Thailand/Burma/Andaman Island trips or enjoy your summer with a cruise to Komodo, Indonesia on board MV Philkade. Contact us for more details.

Thailand Protests!

If you've checked out the news in the past few days, you may have noticed that there are world-wide reports with headlines such as 'Bangkok under state of emergency' and 'Thai protesters vow more action'. You may even have read of protests in Phuket causing the shut-down of the airport. Unfortunately this is true but should be short-lived. (If you are contemplating the relevance of the image shown... This is Bay 2 on Ko Racha Yai and is where I have generally been while it is all kicking off in Bangkok!)

First i must add that it is BANGKOK that is under a state of emergency, not Phuket. In fact, as a tourist on holiday here in Phuket right now you would have difficulty even realising that anything was going on at all. There was disruption at the airport last weekend causing temporary closure. It was however soon realised that Phuket airport was a key location for the protesters (as well as the tourists) to reach Bangkok however, hence within 24 hours, it was open and fully-functional once more.

Despite a short burst of violence in Bangkok, any Phuket protests have remained peaceful and centred around the Provincial Hall that is off the tourist path in Phuket City. The aim of these protests is quite simply to show support for the Bangkok protests in their wish to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to resign. Good news is that despite Samak giving extra powers to the military through his declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok, the army have refused to become involved in a political situation that they believe cannot be solved by military intervention. Finally, some sense!

In the short term, our advice is that if you are planning a trip here in the next couple of weeks, be sure not to get involved in any gatherings. If you go looking for trouble then you can probably find it, but to continue with your 'normal' holiday plans should be no big deal. Of course we will keep you as up to date as possible. In the long term, there seems to be no doubt among locals that this will all be over soon, with or without Samak as Prime Minister.

Our message: Phuket is safe. With season after season of bad media reports of Bali bombings, SARS, bird flu, tsunami etc affecting the diving tourist industry here (all of which with the exception of the tsunami had little direct effect), we hope to see support for the coming 2008/9 season. In return, we will keep you as up to date as possible and if you have any questions about the current situation please feel free to contact us.

For more information about Thailand and diving vacations from Phuket you can always check out our Day Trip Diving website or the website exclusive to our luxury diving liveaboard.

New Rules for Thailand's National Parks

Back in July we posted news of our 'pre-season' trips on MV Philkade. An exciting couple of trips to the local Phuket sites of Phi Phi, Ko Haa & Racha Islands, while enjoying the comfort and luxury of a liveaboard cruise on MV Philkade. These trips came about as a direct response to speculation that the Similan Islands were going to be closed throughout October. Now, the rules have finally been set in stone...

The document issued to all dive operators is entitled, Control Measures for Tourism Entrepreneurs in Marine National Parks and can be viewed on the Thai Forestry Department's website. The marine national parks will be open to divers from the 15th November. Divers may enter the parks from 1st November and pay a small fine, which is remarkably similar to the Park Fee payable normally - this is what MV Philkade will be doing. However it is absolutely not permitted to enter the marine national parks for diving before 1st November 2008. Any boat doing so faces the forfeit of their boat license.

Here at Aquamarine Divers, we think the rules and regulations are a good thing. For example, diver numbers on any particular dive site at any particular time have been limited. This should prevent the craziness that is hoards of divers turning up on day-trip boats to dive the Similans, sometimes with upwards of 50 divers on each boat! Furthermore the rules are aimed at more sustainable tourism through the protection of the coral reefs. Not only do we hope to see less divers on the dive sites as a result of the new rules but our coral reefs will be further protected by the following measures:

• Absolutely no garbage to be thrown overboard


• No feeding of the marine creatures


• A minimum qualification requirement for all divers (the required diving qualifications will be published soon)

Many marine national parks around the world already impose such measures, often they impose even stricter ones. Hopefully these rules can be enforced effectively so we can enjoy Thailand's beautiful coral reefs with less divers and more fish for many more years to come.

As a result of the new rules, Aquamarine Divers now have to submit a dive plan to the national park IN ADVANCE of each liveaboard cruise. Anybody that is looking to be on MV Philkade this season, please make sure that you accurately fill out our booking form with as much information as possible. We don't want to miss out on any of the top dive sites so it is imperative that we provide the national parks with our dive plan (including list of guests on board and their diving history) as soon as possible! To download our MV Philkade booking form, simply click on 'I Agree' at the bottom of MV Philkade's On-line Booking Policy.

If anybody has any questions or concerns regarding the above then please feel free to contact us.

Sharks need defending!

Now, I am no 'tree-hugger' and don't like to come across as preaching about this and that to all and sundry. That said, a recent item of news from Australia got me really riled, hence this particular blog entry. This entry is not directly about MV Philkade but as guests on board MV Philkade generally expect to see (and usually do see) sharks in the surrounding waters of Thailand, Burma, the Andaman Islands and Indonesia, I think it has relevance. Less sharks around the world has knock-on effects ultimately meaning less sharks here too.

The shocking news is that the Queensland government of Australia will establish a dedicated shark fishery in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area which will service the international trade in shark fin. In essence, they plan to legitimise one of the most unsustainable forms of fishing in the World - that of shark finning. To do this, they plan to hand out specific fishing licences for shark fin fishing allowing fishers to catch up to 700 tonnes of sharks each year thereby legitimising shark fishing in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area and in some national marine parks.

You may be wondering why I am so angry about this proposal but when you bear in mind that sharks are undergoing global collapse and are thought to have declined by as much as 90% in the world's oceans, it is little wonder. It seems to me that there is little to be gained (if anything) from such a proposal but there is everything to lose. You can read more information on the situation and take action yourself with a simple pre-written letter to the Queensland government through the web site of the Australian Marine Conservation Society .

A strong argument for any kind of commercial fishing has always been that there will be fishermen left unemployed with no obvious transferable skills, therefore no income to feed themselves and their families. This is a fair point. That is why I was so happy to read recently that a group of Marine Animal Researchers have come up with a way round this for Indonesia's fishermen. Of course, it makes sense that these experienced fishermen possess a wealth of knowledge about the migratory habits of whale sharks travelling between Australia and South-East Asia. So why not put them to use? That's right, Indonesian fishermen that have been banned from hunting certain species in the waters off North Australia can instead work as sea rangers to monitor the vulnerable whale shark populations. Genius! The full article can be viewed on the web site of Radio Australia .

Please, please let us do what we can to save the world's shark population. I am hoping for a good sharkey season on board MV Philkade this coming season!

Hope Springs Eternal for Turtles

A recent article in the Phuket Gazette reported on two stories regarding the local turtle populations. One Green Turtle and one Olive Ridley Turtle were rescued in June when they were found in different places around Phuket with 'fishing equipment' causing them real problems.

Both turtles had to undergo 'flipperectomies', but both seem to be doing well. The Green Turtle, named Sui and a very healthy 75kg, is expected to be released in a few months time in the area where she was found. Unfortunately the little Olive Ridley, named Hope and only 13kg, is having bouyancy issues, which I'm sure all divers can appreciate.

For now it's thought that both specimens should eventually be fine in the wild with a little assistance in their time of need. Fingers crossed everyone.

Nok Air U-turn

Only 6 days after announcing it was ceasing flights from Bangkok to Phuket, Nok Air has announced it will be re-instating them, in a limited capacity, from August 9th. The decision seems to stem from media reports here in Thailand that people are stranded in Bangkok when they desperately want to get to Phuket.

For now the announcement only states that flights will be run throughout August, and only on Saturdays and Sundays, though it can be expected that they will continue beyond that. Watch this space for more news.

For now however, our previous advice still stands. Book your Bangkok-Phuket flights as early as possible to avoid disappointment!

Book your flights early!

It's all over the news here in Phuket, 'Phuket-bound tourists stranded in Bangkok'.

In actual fact, the situation is not quite as traumatic as this headline would have readers believe but still, it is a concern. Now that One-Two-Go and Nok Air (two Thai domestic airlines) have stopped flying to Phuket, many tourists are unable to find flights to our lovely southern island unless they have booked way in advance.

Our advice... if you are looking to visit Phuket in the coming months, for a liveaboard diving trip or otherwise, book your flights EARLY! The last thing you need is to find that you have booked your luxury liveaboard trip on board MV Philkade but will be stranded in Bangkok unable to reach the boat!

At the time of writing this flights from Bangkok to Phuket are available if booked in advance with Air Asia, THAI Airways & Bangkok Airways.
For further up to date travel advice you can view MV Philkade's travel facts page.

Watch this space...

Phuket Whale Shark

OK, so strictly speaking this is not exactly a Philkade issue, but lets look at the facts as to why it's on the Philkade blog. Number one, both Mik and Kerry (Philkade dive staff) were present. Number 2, Philippe (one of Philkade's owners) was present. Number 3, Anil (a Philkade 2008 customer and from here on in to be referred to as the 'whale shark magnet') and his family were present. Number 4, there were whale sharks present. Plural.

Put simply, on a day diving trip to Kingcruiser, Shark Point, and Ko Doc Mai on Wednesday (23rd July) MV Atitara was between Ko Doc Mai and Shark Point when a cry went up that there were whale sharks around. As we raced to the scene it became obvious that there were at least 4 of them, and they were feeding on the surface!! After few moments of manoeuvring and deciding which shark to pick, all 8 customers and 3 dive staff were in the water with these amazing creatures for well over half an hour. It appears that they were drawn in by the clouds of Tunicates (sea squirts), as they were very obviously eating while the going was good.

Though no member of staff aboard on the day has seen more than one whale shark in one place at any one time (with a combined 15 years experience and some 4500 dives between them), our whale shark magnet was not surprised. On a Burma liveaboard trip aboard MV Philkade in 2008 he managed to draw one in to Shark Cave so all our customers could experience the joy of the biggest fish in the ocean. For anyone wishing to see a whale shark in the coming season the whale shark magnet is currently contemplating both an Andaman Island cruise and a Komodo cruise. Contact us to find out when he will be on board for the best chance you will ever get!! Seriously, it's quite freaky.

Many thanks to staff member on the day Max Hand for the use of his pictures. And also thanks to the whale shark magnet....keep up the good work!

Pre-season liveaboard trips

As many people who know how Phuket liveaboards work already, in previous years there has been no real restriction on when you can dive in Thai marine national parks. Yes, they had an opening date, but if you went in there a little early then you simply paid the fine (which bore a remarkable resemblance to the park fees) and all was well. In this way, liveaboard companies were able to organise their seasons as they saw fit, though in reality the weather had at least as much of a bearing on the season start date as the park opening date. But things are changing.

This season the government has decided that in order to protect the reefs, they will be enforcing the opening and closing dates vigorously, stating that any boats entering the park outside of the opening dates will lose their licence to operate in the national park. If this effectively protects the reefs then all well and good, but as far as Phuket operators and holiday makers who are tied to October through flights or trips booked before this announcement, what are we to do?

At MV Philkade we have had many requests for liveaboard cruises in the latter half of October, as well as several confirmed bookings taken before the national park announcement, and it is for this reason that Aquamarine Divers has announced 2 'pre-season' trips. Warm up trips if you will. Our 4 day/5 night trips will take in the best of the Racha Islands, Ko Haa, Ko Phi Phi, as well as Shark Point & the Kingcruiser wreck, among others. With 16 dives on some of the best sites in the area, we think this is a fantastic alternative.

To see the full itinerary and prices simply go to MV Philkade pre-season trip itinerary. These two special trips will be running on the 21st - 26th October and the 27th October - 1st November. We'll see you there.......

Hello & Welcome!

Finally... We've done it. Mik & Kerry (the current dive staff on board MV Philkade) have put together MV Philkade's Blog.

The reason is simple. We have a great boat with fantastic crew/staff (you would never guess who wrote this!) and... well, we want to be able to share with anybody linked to Philkade, or even those of you that happened to have come across us by accident, the latest news, special offers, pictures, trip reports, boat changes (God forbid!) & staff changes (hopefully not - ha!).

This Blog will be for guests past, present & future. It will be for our families & friends as well as for guests' families & friends. It is even for you random web-surfers that have happened upon us. We welcome you all!

Keep watching this space as we will use it each time we return from a trip to update everybody on MV Philkade's latest antics including our infamous trip reports and trip photos!

And for those of you who might already know who Mik & Kerry are, or for those of you who want faces to put behind all the words, here we are...



Enjoy the Blog!

Stay safe & keep diving,

Mik & Kerry :)