{"id":3049,"date":"2017-01-25T23:36:21","date_gmt":"2017-01-26T07:36:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/?p=3049"},"modified":"2019-03-31T11:01:58","modified_gmt":"2019-03-31T18:01:58","slug":"snorkel-interruptus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jeffersonscher.com\/ttw\/2017\/01\/snorkel-interruptus\/","title":{"rendered":"Snorkel Interruptus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite multiple coral bleaching episodes in recent years, many of the reefs around Koh Surin retain their colorful corals and plentiful communities of fish. As committed snorkelers, we were intent on seeing as much as possible during our time here. As I like to joke, our itinerary is generally \u201csnorkel, snorkel, lunch, snorkel, snorkel, dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monday, January 23, 2017<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The breakfast buffet at the Jansom was unremarkable and we were quickly on the road South. We marked each bag with a lime green ribbon (indicating Paak Chad beach as our destination), surrendered our footwear, and boarded the speedboat \u201cferry\u201d for the 90-minute ride to Koh Surin. With only mild waves, the front of the boat was the place to be, serenaded by a young ukulele player with an enormous dreadlock bouffant.<\/p>\n

The approach to the beach was too shallow for our speedboat, so were were met by longtail boats, a shallow wooden craft with a loud outboard motor powering a small propeller at the end of the long shaft the pilot swings in different directions to steer the boat. At the park, once the longtail beached itself, we stepped or jumped into the shallow water and lugged our bags to the dining area for check-in. Since we were fairly early, several travelers had a long wait to access their cabins. I shared a bungalow with a Berkeley couple: they had the front room with two single beds and our bathroom, and I had a private bedroom with two single beds.<\/p>\n

After a quick box lunch of vibrant yellow chicken and turmeric rice, we hastily changed for our afternoon snorkel. We headed to the nearest calm spot, Ao Mae Yai (Mae Yai Bay), where the long reef has a large variation of habitat (from sandy to coral drop-off) and plenty of fish. The cloudy skies and resulting low light created challenges for photography, and the water was a little chilly, but we persevered. My new mask seems to fit best just where my mustache is bushiest, which creates some serious problems for keeping seawater out of my eyes (much less my sinuses). I can foresee a shave in my future.<\/p>\n

As we clambered aboard our longtail boats, the skies opened sheeting rain on and around the boat\u2019s tarpaulin roofing. We quickly realized we would not be visiting a second spot and headed back to the park, shivering in the wind. There, we enjoyed the ambient water temperature showers, and eagerly anticipated the power and air conditioning switching on (about 5:30pm – 10pm daily, followed by fans from 10pm to 6am).<\/p>\n

\"\"Staghorn Coral at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Corals at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Corals at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Clown Anemonefish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Black-Spotted Puffer at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Black-Eye Rabbitfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Bridled Monocle Bream at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Andaman Blue Damsel at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Indo-Pacific Sergeant at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Latticed Butterflyfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Moorish Idols at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Moorish Idols at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Peacock Grouper at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Singular Bannerfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Scissortail Fusilier at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Lunar and Scissortail Fusiliers at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Latticed Butterflyfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"White Collar Butterflyfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Orange-Spine Unicornfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Orange-Spine Unicornfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Titan Triggerfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Porcupinefish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Indian Redfin Butterflyfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Indian Redfin Butterflyfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Red-Streaked Blenny at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Big Grouper at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>

\"\"Honeycomb Rabbitfish at Ao Mae Yai<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>