We arrived in Sihanoukville…white sand beaches and undeveloped tropical islands. We arranged a “live-aboard” trip with Scuba Nation Diving Center. We would do five dives over two days, and spend the night on a boat. Besides the three “crew members,” there was us, our French dive master Fab, and Laura, a diver from Bulgaria.
We arrived at the dock…if you didn’t watch your feet you might plunge right through a gap in the boards. The beach and water was FILLED with garbage. This was home to many families with young children.
Our home for the next two days. These are our beds. They provided us with a sheet and blanket at night…although it was so warm you didn’t need either. Laura and I napped here between each dive…heaven!
If we weren’t sleeping we were eating. The captain cooked us fried rice, pasta, omelettes…Diving makes you hungry.
The first day we did two dives that were pretty murky. It was a stormy day…the captain almost took us back to shore. The boat plunged over each wave..and I was happy to have my motion sick pills. Here I am swimming next to a Bat Fish. Dean rented an underwater camera…
Laura and I preparing for the night dive. Jumping off the back of the boat into the dark depths was an experience. We had large underwater flashlights and were given instruction on how to communicate with only one hand and in the dark. We saw some small sharks (Coral Cat Shark) and a baby ray.
The next morning we woke to clear skies and sunshine. It was a rough night of sleep. The local fishing boats putt-putt-putted ALL night long. We were lucky to experience an incredible sunrise from our beds..with bleary eyes. Luckily we had cold, clear water to wake us up!
Our boat from the water. They plan to upgrade to a boat with 12 cabins and air conditioning. We may have to come back then….;)
The corals were incredible….these looked like tree’s. We saw all colors….bright yellow, neon, blue’s, pinks, etc. We were told not to touch anything, including the bottom of the ocean. The last battle of the Vietnam War was fought off the shores of Sihanoukville. Many US helicopters were destroyed, and ammunition and rockets are strewn everywhere.
An example of the varieties of coral. We also saw large hermit crabs, sea slugs, Cuttle fish, Angel fish, Porcupine fish, etc.
We encountered a school of Barracuda. They were about a meter in length. They circled us for a while. Lucky for us, they weren’t hungry.
A sea anemone….they usually partnered with a tiny “Finding Nemo” clownfish.
Back on shore…this is Serendipity Beach near our hotel. We had a full day of “doing nothing.” Layed by the pool, walked the beach…observing that Cambodian prostitution is alive and well. Ugh. Ask me about that later. Laura and I went for a massage at “Seeing Hands” where all the therapists are blind. It was a bit “pinchy”….no oil or lotion…just thumbs of steal. However, it was well worth the experience. The three of us had a nice dinner out before calling it a night. Now on to Phnom Penh…the capital.
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