I Like to Be, Under the Sea.

It's been a long time since I've been diving, and I love the South Pacific best. So I was looking forward to diving this side of the Gulf of Thailand. I did two days of dives. O. went along as an observer on the second day.

It was still early morning as we eased out of the narrow channel at the harbor's entrance.

But still the ubiquitous bride and groom taking wedding shots were there.

It was a beautiful morning to be out on the water. The sea was glassy, the breezes soft and fresh.

The sky was (to my mind) the quintessential South Pacific sky--
deep clear blue punctuated by big puffy white clouds.

The rocking of the boat was very soothing as we headed to the south end of the island.

The diving wasn't spectacular. The viz was only about 20-30 feet,
but the coral was profuse and there were lots of little fish, the big ones
being quickly fished out. We saw two cuttlefish, which flashed through
many color changes as we observed them observing us. We also saw
many nudibranchs,and a huge turban snail inching its way
across the sea floor.

The fisher folk were out in force. One of them was defecating over the side as
we dropped anchor at our first dive site. Good for the fish life, I suppose.

This little reef was pretty pristine, though.

On our way back, we saw our hotel from the water.

By day, it's easier to see the poverty of the port.

The main export here is fish sauce. Phu Quoc is reputed to make the best,
so the fishing industry is big, and the port is jammed with many colorful fishing boats.

P.