scubadiving.com november/december 2013 / 31scubadiving.com november/december 2013 / 30

live-aboard

Six good reasons to dive Thailand before you die: soft corals that go on for acres; anemones — and their resident fishes — carpeting nearly everything; granite formations that seem sculpted by a mighty hand; rivers of yellow snapper; obligingly photogenic eels; oh, and those picture-postcard beaches dotting the horizon.

Two very good reasons to book Thai-land Aggressor with a Jim Church School of Underwater Photography Expedition: a couple of exotics unlike anything you’ve encountered, both named Mike.

Mikes Mesgleski and Haber are co-owners of the Jim Church School — “I prefer co-conspirator,” Mesgleski says. Along with their mentor, the late Jim Church, the school has been offering instruction aboard Aggressor boats since 1988. Combining the patience of saints and the timing of Borscht Belt comedi-ans, the Mike-and-Mike Show constitutes as big a draw for many Aggressor divers as almost any underwater entertainment.

“When they get together, they feed off each other,” says diver Mike Lamb, 51, of

Douglasville, Georgia, who was making his 50th Aggressor trip since 1989, most of them Jim Church School cruises. “I still learn something from them every time.”

And what does Thailand offer the underwater shooter? Opportunities for macro and wide-angle, reefscape and muck, without ever moving the boat.

The Koh Haa islands are a good exam-ple. Striated-limestone walls balloon from tiny bases, sloping inward to verdant tops that at low tide form the classic “Thai island” look beloved of photographers. Below you’ll find granite structures, cav-erns and reefs, with sandy areas for muck diving between, all surrounded by a mind-boggling spread of soft corals.

At Koh Haa’s Lavender Fields, soft coral proliferates in hues from purple to lilac to white, as far as the eye can see. Above the fields a chimney conceals a surprise cavern, thick with sweep-ers that didn’t spook. On the other side

Sea of SmilesTake your best shot with the Jim church School of Underwater Photography and Thailand Aggressor �A By Mary Frances eMMons

09.03.2013 22:00 AdID: 20666 SCD1213

TOP RATED DIVE RESORT • INTERNATIONAL CUISINE • LUXURIOUS NATURE SPAPOOL & TENNIS COURTS • WORLD FAMOUS BLOODY BAY WALL

(800) 327-3835 OR (727) 323-8727LITTLE@REEFSEAS.COM • WWW.LITTLECAYMAN.COM

LittleCayman_016318_SCD0713.indd 1 5/13/13 2:22 PM

of the small island — many are easily circumnavigated on a dive or two — we flew over terraces of plate corals; dropping down, they were bursting with fish, nudis and eels, eels, and more eels. In between was a gorgeous mini wall covered in yellow, orange and lavender cup corals.

At Koh Haa Rock, crazy-patterned harlequin shrimp were devouring an unlucky sea star, the beginning of another super-fishy dive over an impressive land-scape. On the sandy plains of Koh Haa Lagoon, four or five hilariously feisty sea moths took turns charging me, try-ing to chase me from the neighborhood. (Aggressive nesting titan triggerfish more persuasively tried the same at numerous sites.) Cuttlefish, sea kraits, shy peacock mantis shrimp, scorpionfish, huge schools of baitfish, a slender leaf cockatoo, blue-spotted stingray and the ever-present eels — all easy to spot in 60 to 80 feet of viz — rounded out a parade that’s typical of the region. That essentially Thai experience continues on board.

“You get a taste of the country on the boat — the food, the culture, meeting Thai people,” says Thailand Aggressor’s director, Lowel ORourke, 40. A bear of

shark Point, near Phuket, is known for

schooling snapper and shy leopard

sharks that hide on the bottom. Koh Haa’s cathedral features a dramatic

cavern. curious eels are everywhere.

Fro

m t

op

: La

wr

en

ce

aLe

x w

u; c

ou

rt

es

y m

ike

me

sg

Les

ki;

op

po

sit

e: D

ou

g p

er

rin

e

scubadiving.com november/december 2013 / 33scubadiving.com november/december 2013 / 32

live-aboard

a man, ORourke is looked up to by staff and crew — literally, to the merriment of guests and the mostly diminutive Thais.

Safe diving is observed, but if you want to be in the water, you will be — all day and into the evening. Need a break? Two hammocks, a hot tub and numerous lounges await on the top deck, with views of tropical islands all around. Meals are sumptuous and more or less constant, if you count interval snacks that ranged from fresh-baked mocha, almond or shortbread cookies to Thai fish dumplings to pommello, quesa-dillas and ice-cream bars. (When the still-warm churros showed up one gray morning, I knew I had found my boat.) Menus cater to Western guests — Veg-etarian? No prob — but always include Thai specialties.

“The consistency of the operation is remarkable,” says diver Tom Silverstein, 50, of Northbrook, Illinois, who was making his sixth Aggressor trip with the Jim Church School. “Running a four-star

hotel would be considerably less effort” than what Aggressor and Dancer Fleet pulls off at 16 locations worldwide. Most important to Silverstein: “Everybody has a passion for the diving. The cap-tains, stewards, divemasters — they’re all excited about diving and photography.”

THAILAND DIVE GUIDEJim Church School accepts only certified divers, and there’s a reason for that, espe-cially on the school’s Expedition charters, which are offered in more-advanced locations. Although Thailand Aggressor is a super-comfortable boat — think of a beach house you love but don’t mind getting wet and sandy — this isn’t prin-cess diving, and it isn’t baby diving. Dives aboard Thailand Aggressor are not techni-cally guided, although staff is in the water on every dive, if only because they love it as much as you do. But you are neither expected nor required to stay with them.

If you prefer to dive with somebody from the ’hood, the dive staff will eagerly show you the best sites to make the pic-ture you are trying to bag. “They know the sites; they know where everything is; they know the last time they saw a partic-ular shrimp — that gets high points from me,” says diver Pierrette Wagner, 49, of Greenwich, Connecticut, who was mak-ing her 10th Aggressor trip since 2002.

FIND MORE INFORMATION &

LOCATE YOUR GLOBAL DEALER

EQUIPMENT FOR SERIOUS DIVERS.

BC_021425_SCD1213P.indd 1 9/23/13 10:54 AM

04.02.2013 10:28 AdID: 14684 SPD0613

Five Reasons to Dive ThaiLaND aggressor

1  c o n s i s t e n c y When you choose Aggressor and dancer Fleet, you know what you’re getting: a top-notch, safety-first dive-centric experience. Thailand Aggressor, while a newish itinerary for the fleet, fits right into this portfolio.

2 l o c a l k n o w l e d g e , l o c a l f l av o r s The dive staff is Thai, as is the crew, and delighted to share their knowledge of the region with you, above and below, including teaching you a few words of Thai. The Thai dishes included as options at nearly every meal are to die for, particularly the light, fresh soups.

3 j i m c h u r c h s c h o o l o f u n d e r wat e r p h o t o g r a p h y You’ve come a long way for this; why not make it a Jim church expedition and ensure that you’ll take home images you are proud of?

4 s a f e t y All the benefits of exotic dive travel on a vessel you can be sure is maintained to U.S. coast Guard standards.

5 j o i n i n g a c l u b f o r l i f e don’t be surprised if your fellow Aggressor trav-elers are among your greatest delights — some-thing you can’t say of every group tour with strangers. You’ll leave hoping — or planning — to dive again with friends you make here.

Gorgeous soft coral, particularly in shades of purple, is a signature of southern Thailand — Lavender Fields (top left) is a prime

example. Thailand Aggressor is your comfortable home away from home for sights like harlequin shrimp and schooling snapper.

cLo

ck

wis

e F

ro

m t

op

Le

Ft:

st

ep

he

n w

on

g; c

ou

rt

es

y m

ike

me

sg

Les

ki;

st

ep

he

n w

on

g; B

ra

nD

on

co

Le; o

pp

os

ite

: co

ur

te

sy

mik

e m

es

gLe

sk

i

2014 Jim ChuRCh sChool sCheDule

Cayman aggressor iV May 3

Turks & Caicos aggressor ii May 31

Belize aggressor iii June 21

Carib Dancer, Bahamas Tiger Beach Expedition July 12

galapagos aggressor Aug. 7 (Expedition)

Carib Dancer, Bahamas Sept. 13 (10 nights)

Komodo Dancer Nov. 3 (10-night Expedition)

Cruises are seven nights, except where noted. learn more at jimchurchphoto.com.

scubadiving.com november/december 2013 / 34

On a Jim Church Aggressor cruise, the schedule is flexible. “As long as it’s safe to do, they’ll do it,” Mesgleski says of itin-erary changes. “Adding dives? No prob. Staying a day at one site? No sweat.”

Expedition diving “can be more chal-lenging than in the Caribbean,” where the school offers more classroom-style instruction along with topside and in-water one-on-one help, Mesgleski says.

Still, in a place like Thailand, where the number of prize-winning shots you could make is off the charts, a little guidance comes in handy. (I counted 70 different species for my log, 15 of them new to me.)

At two spectacular open-water pinnacles, Hin Daeng and Hin Muang, seamounts support canyons and plateaus

that create picturesque niches for eels, shrimp and other critters, while good-size grouper and schooling barracuda hang just out of reach. If diving massive Hin Muang is like soaring over the Rock-ies, Hin Daeng is like flying up the Grand Canyon, complete with foaming white water breaking at the top. On a night dive at Hin Daeng, free-swimming eels turn the slopes into a living, rippling mass.

Trippy, but for unforgettable there’s Stonehenge, off Koh Lipe, one of the prettiest dives anywhere. Looking much like a tumble-down version of its name-sake — if that landmark were covered in purple soft corals of every hue — the breathtaking site seems designed for pho-tographers, who quickly homed in on seahorses, nudis and anemonefish — that is until the current came up and the viz went down, suddenly and substantially.

The next day we returned, and so did the sun: no current, super fishy, with schools of snapper, barracuda, jacks and batfish all about. A bait “ribbon” spooled all the way around the surface horizon, shining in the sun.

The photographers? Most went right back to the subjects they’d been working on the day before, with Mike Mesgleski moving between them, offering encour-agement and a little help when needed.

The Mikes “can make any week on any Aggressor boat an enjoyable holiday that I can learn from in terms of photos,” says Mike Lamb. “Wherever they go, I would follow.”

CALL:

1 800 344 0548 • +52 (9 7) 72 9500

or visit

www.intercontinental.com/cozumel

DISCOVER COZUMEL´S

DIVING FESTIVAL AND

DIVE THE SCUBA FEST

REEF ROUTE

America´s largest coral reef

invites you to enjoy Cozumel

Scuba Fest activities, December

11 – 16, 2013.

Special dive packages starting

at $ 24 USD

BC_020263_SCD1213P.indd 1 9/13/13 2:37 PM

need to know> When to Go Thailand Aggressor offers multiple itineraries: May to October, the boat is in the South Andaman Sea, including the Phi Phi Islands, Koh Haa and the Tarutao National Park near the Malaysia border; November to April, the boat alter-nates between the southern route and North Andaman, including the Similan and Surin islands. (Starting in November 2014, the schedule will include itineraries to Myanmar — formerly Burma — known for pristine, untouched dive sites.)> Dive Conditions Water temps range from 79 to 84 degrees F. A 3 mm wetsuit is sufficient (up to five dives a day are the norm; bring layers if you get chilled). Currents are generally mild to nonexistent, but conditions are changeable in the monsoon months (May to October). An SMB is required (the boat can loan); other surface-signaling devices, a muck stick and gloves are a plus. > operator Thailand Aggressor (aggressor.com) is a 115-foot steel-hull vessel that carries up to 18 passengers in nine staterooms, plus nine staff and crew. The ship has a spacious, comfort-able dive deck with a large dedicated camera area with multiple power outlets; diving is from the back of the vessel as well as from two rigid inflatables. Contact: info@liveaboardfleet.com.> Price tag A six-day cruise aboard Thailand Aggressor starts at $2,580 (per person, double occupancy); nitrox and a $90 park fee are not included. (Bonus: Aggressor Fleet’s in-house travel agency can arrange land tours to include a few days in Bangkok, which is well worth a visit.

✲

Thailand offers a fantastic array of

anemones and their plucky residents.

Br

an

Do

n c

oLe