Day 59, Year 4: Underwater Day and Night
Date: Saturday, December 20, 2008
Weather: Clear Blue Skies-Perfect Weather
Location: Anchored Between Ko Rok Nai and Ko Rok Nok, Thailand

Today was just a perfectly beautiful day. We got an email from our daughter Heather this morning reporting on the very wintry weather New England. It is truly hard to imagine that from here, but evidently some people have been without power for days as a result of ice storms. Since we produce our own power, it is easy to forget how horrible it is in very cold weather with no heat. So we hope the predicted snow comes with no more ice storms and everyone in the Northeast enjoys a white Christmas with heat.

Claire got her wish for a clear day today and we went snorkeling early with bright sunshine. It is always so wonderful to watch the light play off the fish and coral in the water and this morning was just beautiful. It was so nice that we stayed in the water for a couple of hours. We then got back in the dinghy and headed toward Windbird. But halfway there, we decided to jump in the water again. We had forgotten the dinghy ladder, so Mark went back to get it while Claire, Kevin, and I snorkeled.

Mark returned and got in with us, but by the time we finally headed back to Windbird for lunch, we had been in the water for three hours. That is a record for us. I had a long commune with a family of clown fish and another family of Clark’s anemone fish. We also enjoyed seeing squid, Powderblue Surgeonfish (so beautiful), and a huge array of other species. We came back for lunch, had a reading break, and then jumped in the water and snorkeled our way to the northwestern corner of Ko Rok Nok.

It is always a treat to be able to jump off the boat and see wonderful sights underwater. On this trip we saw really large and beautiful parrot fish, a couple of triggerfish, and Kevin and Claire spotted a couple of blue ring angelfish. So we did snorkel ’til we dropped, but it was so much fun. But then there was more fun in the evening. We had a late afternoon nachos snack and a great steak dinner. But the most exciting thing was the interesting phosphorescent creatures in the water tonight.

What Claire first sighted looked like a phosphorescent sea snake, but on closer observation we decided that it was just a series of creatures lighting up the water. We’ll never know for sure what it was because when we turned on the high power search light, there was nothing there! So this will continue to be a mystery, but certainly an intriguing one.

Tomorrow morning we will sail away from this beautiful anchorage and head to Ko Phi Phi. The scenery will be more spectacular but we will be entering Thailand’s tourist center, so we will also have to share the beauty with lots of people.

081220 Day 59 Thailand–Ko Rok Nok