Dive Review of The Junk in
Thailand/Adaman Sea

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The Junk, Dec, 2008, by John Woolley, WA, United States ( Sr. Reviewer 11 reports). Report 4611.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Six nights on a converted Chinese junk, diving in the Andaman Sea, with a Thai chef is about as close to Nirvana as you can get. Richelieu Rock is a must see for divers, one of those places you've heard about that absolutely lives up to its hype. And while whale sharks are cool, the majesty of a manta with a 12-foot wingspan as it glides over your head is a memory for a lifetime. But lets get back to the accommodations. “The Junk” is a live aboard that sails from Phuket. Built in the 1960’s, it has been beautifully restored and converted to a scuba live aboard. With room for 18 divers, we had 12 on our trip. Small breakfast is followed by a dive, which is followed by a big breakfast, which is followed by a dive, which is followed by lunch, which is followed by a dive, which is followed by a snack, which is followed by a night dive, which is followed by dinner. And those meals! While each meal included a number of western foods, it’s the 10 dish Thai smorgasbord that made the dives feel almost like afterthoughts--enough of the mantas, lets get back onboard and eat! Trading beer for fresh fish with local fisherman insured freshness. Because raising the sails on a junk is a bit difficult, we sailed on just one day. But gee, on that sailing day, its margaritas on-the-house. So I suppose that the one thing that can surpass diving with the incredible amount of fish life in the Andaman Sea, eating Thai food on a Chinese junk, is washing that food down with margaritas. Yes, I’d recommend this to anyone wishing to have a memorable five days of diving.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	101-250 dives
Where else diving	Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Puget Sound
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	82-84°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-70 Ft/ 15-21 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	We did stay, somewhat, together as a group. However, the pace was sedate, so lets say a "partial" to "dive your own profile?"
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	1 or 2
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of The Junk in Thailand/Adaman Sea

The Junk, Dec, 2008,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of The Junk in
Thailand/Adaman Sea