Phuket

sxygirl · #1 07-04-2005, 13:55

Hey guys, just had a quick question about the condition of the seas, between the middle-end of April is it calm like in december and january or is it more like july / aug. seas ?? just want to know what i can expect of the snorkel conditions. Thanks for the help !!

chucky66 · #2 07-04-2005, 15:14

Expect quite calm sea with some choppy wave days rather than big waves. When the sea does get choppy it tends to stir up the sea bed a little. Its okay for snorkelling though. I find the end of April beginning into May the weather takes a turn for the worse and so the sea chops up a bit more around then.

LivinLOS · #3 07-04-2005, 15:42

agreed.. Rainy season should not have started in any force and visibility should be ok..

Kata Reef, Paradise beach reef, N end of Kamala, all are worth a bit of time at..

Hep · #4 07-04-2005, 17:13

I heard in a news program here in Denmark that the coralreelf at Phi Phi was destroyed and that it would take years for the diving and snorkeling to be back to normal there. Any of you that know if this is true? When I arrive in LOS I plan to take a daytrip to Phi Phi to do some snorkelling so would be nice if someone has some info about the status of the reef.

Red Bull · #5 08-04-2005, 02:29

We took a boat from Krabi to Maya Bay and stopped probably 30 minutes out of Maya Bay to do some snorkelling. As soon as we hit the water it seemed like we were being stung but couldn't see anything.... we got out pretty quick and didn't have a chance to snorkel again.

Have any of you seen this or is snorkelling normally pretty good there?

chiman414 · #6 08-04-2005, 11:36

first off as for the waves, i'll let you know tomorrow, i'm going to be diving then, but generally they say its not too bad.

as for the coral hep, since diving was the main reason fro me coming here, i was a little concerned about that and i checked around and only 20% of thailand's corals were damaged significantly...i don't have the links with me, but if you do a google search, you can come up with them.

-raj

LivinLOS · #7 08-04-2005, 13:18

very rarely you will get some scene where you can get stung by invisible things.. I believe it is when weather conditions make choppy seas and small jellyfish get chopped up in coral etc leaving only bits of them around.. I am not sure about this but also have had a few minor stings when no actual fish are present..

One time also I was in the sea at Paradise beach (not snorkelling) and as I walked out my foot brushed something on the bottom.. I assume it was an anemone like the clown fish live in but it stung and burnt like hell.. I mean really burnt.. So I stay in the water for about an hour as taking it out of the water just set it on fire.. as we decide to go we talk to the Thai guys who hang out / live there and after a bit of explaining, there was the "ahh yeah... we know what that is".. so Ok great what do I do to make the pain go away "er nothing just deal with it".. Hmmm thanks..

Just look where you are going is the main thing.. If I had been snorkeling I would have seen whatever it was an not put my foot there..

Social_Norm · #8 08-04-2005, 14:32

Last October, in the water on Karon Beach, we were getting stung frequently. The stings were very small and light and left no marks and we couldn't see anything that could have caused the stings. They didn't really bother us.

Johnny Yen · #9 08-04-2005, 19:56

Flushing the affected area with neat vinegar will markedly reduce the effects of jellyfish stings.

If the tendrils get stuck to your body, peel them off, don’t brush them off as they will end up stinging other parts of your body.

Also, a couple of drops of diluted spirit vinegar applied to each ear-hole, prior to snorkelling/diving will help prevent ear infections (if you’re susceptible to that sort of thing).

Personally, never had problems being ‘stung’ in Thai waters – only onshore…55555

Captain · #10 08-04-2005, 20:24

Heard somewhere if you don't have anything else urine will help. Not sure if it is true.

butterflyblonde · #11 08-04-2005, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain

Heard somewhere if you don't have anything else urine will help. Not sure if it is true.

Yes, as disgusting at it sounds many have used it before.

I did hear a story in a UK newspaper that a girl in Cornwall got stung badly and her boyfriend urinated on the affected area which vastly reduced the pain.

Hep · #12 09-04-2005, 05:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain

Heard somewhere if you don't have anything else urine will help. Not sure if it is true.

Yup it's true - it contains ammonium which helps in such situations. Also urine is steril and has disinfecting qualities as well so if you ever cut yourself bad and you are away from normal civilization you can use urine to clean and keep your wound clean.

Shagrath · #13 09-04-2005, 09:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

very rarely you will get some scene where you can get stung by invisible things.. I believe it is when weather conditions make choppy seas and small jellyfish get chopped up in coral etc leaving only bits of them around.. I am not sure about this but also have had a few minor stings when no actual fish are present..

Yeah, tendrils can tear off in rough waves and float around with active nettles for quite some time afterwards. Some fish nibble on their tentacles as well. The jellyfish itself can vary from 3 millimeters to 2 meters in size, fully grown. And since many of them are nearly transparent, you more often than not, feel them before you see them..

I've been stung several times while snorkeling, but have never had any burn marks. Maybe I'm wrong, but as far as I know there usually aren't any of the dangerous types around in Thai waters.

Have done some snorkeling in May/June and it was quite okay. Not perfect, but more than good enough. Enjoy.

*A note on the role of vinegar in the management of jellyfish stings
The purpose of applying vinegar to jellyfish stings is to prevent the firing of undischarged nematocysts (stinging cells) and the injection of more venom into the victim. Vinegar will not decrease pain, or diminish the effects of the venom; it will only stop the injection of further venom.
http://www.avru.unimelb.edu.au/avruweb/marinea.htm

stevem · #14 09-04-2005, 11:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hep

I heard in a news program here in Denmark that the coralreelf at Phi Phi was destroyed and that it would take years for the diving and snorkeling to be back to normal there. Any of you that know if this is true? When I arrive in LOS I plan to take a daytrip to Phi Phi to do some snorkelling so would be nice if someone has some info about the status of the reef.

All news/media reports talk out of their asses, they have no idea what they are talking about and say what makes for sensationalism, which sells. There has been lots of discussion on this board about the conditions of the reef, apart from some small minor damage, most is OK. This is from a dive instructor friend.

Hep · #15 09-04-2005, 16:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevem

All news/media reports talk out of their asses, they have no idea what they are talking about and say what makes for sensationalism, which sells. There has been lots of discussion on this board about the conditions of the reef, apart from some small minor damage, most is OK. This is from a dive instructor friend.

Yeah the media is know to try and make everything sound worse than it is so that's why I wondered if you guys had some real info about it.

I'll take a day-trip to Phi Phi and hopefully take some pictures as well. Thanks for the info!