Here's the official blurb:

Thailand's Underwater World explores the Thai Kingdom’s enchanting aquatic environments that are usually hidden from human eyes. Through Chris Mitchell's captivating text and Jez Tryner’s stunning photography, experience the beauty and sometimes bizarre nature of Thailand’s marine creatures and their habitats. Discover the mysteries of Thailand’s ocean life as engaging chapters reveal each creature’s secrets, from the giant but gentle whale shark and the impossibly graceful manta ray to the tiny but vividly coloured nudibranch. See exclusive images of the USS Lagarto, the lost World War II submarine that was finally discovered 70 metres deep in the Gulf of Thailand 60 years after she disappeared. And find out why future generations may never get to see the beauty of Thailand’s marine environment if action to preserve this hidden world isn't taken soon.

Manta Rays chapter opening spread from the book Thailand's Underwater World

In the introduction, I explain why we created the book:

Thailand is blessed with some of the best reefs and most spectacular marine life in the world, which are both accessible and affordable – a rare combination. As such, for many people, whatever their nationality, Thai- land is where they first truly fall in love with the ocean. I know that’s what happened to me. And that sense of wonder about Thailand’s underwater world – the wow moment – is what I wanted to capture in this book.

This is by no means a comprehensive marine-biology identification manual of the thousands of fish and coral species in Thailand’s waters, or a blow-by-blow guide to dive and snorkel sites. Thailand’s Underwater World is instead a celebration, a Greatest Hits, of the marine life that has continually amazed both Jez and me over 20 collective years of diving in Thailand. It’s an attempt to convey something of what we’ve seen underwater and bring it back for others to enjoy and marvel at, whether or not they have any intention of getting in the water themselves.

The book also includes a chapter on the rediscovery of the American World War II submarine USS Lagarto featuring photos taken 70 metres down by my friend Ayesha Cantrell, who's written about diving the USS Lagarto on Divehappy before.

Coral Reefs chapter opening spread from the book Thailand's Underwater World

Thailand's Underwater World is published by Marshall Cavendish and is initially available in Asia. The international publication date is 31st March 2012 and you can sign up to be notified on Amazon.com and pre-order on Amazon.co.uk. Currently the book is available direct from AsiaBooks.com with a 30 per cent discount.

There's also a Facebook page for Thailand's Underwater World - Like us to get further updates on the book's international publication dates. We've got a fledgling website too at ThailandsUnderwaterWorld.com

We've had some great initial responses to the book, including praise from best-selling author Steve Jones, DIVE magazine editor Simon Rogerson and one of my own personal heroes, Tim Ecott, who wrote the diving classic Neutral Buoyancy and who I interviewed here on Divehappy several years ago.

“Intelligent, topical and beautiful: this book is a timely and important
reminder of why Thailand’s marine life should be protected.”
Tim Ecott, author of Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World

“An inspiring evocation of underwater Thailand...”
Simon Rogerson, editor of DIVE magazine

“...a joyous and vivid celebration of Thailand’s reef life...”
Steve Jones, author of Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise

If you can help us get the word out about Thailand's Underwater World by sharing or Liking this post, we'd really appreciate it. And if you get to read the book, we hope you enjoy it.

Whale shark and diver from the Sharks chapter of the book Thailand's Underwater World

While there are unsurprisingly hundreds of world class dive sites in the Maldives, the majority of liveaboards tend to follow a fairly standard 7 day itinerary that departs from and returns to the capital city of Male. This is basically a loop that runs from north to southern Male atoll, makes the crossing to Ari atoll and then swings over to Felidhoo atoll before heading back up to Male atoll and the capital.

Jez with clownfish and anenome at Hafsaa Thila

Certainly this trip is the most convenient Maldives itinerary to do, and it has several world-class dives within it which makes it perennially popular. I've done this trip several times on three different Maldives liveaboards – MV Orion, MV Carpe Vita, and MV Sachika – follow the links for detailed reviews of each boat - and here are what I think are the best Maldives dive sites in a typical seven day trip. You can see my previous trip report 7 days on Maldives Liveaboard MV Orion, my magazine story Luxury Scuba Diving In The Maldives for Bangkok Airways inflight magazine Fah Thai and Maldives Diving photo gallery January 2011 for more info on how trips actually run.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yihoIvUBDM4

Note that this list of dive sites doesn't cover Baa atoll (home of Hanifaru, the annual August and September manta ray and whale shark fest) in the north or the southern Maldives sites south of Ari atoll – that would be another Best Of list in its own right as those sites are not visited so often by Maldives liveaboards due to their relative remoteness. For current pricing and schedules on MV Orion, MV Carpe Vita and MV Sachika, follow the links.

The best time to go to the Maldives to do the classic Male- Ari – Thud - Male itinerary is April, when the visibility is outstanding, although it's pretty amazing all year round. June and July are the months to avoid as seas get choppy and wind picks up with the monsoon changeover.

Hafsaa Thila

Hafsaa Thila
Usually awash with huge schools of fish, Hafsaa Thila is a shallow, flat-topped pinnacle where marine life congregates. Since the catastrophic coral die off in the 1990s, the Maldives is more a place to creatures rather than coral, and Hafsaa is one of the signature sites for spotting white tip sharks in the blue as well as schoals on the pinnacle.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

Rengali Madivaru
A sun-drenched shallow reef, Rengali Madivaru is also one of the Maldive's most famous manta ray cleaning stations – there are several stations scattered along the edge of the reef on the cusp of its slope down into the depths. Mantas cruise and wheel around each station, making it possible to move on from one to another if it gets too crowded – it's unsurprisingly a popular site. See more manta ray photos from Rengali Madivaru in my previous post Maldives Manta Rays: A Spectacular Close Encounter At Rengali Madivaru

Turtle and Sting Ray, Maya Thila Night Dive, Maldives

Maya Thila
Widely considered as the best night diving spot in the Maldives, Maya Thila is a shallow pinnacle where white-tip sharks, stingrays, turtles and a plethora of other creatures are regularly encountered after dark.

Maldives Whale Shark © kaz20

Maamigili
Not a dive site as such, more an area, Maamigili is a stretch of water famous for sightings of whale sharks. It's possible to go snorkelling with the gentle giants here, although you need to keep your wits about you in the water

Kudarah Thila

Kudarah Thila
Picturesque overhangs and a field of coral fans typify Kundahah, one of the prettiest dive sites on this list. There can be strong currents and a negative descent required, but once on the thila itself, the abundant fish life brought in by the currents makes it a must-see site worth the effort

Maldives Manta Rays Dhonkalo

Dhonkalo
An eighteen metre deep sandy channel in the middle of nowhere, Dhonkalo's barren reef is distinctly unappetising – except it's also a stunning manta ray cleaning station. I've seen up to 15 here on any one dive, riding in train formation on the sometimes savage currents that can rip through the channel – it's like an underwater airport. (See more Dhonkalo pix in my previous post Maldives Manta Rays: My Best Picture of 2010).

Kuda Giri Wreck

Kuda Giri Shipwreck
Actually a minor dive site in the Maldives pantheon, this one is a personal favourite of mine. The wreck of the Kuda Giri, a boat deliberately sunk for diving, sits upright on a sandy bottom at 30 metres with the top of the deck around 24 metres. Thickly encrusted with colourful corals and still relatively intact, the wreck provides an atmospheric final dive for most trips. The nearby reef provides some extra scenery for the last, shallow part of the dive.

More photos from the Maldives can be seen in the Divehappy Maldives Diving photo galleries - click any thumbnail for a bigger version.

Canon Powershot S100 Camera

Just announced by Canon is their newest update to the Powershot range - the Canon Powershot S100. (See it on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk) It's been quite a while since there was a major update to this line, and with good reason - the slim but powerful Canon Powershot S95 is a tough act to follow. Where the S100 is meant to be an improvement on the previous model is the fact it's even smaller and yet has dramatically improved the video shooting capability and also upped the quality of the zoom lens.

The Canon Powershot S100 is now available, although demand is currently high so stocks are currently running out quickly before the next shipment from Canon arrives. The Canon Powershot S100 has h its own dedicated waterproof casing for underwater photography, the WP-DC43 underwater camera housing. (See the WP-DC43 on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk).

(If you look on Amazon now, be sure not to confuse it with the old Canon Powershot S100, released back in 2000 and packing a whopping 2 megapixels - yours for $25)

Here's some pertinent first takes on how the Canon Powershot S100 shapes up:

The S95 is almost universially loved for its impressive low light ability and great f2.0 lens. However, battery life is poor and the video capture is limited to 720p. The S100 should solve both of those issues.

A CMOS sensor rests behind a f2.0 lens that’s slightly wider and longer than used in the S95. Gone is the CCD chip used in the previous model, but this new sensor allows for 1080p video capture and an ISO of 6400, twice that of the S95. The camera also features the new DiGiC 5 processor that among the aforementioned abilities allows for an impressive burst mode dubbed Highspeed Burst HQ that captures 8 frames at full resolution at a rate of 9.6 photos per second. This burst mode, also featured on the SX40 below, is Canon’s first full resolution mode as previous incarnations dropped the resolution down to 2MP.

- from Techcrunch's initial review

And there's more about the zoom from ZDNet's first look:

The biggest difference between the S95 and S100 is a whole new imaging system: In addition to the faster new processor and a completely new sensor, the S100 sports a wider and longer 5x zoom lens — a 24-120mm equivalent, f/2.0-5.9 beauty (vs. the S95’s 28-105mm, f/2.0-4.9 3.8x lens). It’s still nice and bright on the wide angle, but as with the S95, the telephoto is limited to fairly narrow maximum aperture because of the camera’s compact size. Canon has upped the resolution to 12-megapixels while maintaining a 1/1.7-inch sensor size, but also opted for a high-sensitivity (read backside illuminated) CMOS sensor rather than a CCD, which may mitigate a resulting drop in low-light image quality.

The other major addition to the S100 is a built-in GPS receiver to enable automatic geotagging and location logging for photos and videos. The bundled Map Utility software lets you map a route of your photo locations using Google Maps and create customized maps that you can share.

Canon PowerShot S100 – key features:

• High-sensitivity 12.1 Megapixel Canon CMOS (1/1.7 type)
• HS System with powerful DIGIC 5
• Ultra-wide 24mm, f/2.0, 5x zoom lens. Intelligent IS
• Lens Control Ring, NR Control & RAW
• GPS
• Full HD, HDMI
• Large 7.5 cm (3.0″) LCD
• High-speed Burst HQ
• Smart Auto, Multi-area WB

I'd be very interested in hearing from anyone who tries out a Canon Powershot S100 and the WP-DC43 waterproof casing with their thoughts on they perform.

You can browse the latest Ebay auctions for the Canon Powershot S100 and Underwater Housing WP-DC35 below:

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Latest Ebay auctions for Canon Powershot S100 Underwater Housing WP-DC43

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www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYwxJDPr-Pc

In two inspired video parodies, the team at Master Divers on Koh Tao in Thailand (including my friends Ayesha and Wilco) have recreated two classic tunes underwater - complete with rewritten lyrics.

The pioneering Queen track "Bohemian Rhapsody" was their first outing for the Thailand aquatic treatment, complete with air guitar underwater, and has recently been followed by a spectacular remake of Robbie Williams' "Let Me Entertain You" - I'm still getting over the shock of seeing Wilco in full Kiss makeup on the ocean floor.

Both vids are great work from start to finish - proof if proof be need be that scuba divers do have a sense of humour...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPvSJZURbbo

White Manta - Singapore and Thailand from Peter Walker on Vimeo.

See more of Peter's work at PeterWalker.com

The Wreck of the Suddhadib from Peter Walker on Vimeo.

Easily the most famous shipwreck within Thailand that's accessible to recreational divers is the Hardeep, sunk at the end of World War II by the Japanese near to the modern day Thai city of Pattaya. Despite lying on its side in around 25 metres of water that are often subject to strong currents and poor visibility, the Hardeep exerts a fascination on most divers who visit her due to her still-beautiful shape on the sea bed, especially the ship windows that now form its ceiling and send cathedral-like shards of lights into the ship's interior. (You can see my photos of the Hardeep / Suddhadib for an idea of what I mean).

My friend Peter Walker was one of those who fell under the Hardeep's spell, and set out to find out as much as he could about how the ship came to sink during the skirmishes of World War II. Along the way he discovered the real name of the ship wasn't the Hardeep at all but the Suddhadib, along with several other surprises that would have been lost to the march of time had Peter not made the effort to track down eyewitnesses of the Suddhadib's demise and peice together how the ship met its end. This half hour documentary is a fascinating insight into one of Thailand's forgotten histories. You can see more of Peter's work at PeterWalker.com

Raja Ampat Highlight from Peter Walker on Vimeo.

An action-packed express tour of the highlights of diving in Raja Ampat in November 2010 by Peter Walker - see his other videos and photos at PeterWalker.com

This is a superb short documentary about diving the World War II wrecks of Truk Lagoon made by my friend Peter Walker in 2009. It's 22 minutes long, and gives an evocative insight into what it's like to dive at the sunken Japanese war fleet at Truk - the Holy Grail for most divers, and made even more special for Peter as he got to dive it together with his son.

Peter is an accomplished videographer and his footage both below and above water along with the well-paced narrative makes for an atmospheric taster of what it's like to dive at this incredible location. Thanks again to Peter for letting me share the video here on Divehappy. You can see more of his work at PeterWalker.com

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

April may be the cruelest month for T.S. Eliot, but for Maldives scuba diving it's absolute bliss - while conditions are good almost all year round, in April there's a certain quality of light and a certain clarity to the water that makes it particularly special. The Maldives is famous as one of the few places in the world where you can have almost guaranteed encounters with manta rays, and South Ari atoll's Rangali reef is one of the most spectacular manta hotspots.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

But there's little to prepare you for four mantas swooping in and circling around their cleaning station at Rangali Madivaru, wholly unbothered by a couple of divers flattening themselves on the rocks below them to be as unobstrusive as possible and so only a few inches from being touched by the tips of a manta's wing.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

Rangali Madivaru is an almost-certain stop on any Maldives liveaboard trip as it's a reknown manta cleaning station, located in relatively shallow water at 8 to 20 metres. There are several cleaning stations along the long, steep sloped reef, and it's possible to move between two or three stations in a single dive to stay ahead of other divers if you're feeling fit.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

On this dive, circumstances conspired to be perfect. My dive buddy Jez and I slipped into the water a few minutes before everyone else on our dhoni from the MV Carpe Vita was ready - the shallow reef stretched out beneath us with no current and astounding visibility of 40 metres, drenched in light from the mid-morning sun.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

We'd both been here before and knew what a popular spot it is for Maldives liveaboards and resorts alike (like the uber-luxury Conrad Rengali)- to be on the reef alone was beautiful, especially as it wasn't long before the first, very large, manta ray came gliding in to greet us. Around 3 metres from wingtip to wingtip, this manta showed no fear - actually, no interest at all - in two divers skulking around his territory.

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

Instead he lazily took up circling very slowly around the cleaning station, and was soon joined by another, and another... and another. To have four manta rays, each the size of a small car, passing inches over your head and momentarily blocking out the sun before swooping back out into a holding pattern around the station, is not something you forget easily. Some of the mantas got so close to me I couldn't fit them in the camera viewfinder - and I was using a lens that makes things seem further away...

Manta Rays of Rangali Madivaru, Maldives

Thanks to the relatively shallow depth - around 10 metres at the top of the reef - we were able to stay with the mantas for a good half hour, and they remained in place even as several boatloads more divers arrived on the scene. By that point Jez and I had drifted down the reef to another cleaning station, and a couple of the mantas seemingly followed us a few minutes later. I've seen mantas in Thailand, Indonesia, Palau and the Philippines, but the Maldives provides the perfect conditions for not only seeing them but spending time watching their amazing presence in the water.

Sweetlips beneath a table coral, Tubbataha Reef, Philippines

Hard to believe that's it's been five years since my first visit to the Philippines' Tubbataha Reef back in 2007. This remote dive spot in the middle of the Sulu Sea is only accessible from March to June each year and the two huge atolls which make up the reef - like diving on drowned mountains - are so unique they're a UNESCO World Heritage site. My previous trip (read the full 2007 Tubbataha Liveaboard writeup) had its share of variable weather - and we had the same problem this time, with initially beautiful conditions deteriorating into a persistent drizzle and grey skies for much of the time we were at Tubbataha. However, this was to be expected as this was the last trip of the season, departing Puerto Princesa on 9th June and, after spending 4 days at Tubbataha, making the transition to Cebu for the liveaboard's next season exploring the Visayas. We were on board the large and quite comfortable Hans Christian Andersen. (Read my Hans Christian Andersen liveaboard review for more details on the boat itself).

Despite the weather, we had an excellent few days at Tubbataha thanks to some spectacular sightings of huge schools of jacks circling over the top of the reef, inquisitive turtles fearlessly coming to investigate out dive groups, numerous sharks spotted cruising along Tubbataha's walls and a surprise appearance by several manta rays, who returned to their cleaning station on multiple occasions letting everyone get to see them. Mantas are always present at Tubbataha but it's not a given that every trip will see them - indeed, I'd seen very little big stuff on my previous trip. So seeing the manta rays was a real treat and caused a buzz on the boat. Certainly the reefs in general seemed a lot more active than I remember - again, probably just the luck of the draw compared to my previous trip. Besides the jacks, there were several huge schools of chevron barracuda sighted too on numerous occasions.

Manta Ray and photographer, Tubbataha Reef, Philippines

Where there wasn't big stuff to see, the dramatic topography of Tubbataha provided plenty of entertainment on its own. Visibility throughout the trip was stunning, with 30 metres easily the standard and looking down the wall into the depths seeming to go on a lot longer. As I noted in my previous Tubbataha trip report, the sheer epic scale of the vertical walls of Tubbataha's atolls combined with the viz and the profusion of sea fans to be found on most of the dive sites makes for a fascinating underwater environment. There are clouds of trigger damsel and bannerfish scattered amongst huge barrel sponges and a carpet of smaller corals that cling to the top and sides of Tubbataha's walls.

To be fair, if you're not a fan of walls, you're going to get a bit fed up as that is basically all there is here, along with some shallow topside reefs and the Malaya wreck, the rusted remains of which sit in less than five metros and provides a home for many docile snappers. Otherwise, most dives involve heading over the edge of the reef and scanning the blue both below and beyond while feeling very, very small in such a massive underwater seascape.

After four days of diving at Tubbataha, we headed towards Cebu, with two more days of diving scheduled at the islands of Calusa and Cagayancillo. Calusa was very quiet compared to Tubbataha's smorgasbord of marine life, and while it did have some beautiful coral patches, it was a little bit of a comedown. Nearby Cagayancillo was more interesting, with increasingly urgent currents around an underwater point bringing in big schools of barracuda, humphead parrotfish and jacks. Best of all of the three dives we did was exploring a wall with numerous dramatic overhangs, including a half tunnel eroded into the rock and filled with human sized fans along its length.

The trip concludes with a full day's sailing (and no diving) which gives time for dive gear to dry out and to relax - the boat passes Apo Island and Dauin, and it's a shame in a way the schedule can't be tweaked to spend less time at Calusa and more time Dauin, one of the best muck diving areas in the Philippines. The following morning transfers are made by speedboat to the shore and then taxi to Cebu airport. Tubbataha is a unique destination and getting to see Calusa and Cagayancillo as well for the same price as a normal 4 day Tubbataha liveaboard is a nice bonus - if you don't mind the possibility of rainy weather, doing a transition trip could well provide the best way to see Tubbataha.