DIVE HAPPY

There's a new challenge for divers in Thailand - freshwater cave diving in the newly discovered underwater cave system of Khao Sok National Park. Ayesha Cantrell was one of the first to explore it.

My friend Ayesha has written up a fascinating story about exploring the newly discovered underwater cave system in Khao Sok National Park for Underwater Photography magazine.

Khao Sok National Park in Thailand is an area usually visited for the ancient rain forest, jungle trekking and wildlife spotting opportunities. This lush area is dominated by 165kmsq lake which was created by a damming project, limestone pinnacles tower out of the water creating a stunning vista all around. Transport is by traditional Thai longtail boat only and the area is peaceful and serene. The damming heightened the water, flooding some amazing formations that have all but passed into history. Careful exploration and research is beginning to locate some of these submerged sites and this is what I was here to document.

Unlike diving on a coral reef, these caverns are home to very little life, only curious catfish. It was abundantly clear that they were very confused by these noisy bubble blowing creatures who seem to be carrying slices of the sun in their hands. They seemed to pop out, swim around and then rest on just the surface I was entertaining as a possible platform to steady the camera. Evidently they were going to be as constructive to photography as a kitten with a ball of wool.

You can read the full Underwater Photography article about Thailand cave diving online - and you can also read Ayesha's personal account of the same trip too. If you're interested in exploring the caves yourself, you can read the info on how to get there and the next trip that's being organised to the Khao Sok Underwater Caves.