KOH PHI PHI

I AM NOW ON KOH PHI PHI ISLAND. I WOKE UP ON FRIDAY, I THINK, AND DECIDED TO LEAVE TON SAI. IT WAS A REALLY BAD WEATHER DAY ANDWAS REALLY ONLY STICKING AROUND TO TRY CLIMBING WHICH WOUDLN'T OF BEEN HAPPENIGN THAT DAY ANYWAY DUE TO RAIN. I JUST PACKED MY BAGS AND LEFT MY ROOMIE A NOTE AND LEFT. MISSED THE BOAT STRAIGHT FROM TON SAI SO I HAD TO TAKE A LONG TAIL TO KRABI AND THEN FIND A TICKET TO PHI PHI. MET 2 REALLY COOL GUYS ON THE FERRY THAT HAD JUST MET IN BANGKOK, BOTH TRAVELING ALONE, AND WENT WE ARRIVED, DECIDE WE WOULD TRY TO FIND A PLACE TOGETHER. FOUND A STEAL, A BUNGALOW ABOUT 20 FT FROM THE BEACH AND ONE OF THE GUYS BRAD AND I ARE SHARING. THIS BAMBOO HUT MUST HAVE BEEN MADE IN A DAY BUT WAS EXCITED TO FIND OUT WE WERE THE FIRST TO STAY IN THIS ONE, SEEMS THEY ARE STILL REBUILDING DUE TO THE TSUNAMI. YOU COULD PROBABLY KNOCK IT OVER IF YOU LEANED AGAINST IT AND AM STILL WAITING FOR MY FOOT TO GO THROUGH THE FLOOR BUT IT'S STILL GREAT. SPENT MY FIRST DAY HERE CHILLING ON THE BEACH WHICH IS BEAUTIFUL. THERE ARE MANY BEACHES HERE AND OURS IS KIND OF IN A COVE SURROUNDED BY THE CLIFFS I REFERRED TO IN TON SAI. BEAUTIFUL. FOUND A PLACE TO DIVE AND HAVE HAD TO MAGNIFICENT DAYS OF DIVING.
FIRST DIVE SITES I WENT TO WERE AN HOUR AND A HALF SPEED BOAT RIDE OUT TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. THERE HAD BEEN SOME MANTA RAY SIGHTINGS THE DAY BEFORE THEY HAD SEEN 3 AND THAT WAS THE MOST THE DIVEMASTER SAID HE HAD SEEN TOGETHER. I WAS KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED. AS SOON AS WE DROPPED IN SOMEONE LOOKED DOWN AND ONE WAS SWIMMING BELOW US. TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT, AND I COULD GO ON FOREVER, WE SAW 3 AT THAT SITE AND LOST COUNT BUT ESTIMATED 12 AT THE NEXT SIGHT. LITERALLY UNBELIEVABLE. I POSTED A LINK TO A SITE IF YOU WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE.
http://www.imagequest3d.com/cgi-bin/ImageFolio4/imageFolio.cgi?img=0&search=Manta+Rays&cat=aquatic&bool=and
THE MOST AMAZING THING I'VE EVER SEEN. THEY RANGED FROM 6 FEET WING SPAN TO 15-20 FT WAS THE BIGGEST ONE WE SAW. THEY WERE SWIMMING ABOVE US, BELOW US NEXT TO US AND WOULD EVEN LIFT THEIR WING WHEN CLOSE TO DIVERS AS NOT TO HIT THEM. I COULD HAVE TOUCHED ONE. SO INCREDIBLE. WENT ON 3 DIVES THE NEXT DAY AND SAW 2 LEOPARD SHARKS. REALLY PRETTY AND MY FIRST UP CLOSE LOOK AT A SHARK.
TODAY MY ROOMMATE AND A BUNCH OF OTHER RANDOM PEOPLE GOT A LONGTAIL TO CHECK OUT THE ISLAND AND WENT SNORKELING A BUNCH OF PLACES. WENT TO THE BEACH WHERE "THE BEACH" MOVIE WAS FILMED. AND WENT CLIFF JUMPING!! AGHHH, IT WAS SO SCARY. IT WAS ABOUT A 35 ft DROP. HAVE A GREAT PIC OF ME MID-AIR WILL TRY TO POST SOON.
MET A GUY THAT WAS PLANNING A LIVE-A-BOARD TRIP TO THE SIMILIAN AND SURIN ISLANDS AND DECIDED TO GO ALONG. WILL BE LEAVING FROM PHUKET ON THURS NIGHT. IT'S A BIG DIVE BOAT THAT YOU LIVE ON, HENCE THE NAME, AND WILL BE DOING 14 DIVES OVER 4 DAYS, IT WILL BE INTENSE BUT AM REALLY EXCITED. NOT SURE WHERE TO NEXT.