Thailand Aggressor - Info - Live-Aboards.com

THAILAND AGGRESSOR / Special MYANMAR tours: GENERAL INFO

THAILAND AGGRESSOR, TECHNICAL LIVEABOARD SPEC'S
* Port of Registry: Phuket, Thailand
* Construction: Aluminum
* Type: Mono Hull
* Length: 120 feet
* Beam: 23 feet
* Number of Passengers: 16
* Accommodation: 8 cabins
* Number of Crew: 8
* Number of Tenders: 1 for emergency transport
* Fuel Capacity: 3800 gallons
* Fresh Water Capacity: 2200 gallons
* Desalination Production: 3200 gallons per day
* Cruising Speed: 11.5 knots
* Range: 1000 nautical miles
* Navigation Aids: VHF, SSB, Radar, echo sounder, GPS, weather fax.
* Oxygen On Board: Yes
* Compressor: 2 K-14 Bauer
* Nitrox Facilities: Yes
* Voltage: 110 volts
* Air-conditioning: To all areas indoors
* Length of Charters: 7 & 10 night itineraries
* Dives Per Day: Up to 5 tanks of superb scuba!
* Photographic Services: E6 processing, Camera rental
* Photo instruction, Video rental, Video instruction

HERE'S WHAT YOU GET on a THAILAND AGGRESSOR SCUBA DIVING VACATION in the ANDAMAN SEA:
* 120 ft x 23 ft aluminum monohull built for 16 divers
* 7 or 10 night itineraries on board the M/V Thailand Aggressor
* Round-trip transfers from & to Phuket airport
* Individual stateroom air conditioning
* Private en-suite heads & showers
* Window and/or portlight views
* Breakfasts cooked to order
* Buffet lunches
* Gourmet Dinners served to your table
* Fresh mid-morning & mid-afternoon snacks
* Complimentary beverages while on-board (alcoholic & non-alcoholic)
* Morning coffee service to your stateroom
* Nightly turn down bed service w/pillow mint
* Bathrobes available for use on board
* Fresh stateroom & deck towels daily
* Digital photo processing often available
* Government Sales Tax included
* Up to five dives daily
* Filled tanks, weights & weightbelt are included

GETTING to THAILAND AGGRESSOR:
The island of Phuket lies in the Andaman Sea off the south west coast of Thailand in the geographic region of Mainland Southeast Asia.Phuket is separated from the mainland by a channel at its northernmost point, where the Sarasin Bridge connects the island to the mainland. Countries bordering Thailand are Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia and Laos. The Phuket International Airport (HKT) is in the north of the island, and is Thailand's second largest hub to Bangkok. There are numerous connecting flights from the United States, Canada, Europe, Russia and Australia offering daily service to Phuket via Bangkok, alternate direct flights from Dubai, Hong Kong and Seoul to Phuket. Airlines offering service are Korean Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Thai Airways, Asiana Airlines and Malaysia Airlines.

ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE INFO:
We highly suggest arriving a few days early and visiting Bangkok. Guests may board the yacht anytime between 3 pm - 6 pm on Sunday and will check out Saturday morning at 8 am. The Thailand Aggressor departs from Chalong Pier, which is located in the southern part of Phuket. Sunrise Road starts at Chalong Circle and ends at Chalong Pier, Phukets principal boat anchorage and the islands largest bay. It is the center of the islands yachting and diving businesses. The yacht will depart the dock early Sunday evening for its first night anchorage to prepare for diving the next morning. After 5 days of diving, the Thailand Aggressor returns back to the Chalong Pier in Phuket Friday evening for guests departure Saturday morning. The crew will host a cocktail party and dinner onboard Friday evening on the final approach to Phuket. We recommend guests fly out of the Phuket International Airport beginning Sunday afternoon to allow for adequate surface intervals.

THAILAND AGGRESSOR: YACHT SPECS
Port: Phuket, Thailand. Thailand Aggressor will become an Aggressor Fleet destination in March, 2013. The Thailand Aggressor is built to U.S. Coast Guard and A.B.S. standards with a full complement of safety equipment.

Length: 115 ft.
Beam: 23
Passengers: 16
Staterooms: 8
Crew: 8
6-night trips
Boarding Sunday: 3 - 6 p.m.
Check out Saturday: 8 a.m.

THAILAND SCUBA DIVING ENVIRONMENTS:
• Whale sharks, Mantas, Leopard Sharks, Silvertip Reef Sharks, Walls and Reefs with over 500 species of hard and soft corals and abundant marine life everywhere.
• All dives from skiff.
• Water temperature: 79 - 84F, 26 - 29C.
• 3mm wetsuit recommended.

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SAMPLE MYANMAR TOURS:
July through November each year

Starting in July 2016, Thailand Aggressor has offered a new itinerary for half the year from July - November to Myanmar (Burma). The 7-night trips will operate out of Ranong, Thailand & travel north to Black Rock.

SATURDAY: Departure + Immigration Clearance

SUNDAY: Secret Islands
East
Big Rock
South west
West
Main Rock

MONDAY: Western Rocky
Western Rock
Fan Forest Pinnacle
Small Rock
Western Rock or Western Rocky Pinnacle
Western Rock

TUESDAY:
Pink Canyon
Boulder Rock
South Twin
North Twin Pinnacle
North Twin Island

WEDNESDAY: Black Rock (5 Dives)
Black Rock
Black Rock
Black Rock
Black Rock
Black Rock

THURSDAY: (5 Dives)
Shark Cave (OK Rock)
Submarine Rock
Shark Cave (Small Rock)
Shark Cave (Main Rock)
Shark Cave or Jumpira Island

FRIDAY: (2 Dives)
Rocky One
High Rock
Island Visit (Local Temple and Local Market on Kawthaung Island, Myanmar) + Immigration Clearance

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MYANMAR DIVE SITES:

Western Rocky --
Western Rocky is one of Mergui Archipelago’s southernmost dive sites and one of the most exciting. Western Rocky is a small island that includes a beautiful underwater passage right that is lit by daylight all the way through. This area is visited by large nurse sharks, other shark species including the famous whale shark, bowmouth guitar fish, harlequin shrimp, frogfish sea horses, while the anemone-lined cavity is full of oversized lobsters and crabs. The four islets off shore are worth a dive on their own, the walls covered with clams and colourful sponges, large reef squid and chevron barracuda. Divers will enjoy a spectacular night dive on the south wall where the red and orange coral are lit to perfection by the moonlight.

Black Rock --
The islet of Black Rock is a small rock in the middle of Myanmar's ocean. It provides a steep wall drop with rugged boulder formations and fine soft coral. A shallow section of tube coral can be found with magnificient macro critters. Many consider Black Rock to be the finest dive spot in the Mergui Archipelago. Its crystal clear visibility provides breath-taking views past the rock walls to the ongoing procession of barracuda, tuna, mackerel, rays, reef sharks, whale sharks and eagle rays.

It stands in a northwest to southeast position, with steep banks all around, and with a wall on its west and south west sides. Many divers' favorite spot in the Mergui Archipelago, Black Rock will have your your heart pounding from spectacular passes of whitetips, silvertips, and black-tip sharks. Standing alone in the Andaman Sea 100 miles north west of the Thai-Burmese border town of Kawthaung, Black Rock acts as a natural fish magnet and is just as famous for its incredible schools of mobula rays. Then there's the majestic encounters with manta rays and eagle rays soaring above and around you off the deep north western corner, and huge marble stingrays and leopard sharks on the sandy bottom. Diving down on to the boulder slopes to the south you'll find sprawling carpets of brown disc anemones and purple soft corals. Home amongst the lower boulders is the granddaddy of all great barracudas.

Soft corals are most dense in the deeper south west sections corner of Black Rock. This colorful area includes orange cup corals, feather stars, gorgonian sea fans, and tiger striped anemones that cover the large boulders. Spotted hawkfish can be found in the sea fans. Black spotted pufferfish seem too lazy to swim here, preferring to just rest on a rock ledge. Blue ringed angelfish swim around the rocks. This is a good spot for seeing reef sharks or even bull sharks. Head to the shallower eastern section for mantis shrimp, red swimmer crabs and large hermit crabs. Moray eels including zebra and white mouthed morays can be seen plus a large number of cowrie shells. Also dotted on the rocks are the unusual white hairy urchins. Black Rock is a truly awesome Burma dive site. Not to be missed!

Shark Cave --
Die hard shark spotters will not be disappointed in Burma. Underwater cave systems provide plenty of opportunity to see nurse sharks, crustaceans and clown fish. Shark Cave is home to a group of large nurse sharks, grey reef sharks and sweetlips. You will also see a floor covered in yellow sponges, a ceiling of marigold cup corals and a whole host of marine delights, from dancing shrimp, clams and sea stars to moray eels, cowries and sea slugs.

North Twin --
Several miles off shore, North Twin offers a dive experience that is quite unique within the Mergui archipelago. It has large granite boulders covered in gorgonian sea fans and soft corals. This is the place to spot schools of goat fish, bat fish and snapper in the shallow water, a popular manta cleaning station, ,yellowtail barracudas, big eye trevally, tuna and eagle rays.

High Rock --
High Rock is a limestone rock situated 40 nautical miles northwest of Kawthaugh. High Rock has a huge variety of marine life. Large schools of fish covering the reef walls include fusiliers, snappers, barracudas, schooling bannerfish, wrasse, trevallies, triggerfish, leather jackets, flutefish, pufferfish, lionfish, bearded scorpionfish, freckled porcupinefish, scorpionfish, long spine dea urchin, moray eels, giant hermit crabs, sponge crabs, decorator crabs, long hair hermit crabs, painted rock lobsters and banded boxer fish. Species of corals include orange cup corals and red finger soft corals. There is also an abundance of gorgonian sea fans, zigzag clams, crinoids and encrusting sponges here.

High Rock lies some 500 metres to the south of Quion Island, just 25 km from Kawthaung. It is a small islet with a single tree, and has a wall on its north and east sides, and a rocky reef on its south and west. The sheer volume of fish life at High Rock hits you as soon as you descend. Blue line snapper form huge schools that obscure the reef wall from view. Glassfish are equally numerous, as are gold-striped fuseliers and yellow tail barracuda. Trevally dart into shoals of bait fish that move as one, safety in numbers their only defence. Large flutemouths stalk their prey and titan (giant) triggerfish guard their territory.

Striped soldier fish and squirrel fish congregate together in the many cracks and crevices, and barrel sponges dominate the seabed with common lion fish sheltering from the currents inside the rims. The number of bearded and humpback scorpionfish on the wall make touching anything a risky business. These poisonous fish are prevalent most places in the Mergui Archipelago but there numbers are highest here. False stonefish can also be spotted here. Several grouper species such as white-lined and blue-lined grouper are common as are wrasse and leatherjackets. Freckled porcupine fish hide in the crevices.

The walls feature orange and green cup corals and a small overhang. There's a huge variety of invertebrates here such as lobster, hermit crabs, zigzag clams, black diadema urchins, oysters and squid. Yellow-margin, fimbriated, giant and white-eyed moray eels can all be seen in abundance, and different species are often even seen sharing the same hole. Look into the crags and you may be surprised to see Indian Ocean nurse sharks, residents of Mergui, snoozing the day away.

High Rock is also an excellent night dive location too, when all the cup corals burst open in brilliant orange. This, together with the orange reflected eyes of the Durban dancing shrimp, makes a spectacular sight as the whole wall appears alive and feeding in the nutrient rich water. Decorator crabs, hermit and round crabs can be seen. Moray eels swim over the wall, avoiding divers' torches and parrotfish sleep in their protective cocoons.

Sea Fan Forest --
A magnificent coral reef that starts at 15 feet and plunges to 120 feet. This beautiful dive site is covered with huge sea fan coral. Ghost pipe fish, harlequin shrimp, eagle rays, rainbow runners, jacks, trevallies and barracuda are frequently seen.