The Andaman Chronicles - Days 2 and 3

Six o’clock, the voice of the captain echoed at all corners of the boat. I got up hitting with my head in the ceiling of the small sleeping cabin. Half sleeping, half awake, I grabbed a cup of coffee and walk up to the deck for the morning briefing. Our task, visiting a coral reef and document as much as possible the marine life conditions in Koh Ba-Gnu island.

It was still dark when we entered the water, the first signs of sun light reflecting on the surface. Today I was diving with Niko and Francis, two proficient photographers. After the descent we swam through tiny passages between rocks until we reached the coral garden. Small brown and dark green coral decorated the seabed. Small fishes hide themselves behind the coral branches. Further inside the garden was filled with bigger white, yellow and sometimes red coral. Some anemones and clown fish could be found. Curious butterfly fish of different colours followed us, sometimes coming close to our mask and looking into our eyes. Suddenly the unexpected. No coral branches to be seen. Instead a mass of coral bones lay in the bottom covering the sea floor. No fishes, no plants, nothing alive. Only the remaining of what once has been corals, grey, dark, dirty white, in an extension of hundreds meters. It looked like a bomb has converted the coral garden to ashes. We have been told during the briefing this was an effect of global warming. It seemed to me this was the effect of some evil man made attack. Niko was taking shots while Francis was filming documenting the chaos and destruction. I took also some pictures and wrote some notes, trying to be precise in the location. What we witnessed was worthy to be shared.

The rest of the second day was similar to the first, exploring reefs and recording images of the abundant marine life. In the morning of the third day we started our dive early. We would spend the day in Koh Similand, the biggest island of the Similand archipelago. I was again with Niko and Francis. Niko was taking his heavy camera with strobe lights all around, looking more like an octopus than a camera. Immediately after the descent we checked once again our equipment, air and time to surface. Niko switched his camera. Lights were on, but from his attitude it looked like something was wrong. He was busy pressing buttons again and again, but not looking at us at all. I went to him and signalled asking if he was Ok. He signalled back that something was wrong with the camera and he did not know what. I looked at the camera, all seemed Ok, lights were on as well as the indication LEDs. Then I saw something in the lens. I looked closer and could not avoid a great laugh. I called Francis and pointed the lens. Francis was also laughing under his breathing regulator. Niko has mounted the camera inside the underwater case but forgot to remove the lens cap. He would have a funny dive taking blacks shots.

We resumed the dive and went exploring a system of small tunnels and pass-throughs. Hiding in the darkness we could find small lobster, crabs and shrimps. A pipefish was disguising in a coral. Once on the other side of the reef we started ascending slowly exploring the vertical wall. corals and anemones filled the wall giving refuge to the smaller fishes. Big parrot fishes and trigger fishes patrolled the walls showing us we were invading delimited territory. We started the safety stop on the top of the reef, a natural plateau which would allow us to lay quiet while waiting for decompression. Francis gave a signal to look back. I turned around but could not see anything special. I looked back to him and he gave another signal which I did misunderstand as moray eel. I turned back again but could not see anything. Then I saw it, hiding at same level of the plateau was a huge long silver fish. I ascended a bit to get the thing in my vision line, it was long and straight like a shark, but no upper fin. Slowly I got closer while preparing my camera. It was a huge barracuda waiting for prey, prepared to attack. Barracudas attack fast, no fish is a match for a barracuda. The others did not follow me, but still I went. Was not the first time I got close to big barracudas to take shots, I hoped this was not the last. This was certainly the biggest barracuda I ever found. I got closer but not yet close enough for a shot. The barracuda understood my intentions and went few meters down. I was doing my safety stop, could not descend any more. So I stood at same depth swimming over the giant fish and taking some shots. Too far for a good shoot though.

The next dive was an easy reef dive. Me and Francis were alone. Niko joined another group. We prepared the equipment and did a buddy check. Francis was happy in showing me he had 240 bar, something unusual. My pressure was at 200 bar. Our dive would be limited by my air. We descended using a shot line and gathered in the base of the shot to recheck our equipment. My pressure was 180 bar while Francis still remained 230 bar. It would be a short dive for myself, I thought. We explored the reef around and around. Plenty of butterfly fish, coral fish and angelfish surrounded us. When I reached 100 bar I gave a signal to Francis, he replied back 170 bar with a huge smile under his breathing regulator. I started becoming concerned. What was wrong with me? Why was I breathing so much? We kept going, shallower now, preparing a gradual surface to the top of the reef. Few minutes after I felt a slap in my arm, I turned and say Francis at my side giving the signal out-of-air. Instantly I looked for my backup breathing regulator and threw it at him, He grab it and put it in his mouth. I hold him with my left hand and signalled him to calm down. Once he was breathing normally I grabbed his pressure gauge and checked. It was marking 120 bar. While he was breathing from my backup I grabbed his breathing regulator and tested. No air. Then I checked is backup. No air. I looked again at his pressure gauge, still marking 120 bar. His gauge was broken. Slowly we ascended to the top of the reef sharing my air. I deployed my emergency buoy while we were doing a safety stop. Then we surfaced to the buoy. Meanwhile the boat has seen the buoy and was already coming on our way to pick us up.