ATTN William Rampartson, how was your trip?

Andaman Sea, you returned 1/28/04? So?

(I'm booked on the MV Anggun in December - did you hear anything about the
boat?)

"Greg Mossman" <mossman@qnet.com> wrote in message
news:405f5a61$0$75805$6c56adcd@news.qnet.com...
> Andaman Sea, you returned 1/28/04? So?
>
> (I'm booked on the MV Anggun in December - did you hear anything about the
> boat?)

I was aboard Ocean Rover and it remains, hand's down, without question,
there is no comparison, the finest ship and crew of any liveaboard dive boat
I have traveled on in the last 23 years. Simply a superb operation.
Fantastic food, splendid accommodations and a crew that is without equal in
my experience. That being said I must also add that Mark Strickland was
onboard for our ten days, and I have heard from other divers who have had
vacations somewhat less than satisfying as mine when he was not on board. I
don't know if I buy that or not because these guys were over the top in
terms of service and personality, but it is worth mentioning. This was my
second time on OR and the level of service has not dropped an inch compared
to the earlier cruise.

The diving was quite good, but we didn't have the best viz for much of the
trip so most WA was out of the question and critter shooting was the deal
for the trip. But I know that with good viz the wide angle ops are certainly
there because between the soft coral, the pelagic schools, the mantas, the
sharks and the whales, it basically had everything a WA shooter could want.
We had moderate to strong currents everywhere (ours was the Thailand/Myanmar
itinerary), but given the abundance of life underwater currents are almost a
necessity. I'd say the diving was better the first trip, but one can't argue
with the fickle nature of the sea.

As far as critters go this area has almost everything. Better than Mabul, in
my opinion, and every bit as good as Sipidan in terms of wide angle and
vistas, but with much better fish and animal populations. I am looking right
now for the time to make a return trip. I've made the same statement before
and this trip hasn't changed my opinion any: in terms of macro the Andaman
Sea rates closely to much of PNG, a place I like very much and have visited
numerous times to date. I find it strange that Thailand/Myanmar does not
enjoy the macro reputation other places like Komodo, Mabul, PNG and
Solomon's
do.

In the end it was a trip as satisfying as I could have asked for. No there
wasn't much WA available but the critter stuff more than made up for that
issue. Boat, food, crew, and service was exemplary.

I did board Anggun (along with Aqua One, and Mermaid 2). I liked
what I saw. It seems fairly new and without the ravages of the sea older
boats suffer. It had a Woody Allen modernity to it, which threw me off just
a bit, but given that it has only enough cabins for 14 divers and is a
clean, well laid out boat, I like it. Our tour came from the ship's engineer
and he knew it so well and was so proud that I can't see it having much of
anything not in working order. The engine room was a real treat...3 plants
by the way.

If the food and service is on par with the vessel itself I suspect the
success of your trip will depend solely upon the sea gods. I don't think the
boat is going to get in the way of a great diving vacation. One thing I did
notice, and I haven't checked a fact sheet so I could be wrong, but the beam
seemed narrow for the height and length of the boat. What stabilizers, if
any, it has could mitigate this concern, but I got the sense this boat might
roll and heel in the way of most Dancer boats. It had some small cabins,
some middle sized rooms and one larger stateroom. I think either the
stateroom or mid-sized rooms would work well, the smaller cabins looked,
well, pretty small.

I think you will have a sensational time if the seas cooperate, and if they
don't then merely a great one. Aside from the time and expense getting there
I don't think you can have a bad time diving that area because there is so
much and such variety. I guess a complete weather blowout could ruin it, but
otherwise I would expect you will have good time. Take some time to visit 1)
the beaches of Phuket and 2) a spa (make sure it is a reputable one). The
services at the better spas on Phuket are almost perfect and a nice way to
treat yourself. I am big on massage and Thailand is superb at this craft.

By the way, I flew Thai Air (business class) and it was one of the most
enjoyable flights I have ever had at that length. It's never a treat to sit
that long on a plane but there service and attentiveness made a great
difference. To me, Thai Air was every bit as good as Singapore Air, class
for class. Compared to a nut operation like Qantas, you don't need to
medicate just to make the flight sufferable. I wouldn't hesitate to use them
again or to recommend them to another. If you haven't yet booked give some
consideration to Thai Air. My flight went DEN-LAX-Narita (short
stop)-Bangkok (overnight)-Phuket and return the same. Except for the Japan
stop I don't know how much easier it could get, and even that wasn't
particularly bothersome. My flight cost US $ 2,700.00, which is a good price
for that distance and sitting up front.

Please ask again if there is anything specific I can help with.

Hey, I wish you a great trip and a safe return to our wonderful country.

"William Rampartson" <nosp@m.com> wrote in message
news:HeL7c.65$g2.60748@news.uswest.net...

> In the end it was a trip as satisfying as I could have asked for. No there
> wasn't much WA available but the critter stuff more than made up for that
> issue. Boat, food, crew, and service was exemplary.

The OR sounds great. This was a charter by a dive shop owned by a friend of
mine, so I didn't have the luxury of picking the boat.

> anything not in working order. The engine room was a real treat...3 plants
> by the way.

The boat is so new, everything is probably still under warranty.

> If the food and service is on par with the vessel itself I suspect the
> success of your trip will depend solely upon the sea gods. I don't think
the
> boat is going to get in the way of a great diving vacation. One thing I
did
> notice, and I haven't checked a fact sheet so I could be wrong, but the
beam
> seemed narrow for the height and length of the boat. What stabilizers, if
> any, it has could mitigate this concern, but I got the sense this boat
might
> roll and heel in the way of most Dancer boats. It had some small cabins,
> some middle sized rooms and one larger stateroom. I think either the
> stateroom or mid-sized rooms would work well, the smaller cabins looked,
> well, pretty small.

I was told in response to my questioning that "the boat is not a rocker like
the Okeanos Aggressor". Since I haven't been on the Okeanos Aggressor, I
really don't know what that means, but it sounds like a good thing. Maybe
there are stabilizers. I'm planning on bringing lots of Dramamine, as
always, and we should be in a mid-sized "Deluxe" cabin, opting against the
stateroom because the "double bed" looked so cramped that we'd rather have
the bunkbed of the .

> I think you will have a sensational time if the seas cooperate, and if
they
> don't then merely a great one. Aside from the time and expense getting
there
> I don't think you can have a bad time diving that area because there is so
> much and such variety. I guess a complete weather blowout could ruin it,
but
> otherwise I would expect you will have good time. Take some time to visit
1)
> the beaches of Phuket and 2) a spa (make sure it is a reputable one). The
> services at the better spas on Phuket are almost perfect and a nice way to
> treat yourself. I am big on massage and Thailand is superb at this craft.

We'll (or at Janna will) try out the spas at the Sheratons in both Phuket
(we're flying in the day before the boat leaves) and Krabi (we're driving
there after we disembark), and probably a couple in Bangkok too. The spas
look pretty nice, even having their own pretty websites.

> By the way, I flew Thai Air (business class) and it was one of the most
> enjoyable flights I have ever had at that length. It's never a treat to
sit
> particularly bothersome. My flight cost US $ 2,700.00, which is a good
price
> for that distance and sitting up front.

I was planning on Thai, but chose EVA to get Continental miles. Their biz
class is also priced right ($2,800 to Bangkok), but I doubt it will be as
nice as Thai Air's. Hopefully we'll be pleasantly surprised.

> Hey, I wish you a great trip and a safe return to our wonderful country.

Thanks. It's still a long way off, but I'm already getting excited. We're
spending Christmas on the boat and New Year's in Bangkok, so it will
definitely be an unforgettable experience - hopefully in a positive way. A
whale shark sighting would be a nice Christmas present.