Elena LOVES clown fish. They have a really neat symbiotic relationship with sea anemones. The last time we dove with Aloha Divers here in Phuket (see related post), our friend Mona was wearing a yellow wet suit with a fish hoodie. Unfortunately, Mona was unable to dive with us today as she has been suffering from migraines. Here she is wearing the fish hoodie:

*Mona from Aloha Divers sporting her fish wetsuit hoodie*

*Pre-Dive with Mona and the Carmodys (sounds like a band name)*

Master diver, Gunter, guided us on both of our dives and took his underwater camera with him so he could share some of what we see when we’re scuba diving together. My favorite shot is this one with Elena (who is wearing Mona’s full length wet suit) in front of Nemo:

*Elena finds Nemo right here in Phuket, Thailand, via Shark Point*

Gunter is an underwater photographer and has been taking some amazing shots of sea life here in Phuket. In addition to these pictures he shared with us, he also sent some highlights from his various dives based on what he’s seen here in Phuket.

I believe the first one is a cuttle fish, then a seahorse, clown fish (i.e. “Nemo”) and an incredible shell that he pointed out on our dive and I neglected to ask him what it was. I believe it’s a type of cowrie shell, which is a type of sea snail, but I could be way off as there are so many varieties of sea life here.

*Just some of the fish we saw on our dives today (not all, but most)*

*Yellow seahorse — so vibrant and yet so small. Easy to miss.*

This is one of the many reasons I continue scuba diving now more than 30 years. Even when you dive the same place, the ocean continues to evolve and different animals will show up. If you’re not looking for the extremely small, you’ll miss things like a seahorse.

And of course, there’s also the gigantic like the shark dive we did in Fiji just a few weeks ago (see related post and video). I’ve heard whales talking to each other in Hawaii and have been blown away by all the wreck dives where coral reefs have grown on top of the ship or airplane that has been swallowed up by the ocean.

*Elena wearing Mona’s wetsuit — like cosplay underwater*

In all my years diving, this was the first wetsuit that looked more like a costume. And why not? Scuba diving is fun. Adding a little color and a decorated hoodie adds to this fun. I saw that some dive shops offer mermaid diving. I’m not sure if that’s strictly costumes, pictures, or what, but I like the direction this is going.

Will has added so much to this trip. I was happy to have started this trip solo, then with Violet, then Violet and Elena, but now having Will with us, it truly feels like a family trip. We will have Elena with us through Vietnam and most of Japan, but she’s ready to be home mid-April. It’s unclear how long Will and Violet will want to continue traveling the world. As much fun as this is, I fully appreciate missing “home,” especially friends and all the conveniences of living in one place.

*Early morning transport on the Chalong Pier — short ride via truck*

I do appreciate how Phuket has evolved their managing of passengers on various different boats. We started our day at the Chalong Pier. Which, if you check their website, you can see how looooong this pier is. I’m really grateful for the truck that takes us across.

We also had quite a long boat ride to get to the island(s) where we did our dives. This gives us a chance to enjoy a light breakfast as well as take in all the beautiful surroundings as we venture off into the sea.