KO LANTA HONORED AS A TOP DESTINATION IN TRIPADVISOR’S 2010 TRAVELERS’ CHOICE DESTINATION AWARDS

Ko Lanta, Thailand, was chosen as a Best Destination in 3 categories, Beach & Sun, Romance, and Relaxation & Spa by TripAdvisor® in the 2010 Travelers’ Choice® Destination Awards, with Kantiang Bay and Lanta Klong Nin Beach being given a special mention in the ‘Don’t Miss’ section of each award.

• Beach & Sun: Ko Lanta – 1st Place in Thailand, 3rd Place in Asia
• Romance: Ko Lanta – 1st Place in Thailand, 4th Place in Asia
• Relaxation & Spa: Ko Lanta – 2nd Place in Thailand, 6th Place in Asia

The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destination awards and honours the world’s top destinations, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on the millions of real reviews and opinions from travelers on TripAdvisor.com™. The top destinations were determined by a combination of TripAdvisor travelers’ favorite places and overall popularity on TripAdvisor.

“Millions of travelers on TripAdvisor have identified the world’s most amazing destinations”

said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor.

“From stunningly beautiful locales to spots with outstanding attractions, the 2010 Travelers’ Choice Destination Award winners are truly incredible places that travelers love.”

• For reviews on Koh Lanta, go to Ko Lanta Reviews.
• For the complete 2010 Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards list, go to Travellers’ Choice Destinations.

About TripAdvisor:

TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 34 million monthly visitors*, 15 million registered members and 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions. TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries.

©2010 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

Underwater photographs are captured from the dive sites and reefs around Ko Lanta. Stay up to date on what diving conditions are like right now. Photos are usually updated daily and are from today or yesterday’s dives.

Please visit the Liquid Lense Flickr photostream to view more of their underwater images.

Watch the latest underwater videos from Liquid Lense – Kantiang Bay’s Underwater Digital Imaging Academy. Keep up to date on what life underwater is like around Ko Lanta with the latest underwater footage from Kantiang Bay in Ko Lanta.

If you would like to subscribe directly – please visit www.vimeo.com/liquidlense

Top tips for impressing a special someone on Valentine’s Day in Kantiang Bay:

• take a romantic dip in the infinity pool at Eyes Lanta Resort where you can enjoy the sunset with a cocktail in hand
• indulge in sweet-talk over a Strawberry Cheesecake at Drunken Sailors Cafe
• savour the view and tantalize your taste-buds with a Seafood BBQ at Baan Laanta’s Bay Front Restaurant
• go for a romantic stroll down the beach to Same Same But Different Restaurant
• pamper each other with a sensual oil massage and body-wrap at Arista Spa or Baan Spa
• shake your booty and cut some moves on the dance-floor at the Shroom Bar Valentine’s Day party

From The Sunday Times October 11, 2009

The world’s 10 best tropical beaches

You want Bounty-ad beaches, see-through seas and palm trees? And you want it all for a bargain price?

Ba Kan Tiang Beach in Ko Lanta, Thailand was voted Top Beach in Thailand & No. 9 in the World in the Travel section of the The Sunday Times on October 11th, 2009.

Voted #9: Ba Kan Tiang, Thailand

As tourism marches on, the Thai idyll is getting harder to find.

Step forward Kan Tiang, the last gasp on the Ko Lanta coast road as it dwindles away into Mu Ko Lanta National Park. There’s just one resort, Pimalai, a good dive shop that offers daily snorkelling jaunts and a collection of beach-shack bars, not so much built as washed up like flotsam on the tide. Our favourite for food is Same Same but Different, but the Aqua Bar’s seafood barbie is great, too.

Trailfinders (0845 050 5871, trailfinders.com) has a week at Pimalai Resort for £899pp, B&B, a saving of £400pp. The best of the beachside guesthouses is Baan Laanta (00 66-75 665091, baanlaanta.com), which has doubles from £66, B&B. Scubafish Diving – PADI 5 Star IDC Centre (0066 75 665 095, scuba-fish.com).

Castaways should try La Laanta (75 665066, lalaanta.com), on remote Bamboo Beach; from £53 a night for two.

To read the full article and see the other Top 10 votes – please visit Times Online.

Collecting rubbish is fun!

Smiles Galore!

Kids cleanup too!

A cleaner Kantiang Bay!

Businesses represented included:
• Scubafish Dive Centre (Event organisors)
• Baan Laanta Resort & Spa
• Marine Park View Resort
• Phra Nang Lanta Resort
• Kantiang Bay View Resort
• Eyes Lanta Resort
• Simply Life Bungalows
• Why Not Bar
• Aqua Bar
• Jungle Tour
• Jinda Tour
• Wae Ta Bookshop & Exchange
• Nine Art Gallery
• Drunken Sailor
• Jungle View Restaurant
• Same Same But Different
• Bay Front Restaurant
• Kantiang Bay View Restaurant
• Drunken Tailor
• Baan Tour
• Kantiang Tour

Project AWARE - Dive for Earth Day 2009

Project AWARE - Dive for Earth Day 2009

Earth is a water planet and the planet needs our help. Why? Climate change is a major threat with increased ocean temperatures and ocean acidification impacting fragile underwater environments. Dive for Earth Day is an extraordinary opportunity to take action and help address the underwater issues that concern you most.

How can you help?

Individual Divers and Water Enthusiasts:
Volunteer today! Sign up for the Scubafish Dive for Earth Day event in Kantiang Bay and choose to participate in the Asia Pacific Fish Survey, Coral Reef Monitoring Project or Beach and Underwater Cleanup activities.

About Dive for Earth Day
Earth Day raises environmental awareness on a global scale. Since the 30th anniversary of Earth Day in 2000, Project AWARE has helped divers focus attention on aquatic environments for this annual event. Thousands of diver volunteers in more than 115 countries have helped protect underwater environments and educate local communities for Project AWARE’s Dive for Earth Day.

As divers and water enthusiasts we are privileged to have access to unique underwater environments. In fact, due to our up close and personal relationship with the underwater world, divers and snorkelers are often the first to recognize habitat decline and contribute to solutions.

Be aware of every action when entering the marine environment and take every precaution to avoid any negative impact. In addition, be an ambassador for the protection of our aquatic world and gently remind others to do the same when necessary.

What Can You Do to Keep Waters Debris Free?

Buy in bulk, re-use as often as possible and always recycle.

Bring reusable bags with you when shopping.

Avoid buying plastic or Styrofoam products whenever possible.

Be aware of everything you buy and avoid products with excessive packaging.

Demand more and improved recycling facilities for your area.

Properly dispose of all pieces of fishing line, net or other associated litter.

Keep plastics and other litter off the ground and the ocean floor.

Keep storm drains and shorelines free of plastic and other debris.

Remove debris you see during every recreational dive or shoreline visit.

Get involved. Participate in local shoreline and underwater cleanups with Project AWARE.

Songkran Water Festival 2009 – Celebrate Thai New Year and get absolutely soaked in a huge water fight to wash away any bad luck from the previous year.

Songkran is a Thai word which means ‘to move’ or ‘to change place’ as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac calendar. It is also known as the ‘Water Festival’ as people believe that pouring water on their closest friends and relations, will wash away bad luck.

Songkran marks the beginning of the Buddhist New Year and officially lasts from April 13-15, although in some areas the festivities can last up to 10 days. Most business pretty much grinds to a halt during the festival period with schools, government offices and many shops shutting down. Airports, bus stations and train stations are jammed with travelers heading back to their home provinces. If you don’t have a reservation, you’ll find seats very difficult to get hold of and it’s a good idea to confirm hotel reservations well ahead of time.

The throwing of water during the festival originated as a way to pay your respect to people, by gently pouring a small amount of water on your friends and relative’s hands or over their shoulder as a sign of respect. Nowadays, many of the religious aspects of the festival have given way to unrestrained, watery warefare and the emphasis is on fun and water-fighting rather than on the festival’s spiritual and religious aspects. Accepting your watery fate with a smile will win you much better respect and being gentle with older or respected members of the community is a good idea!

Taking part in the festivities is unavoidable if you step onto the main streets in Lanta. Most of the action is concentrated in Saladan, but there are kids, locals and tourists stationed up and down the main road throughout the island, waiting to give you a thoroughly good splashing as you pass. It’s a good idea to take serious measures to protect valuables, telephones, cameras, money and anything that would get damaged in a severe soaking. Wearing white can be a mistake as sometimes dyes are put into the water for good luck. If you want to take photographs during the festival, a waterproof casing for you camera is a good idea, or investing in a cheap disposable waterproof camera is even better. Dry bags are another good investment and can be purchased cheaply all over the island.

Songkran Festival is a great way to cool down during the hottest time of the year. Arm yourself with a water pistol at the very least and join everyone on the streets to celebrate the biggest Thai Festival of the Year, lasting 3-4 days. Remember your sense of humour – this is the most celebrated festival in Thailand and taking part and getting very wet is all part of the fun!

As we moved from April into May, the rain became more frequent, the tourists started to dwindle, and the wind changed direction to blow on-shore along the west coast. The wind direction and temperament is the main problem for most dive operations during low season. The West coast is open to the Andaman Sea and faces the tail end of two monsoon seasons coming from different parts of Thailand. The monsoons transform the millpond tranquil waters everyone enjoys during high season, into a white peaked mass of waves, making it unsafe for boats to moor in the bays, and in the main harbour of Saladan.

We were diving with Scubafish, one of the only dive operations open during low season. Their shop is based in Kantiang Bay on the South West coast of Koh Lanta, but during low season they are able to harbour their boats in the well sheltered, South East port of Lanta Old Town.

While the waves are coasting up the beaches along the west coast and the sea looks like millions of tiny snow capped mountains, over in Old Town, the same sea is calm, flat and more a kin to liquid mercury. Despite the tranquillity of where the boats are moored, the dive sites on that side of the island are non-existent. For that reason, a reasonably calm Andaman is still required before the boats can venture out to the much loved dive sites of Koh Haa. In addition to the unpredictability of the weather, numbers of bums on boats are also limited due to the lower number of tourists. Everything has to come together for a dive trip to happen. The sea needs to be calm enough, and there needs to be enough customers at any one time to make the trip break-even financially.

The weather during low season was far less dramatic than we had envisaged. Sure, there were days of rain, and sure there were some major storms and down pours, but in general they were far less frequent than we had anticipated. The occasional outburst of stormy weather, delivered enough rain and water to transform the island from a dry, dusty, and almost arid landscape, into a burst of lush jungle and greenery. Moreover, in-between the rain, we were blessed with days and days of soaring temperatures, cloudless skies, and bright sunshine.

Kan Tiang Bay is one of the only bays on Koh Lanta that remains completely open all year round. Although May was very quiet, the number of tourists really picked up during June, July and August, and the boat was able to go out between twice a week, to almost every day.

So far so good – better than expected weather, enough tourists to enable frequent dive trips and a lush transformation of landscape. So – what about the diving? Well, now we move into the real HIGH of the low season on Koh Lanta. Koh Haa is a group of five limestone islands protruding out of the Andaman Sea, about an hour’s boat ride from Koh Lanta. During high season, this idyllic location is visited daily by most of the dive operations on Koh Lanta. Underwater it can sometimes be busy – it by no means resembles the thick diver soup to the extent of many other popular diving destinations – but still – you know – it can be just a little bit less than tranquil and exclusive.

During low season however, it’s another story, from May, all the way through to late September, we were the only boat there! It was beautiful! Turns were teaming up and flying around the limestone stacks resembling a scene from Jurassic park, and underwater, the visibility was surprisingly consistently great, averaging about 15m plus. For some reason, be it a seasonal movement or the absence of divers, schools of fish moved in to the dive sites. During high season the sites are rich in marine life anyway – but during low season different schools moved in. Schools of snappers tripled in volume, cuttle fish started mating frequently, and rainbow runners charged through the lagoon. Fusiliers picked up their pace moving from waltz tempo to salsa, and in general all of the marine residents seemed far more alive, excited, and rich in volume. Seeing the behaviour of the marine life alter as the season moved from high to low and back again, was an exhilarating, surprising and fascinating experience.

Koh Lanta offers fantastic diving during high season, and is usually closed for business during low season. Having seen the diving conditions and weather during low season – I see no reason why it couldn’t remain open all year. Less dive operations will be able to offer trips due to the mooring difficulties the rougher sea brings – but that’s a blessing. Other than that – the only drawbacks of low season are: less reliable weather, and fewer tourists. Both of these drawbacks mean that there are fewer things to do on the island, and many of the restaurants and tourist offices are closed, particularly in the North.

If you visit for a short break of a few days, expecting to go diving, bask in the sunshine, and join other tourists on tours and activities, you stand a risk of being disappointed. But if you plan a longer holiday of 2-3 weeks of more, you don’t want to do much else other than unwind and go diving, and you’re happy to risk a few days of rain, then, you may well find that LOW SEASON ON LANTA – ROCKS!

There were two categories of entry; White Balance and Flash Photography. Photographs had to be taken on a single nominated dive in Kantiang Bay and entrants were given a month during which to pick their day. Cameras were supplied by Liquid Lense Underwater Digital Imaging Academy.

White Balance Category

The photo had to be taken without flash, using the manual white-balance setting.

1st Prize – White Balance Category

Jorunna Nudibranch - Viki

‘This Macro Portrait is a worthy winner of the White Balance Category.’ said Phil from Liquid Lense. ‘The photographer has successfully managed to capture a shot at the subject’s level, rather than from above and has also managed to shoot the subject head-on. The photo shows great use of aperture to help focus the viewer’s attention as the rhinopores of the nudibranch are perfectly in focus, while the background is slightly out of focus. An outstanding entry!’

Runner Up – White Balance Category

Cuttlefish - Sumner

‘This silhouette of a Cuttlefish is a very creative and dramatic shot, capturing interesting and unusual behaviour.’ said Phil from Liquid Lense. ‘While slightly over-exposed, it displays good composition and is an excellent choice of subject. The unusual & creative nature of the shot adds to its appeal, making it a worthy runner-up.’

Flash Category

The photo had to be taken using a built-in flash. No external strobes were allowed.

1st Prize – Flash Category

Lionfish - Sumner

‘This portrait is technically excellent.’ said Phil from Liquid Lense. ‘It is beautifully exposed and has great image depth. The blue background also helps to give the image great colour & contrast, while the angle and composition really bring out the character of the subject. A truly excellent photo on many levels!’

Runner Up – Flash Category

Catfish - Viki

‘This photo wins the runner-up prize as it is an excellent photo of a difficult subject’ said Phil from Liquid Lense. ‘Despite the subject moving, the photo is sharp and the image is also very well-composed, with good use of diagonal lines.’

Honourable Mentions:

Lionfish - Corinna

‘This photo of a small Zebra Lionfish also deserves recognition as the photographer has done a great job to capture the stunning plumage of the lionfish, especially considering this was Corinna’s first attempt using a camera underwater. Well done – an ‘almost’ winning shot.’ said Phil from Liquid Lense.

Nudi-Train - Sumner

‘This shot by Sumner impressed both judges greatly. It is sharp, well composed and is a very interesting & unusual subject’ said Phil from Liquid Lense.

LIQUID LENSE – Underwater Digital Imaging Specialists congratulates Viki, Sumner & Corinna on their prize-winning photographic entries to the Liquid Lense Underwater Photography competition.

LIQUID LENSE hosted its first Underwater Photo Workshop at the newly refurbished Liquid Lense Studio. The workshop included tips on underwater photography techniques.

The judges would like to thank all participants for their excellent entries. Winners will receive a luxury Liveaboard to an exotic locat…. ah, no sorry – wrong competition. Winners will receive a certificate, some exciting prizes courtesy of Scubafish World and global recognition via the world-wide web as the winners of the prestigious, first EVER Kantiang Bay Underwater Shootout sponsored by Scubafish & Liquid Lense.

Thanks & Well Done!

For more information about Underwater Photography and Videography courses offered by Liquid Lense, please visit:
http://www.scuba-fish.com/dive-courses/uw-photo-video-courses