"Dear Ingo,
Sorry it has taken me so long to reply. I only got back to San Francisco this Tuesday.
The trip went well, very well in fact. I was somewhat concerned about it considering all the rain we had in Phuket the week before it was to leave. The weather was perfect and we missed no dives. The islands themselves were beautiful. I was able to snorkel at all the dive sites but one; and the snorkelling was usually quite good.
The crew on the Colona was excellent and did everything they could to make the trip a success. The food was good and the quarters satisfactory. I always had excellent support when I snorkelled in places where the curent was fast and during night dives. I always felt safe.
I saw a variety of fish although nothing exceptional; no mantas, no whale sharks, some green turtles, some rays, some divers saw an octapus and a few saw some black tipped shark.
My one reservation about the trip relates to the condition of the reef. It seems to have suffered a lot of damage. Some of the damage may be from excessive use. I also heard that a heat waave last year caused a lot of damage to the reef as well. I also encountered other signs of degredation, plastick bags, bits of cloth, torn-off ropes. I have been sea kayaking and snorkeling in the Solomon Islands and in Papua, New Guinea and remember the pristine reefs in both those places. Because they could go down further, I think the divers had better views of the reef.
Thank you for your help in helping me to arrange this trip. I would gladly go again or plan on doing similiar trips in the future.
John"
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