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This Southeast Asian country, where reefs burst with marine life, night life thumps to an insistent bass and the breeze carries

the scent of lemon grass, will ignite all of your senses

B Y T A R A B R A D L E Y

A sea fan sparkles with glassfish. OPPOSITE: Formerly used by fishermen, long-tail boats are a great way to tour the coastline. R

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at Hin Muang — Purple Rock — we’re immersed in an underwater rave. I can almost hear Jamiroquai rocking it out in the background. Brushed by current, everything sways to the same beat. The purple and green fingers of soft corals move with the underwater breeze. Clownfish dance in and out of anemones, schools of snapper rush by like a group of backup dancers and a couple of way-too-cool barracuda glide in for a closer look. The rock here is a long ridge — you’ll reach the top in about 30 feet of water; the bottom is at nearly 200 feet.

The heart of Thailand’s unique culture is a melting pot of attractions: fishing villages, rubber plantations, lush rainforests, tropical beaches, Buddhist temples, spicy cuisine, rice paddies, colorful local markets, open-air massage districts and sunrises that put many sunsets to shame. The country is popular among back-packers and expats who flock here for the Full Moon parties, but divers come for the underwater attractions found alongside its lively, jungle-topped surface. From the lush green gardens of anemones topped with schools

of sparkling fusiliers to the possibility of spotting the occasional whale shark or two, the country known as the Land of Smiles enchants divers at every turn.

Like many Southeast Asian countries, getting to this far-flung getaway can be a journey (minimum fly-ing time from New York averages about 20 hours). For access to the Andaman Sea dive sites, visitors fly into Phuket; for access to the Gulf of Thailand, guests fly into Bangkok or Koh Samui. From either spot, it’s an easy boat ride to the island (ko) of your choice.

S E R E N I T Y I N S O F T C O R A L S

With so many islands to choose from (Thailand has hundreds), my boyfriend, Jamie, and I begin our trip by flying into Phuket on the west side of the country, where we’ll dive sites in the Andaman Sea. Upon arrival, we head to the Ao Por Grand Marina for the 20-minute speedboat ride to Yao Noi (Small Long Island), the loca-tion of the Six Senses Resort. As the sun starts to set, the

misty silhouettes of the karst islets dot the horizon of Phang Nga Bay. To end the day’s journey, and as a poetic welcome to the Six Senses dock, we are greeted with the faint scent of lemon grass, a calming note I soon discov-er to be lingering in everything from the cuisine to the gardens, candles, incense and libations.

Rooms here take in the natural ambience of the area, boasting outdoor showers, windowed-wall views and private infinity pools — perfect for a post-dive dip. The property itself is shaded by rubber trees, subtle re-minders of the area’s former incarnation as a rubber plantation. And while maintaining the local environ-ment and history is the mantra here, the island still holds onto its sense of play, whether you find your-self enjoying a Thai Ja daiquiri at the property’s posh Hilltop Reserve or an icy mojito at one of the local beach bars. (We end up opting for both.) But before we hit the bars we head for the reefs.

Our first dive is at the aptly named Anemone Reef, or Hin Jom (Underwater Rock). Camera in hand, it’s tempting to stay on one coral head for our full bottom

time, but at the guide’s urging, we continue on. Each turn delivers another shallow coral head brimming with waving anemones, and inside each watery bouquet, my eyes focus on another bashful clownfish, skittish juvenile fish or darting orange-spine unicornfish.

The dives over the next few days, at places such as Shark Point and Koh Phi Phi, follow suit, with schools of yellowtail snapper, curious pufferfish and hard-to-spot seahorses. Shallow reefs offering lengthy bottom times are followed by mouth-watering surface intervals — lunches of steaming pad thai and cooling coconut water.

On our final evening on Yao Noi, a hard rain ends with an evening serenade of frogs, a sleep-inducing way to end the first half of our trip and aid in banish-ing any remaining jet lag. Well rested, we wake with enough time to enjoy the sunrise (a luxury we rarely get at home). We resume our trek across the penin-sula with a quick domestic flight from Phuket to Koh Samui and end with a 30-minute boat ride to Anantara on Koh Phangan, an island off the central gulf coast of southern Thailand.

A closer look inside almost any anemone will reveal the colors of a curious clownfish. OPPOSITE: A diver explores off the Similan Islands in the Andaman Sea.

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A C U LT U R A L H O T P O T

Like much of the architecture in Thailand, rooms at Anantara Koh Phangan, hidden away on the outskirts of the village of Thong Nai Pan, are all about showcas-ing the area’s natural beauty. Again, we’re spoiled with open-air showers and private plunge pools, but before delving into the amenities, we walk down Thong Nai Pan Noi beach to H2O Original for an overview from Alis Empey, the manager, on what we can expect on the next day’s dive.

“I’d love to get you out to Sanran Pinnacle (the Secret Pinnacle),” Empey says. “This site hadn’t been dived in years until we went searching for it late last year. Unfor-tunately, fishermen accidentally dropped a large fishing net on the reef, killing a ton of fish. Today, it looks al-most haunted. Because of that, we are planning a Project AWARE cleanup to help restore it to its glory days.”

D I V E R S G U I D E T O T H A I L A N D

DON’T-MISS DIVESSail RockNorth of Koh Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand, this site is a popular wall dive. Although you might see a turtle or two, stingrays, puff-ers and batfish are nearly constant residents.

Shark PointNamed for this site’s topside resemblance to a dorsal fin, this dive is almost like two dives in one. Located in the Andaman Sea, multiple sides of the islet offer a vari-ety of critters, including soft corals, sponges and morays.

Anemone ReefThis Andaman Sea site is popular among all levels of snorkelers and divers for its shallow reef — the seabed starts at about 10 feet of water. With sea anemones covering the reef almost in its entirety, it isn’t hard to spot clownfish, juvenile fish and colorful sea stars.

Six Senses Yao Noi sixsenses.comAnantara Koh Phangananantara.comH2O Originalh2oscubaschool.com

Average water temp 82°F to 86°F >> What to wear Shorty or 1 mm full wetsuit >> Average viz 100 feet >> When to go Gulf of Thailand, May to September; Andaman Sea, October to April >> For more information, go to sportdiver.com

A band of butterflyfish provides entertainment during safety stops off sites along the Similan Islands.

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L I V E I T U PWant to hit all of the dive sites in one swoop? Thailand

Aggressor offers itineraries that cover the Andaman Sea, from the famous Richelieu Rock in the north to Tarutao National Park in the south. What you can ex-pect: whale sharks, mantas and more than 500 species of hard and soft corals. aggressor.com

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Although the Phi Phi islands gained attention as the location for the film The Beach, these islands are revered by divers for their vertical walls, soft corals and swim-throughs.

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Lucky for us, Empey makes it happen, and upon descent on Sanran Pinnacle, we discover she has described the site per-fectly. The dropped fishing net is suspended like an eerie bind-ing on the reef. The dead fish long gone, juvenile fish weave in and out of the netting. Above, a school of jacks swirls in unison as two barracuda lurk big-eyed in the background.

What’s even better? It’s not uncommon for a passing dark cloud to materialize into a passing whale shark. “For our second dive, the rest of the dive boats usually head back, and it’s just us and the fish,” says Empey. “This is when we typically see a surge in life returning to the Rock — and it’s the best time for spotting whale sharks!” Because there was a rumored sighting the day before at Sail Rock, Empey kindly makes it our next destination.

Known for its signature iceberg-shaped pinnacle, Sail Rock is one of the most sought-after sites in Thailand. Just 25 minutes from Thong Nai Pan, it has numerous swim-throughs and a hodgepodge of marine

life, including giant moray eels, rainbows of fusilier and sea stars looking like a jumble of stickers on a child’s art project. Because post-lunch is said to be the magic hour, we wait out our surface interval in true Thai style with another just-cooked spread of Thai fa-vorites, including fried rice, and massaman and panang curry.

Fully recharged, and with any other visible dive boats long gone, we jump in at Sail Rock, where we swim among schools of batfish,

friendly giant puffers, crusty-looking scorpionfish and comedic big-lipped grouper. Soft corals beckon with the lure of photogenic residents hiding in their tubular waves. And while that tinge of hope for a whale shark sighting evaporates when we surface, the long list of life we have seen quickly washes away any brief feelings of disappointment.

The rest of our days continue with the same rhythm: dive, eat, repeat. Thanks to Empey and her crew, we are treated to an insider’s list of some of their favorite sites, dishes and dive bars. At Baan Muay Thai, one

of Empey’s recommended eateries, we saddle up to a cozy table with an order of pad krapao moo kai dao, spicy stir-fried pork with Thai holy basil and a fried egg. (We’re told that kai dao basically means “throw an egg on top!”) Almost every table is packed, and they aren’t trying to turn tables here, so we spend our time taking in the local entertainment — the restaurant’s chef, a one-woman show mixing up steaming dishes of Thai delicacies, accompanied by the occasional call from the resident parrot. As the aroma hits our noses just seconds before the taste hits our tongues, our patience is quickly rewarded.

Jamie and I end the evening, and our nine-day adventure, at what has become our favorite watering hole in the village, the Sand Bar. (So much so that we’ve ad-mittedly played the part of impromptu DJ and fired up the dance floor.) By night’s end, we’ve met new dive bud-dies from all over the world: a family of 10 from Holland, a couple of 20-somethings from Spain and a solo back-packer from France. Although Thailand’s fun-loving party side is definitely a draw, we have fallen in love with its other side too; the one with lemon-grass-scented air, warm smiles from strangers, savory food, and coasts boasting beautiful waters and reefs. It’s this side that has ignited our senses and left us enchanted.

W H E R E T O E ATA visit to Thailand isn’t complete with-out sampling the spices, curries and soups that make it a favorite for foodies.

East: Baan Muay Thai, located in the village of Thong Nai Pan, features a home-style setting with made-to-order favorites from panang to pad thai. There’s one cook, so be patient; the piping-hot dishes are well worth the wait.

West: The chefs at Six Senses pride themselves on their garden-to-table in-gredients, including fresh herbs, veg-etables, mushrooms

from the mushroom hut and just-gathered eggs from the hen house.

W H E R E T O D R I N KNo matter what your taste, there’s no better way to end the day than with a favorite libation.

East: The Sand Bar, a circle-shaped water-ing hole in Thong Nai Pan, is the gathering place for expats and travelers from all over the world.

West: Romance exudes at the bar at Six Senses, where you can nestle into a comfy lounge area surrounded by lily ponds and views of Phang Nga Bay.

W H E R E T O S TAYYou can’t go wrong with rooms offering private plunge pools coupled with a sense of escapism.

East: Anantara Resort Koh Phang-nan, on Thailand’s eastern side, has a South Beach vibe that lets you choose to mingle with guests or hide away among your nature-inspired amenities.

West: Six Senses Yao Noi, on the west-ern side, exudes elegance with a side of adventure and a calming vibe that tempts with long af-ternoon naps spent daydreaming by Phang Nga Bay.

To remove the damaging nets found on Sanran Pinnacle, H2O Original heads up a weekly Project AWARE cleanup with a three-tank dive open to anyone who wants to help bring the site back to its glory days.

A TA ST E OF T H A I L A N D

T H E C L E A N U P C R E W

A yellow boxfish swims in for a close-up at Richelieu Rock in Mu Ko Surin National Park. OPPOSITE: Local mar-kets are some of the best places to sample Thai dishes.

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