The views coming out of the old harbour provided some interesting insights into what Cambodia is doing to survive. Not all of it was that pretty.
While we were in Sihanoukville, Cambodia we took the opportunity to do a couple of days of diving with Scuba Nation. We were lucky enough to be the only two clients on the first day and were joined by two other divers on our second day. Both days we were guided by Max with Alison accompanying us as a Dive Master in training.
Without a doubt the Sihanoukville harbour is not the cleanest or safest looking harbour I have ever seen.After picking up fresh bread and fruit on our way to the harbour the first order of business was getting some real coffee in our systems. Max got the coffee going while Alison started to prep the gear. It was kind of nice to be a client again after working on our last dive outing.
As we headed out we went by one of the dredging operations running off the coast of Cambodia. If you ever wonder where all the sand is from that China is using to build their islands, a bunch of it is from the waters of Cambodia. We were informed that these operations are running 24/7, creating massive holes in the bottom of the bays.
On a brighter side, we were able to see several fishing boats heading to work. Of course the sad part was some of the areas they were fishing are supposed to be protected. Unfortunately this is not enforced.We were excited to see what Cambodia had to offer under the water. It was not spectacular, but it was beautiful. Lots of clams, a good variety of fish, a spotted blue ray and even some nudibranchs.
On to the diving though. I have to share that I was very impressed with the the rental equipment and professionalism of our dive master Max. He did thorough and meticulous briefings and confirmed all safety checks were done. As well the dive profiles were set up to ensure plenty of time for a built in safety stop at the end of the dive. Of course this wasn’t too difficult as the deepest we dove was only 14 metres with most time spent at 6 – 9 metres. If you wanted to go deeper you would have to bring a shovel.
The briefings were concise and thorough. This always tends to make dives that much more enjoyable.The one hour trip out in the boat took us to the north end of Koh Rong Sanloem for our first day. We dove “Last Chance” and “Koh Kon South”. If you want a closer look at the map click here.We went to the same general area but dove two different sites on day 2. “Mpay Bay” and “Koh Kon West”. If you want a closer look at the map click here.This was our dive boat “The Colombe”. Nothing fancy, but nice and stable and more than comfortable enough for the 1 hour commute to the dive sites.
As you may have picked up from some of the photos, the weather was not exactly blue skies and sun shine. However, it is perfect for sitting around in wetsuits and not dying from overheating. The second day provided us with plenty of rain but that is ok, we were wet anyway.
Most of the second day it was socked in and rainy. But the diving was even better the second day so no complaints here.As we returned on the last day we got a good view of where the fishermen live. Certainly a room with a view.
I will finish off with a short video I put together of some of what we saw while diving. The visibility was not great, anywhere from 3 – 10 metres, but still a wonderful couple of days with a great company. If you are ever in the area, try the diving. The busier the industry hopefully the better the waterways can be protected.
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