Phang Nga Bay

The exploration of the magnificent limestone creations, which make up the islands of  Phang Nha Bay, began with anchoring at Koh Phanak .

Ko Phanak

 Hong is Thai for room, so what we we looking for were the tunnels that burrow into the limestone and open up into "rooms" beneath the towering structures.  There now being four of us on board and no kayaks, we were a bit restricted as to the ones we could explore. Undaunted the first exploration was amazingly successful. We arrived,anchored and explored in the dinghy- paddling once we entered, not using the outboard in the hong.Torch in hand we entered and proceeded  in about 500m. The tide was rising as we entered , so we explored the first couple of caverns by torch and decide that was far enough. We emerged back into daylight, having had the whole place to ourselves. Minutes after emerging  a tourist boat arrived and disgorged 15 kayaks, followed by another boat and another and another and another. How much confusion would have been caused had we been emerging as they we trying to enter, I have no idea. Each canoe is launched rapidly, with two pax and one guide (doing the paddling). we only just squeezed through

its dark

looking  from the dinghy into the gaping cavern above us

almost back at the entrance- the narrowness not really highlighted in the photo.

the entrance in our dinghy - there was certainly no room for a kayak. Chris reckoned if we had known they were coming in, we should have just sat there in the dark, and really given them "a kayak trip to remember".

We then moved on to explore the Koh Hong Group.