Killing time before our flight out of LAX — Santa Monica Pier as the lights come on.

The sun drops into the Pacific. The next sunset we saw rose out of it, on the other side.

A farewell lunch at Geoffrey’s in Malibu before the long flight west.

Arrival day — travel-worn in the open-air lobby, the pool and the Andaman Sea beyond.

Ruth strikes a pose in the beach swing — Thai resorts do photo props right.

The resort’s lagoon pool, all but empty in the COVID off-season.

Ruth loses it over a hermit crab scuttling across the sand — Similan Islands.

New friends from the dive boat — beach stop in the Similans.

The tender that shuttles divers from boat to beach, floating on water this clear.

Our guide walks through the dive plan for Richelieu Rock — Thailand’s most famous dive site.

Ruth glides over the reef with a school of collared butterflyfish.

A skunk anemonefish holds its ground among the swaying tentacles of its host.

A painted spiny lobster in full parade colors. Photo by Ruth.

The Old Diver at work — twin strobes, big rig, and an audience of butterflyfish.

Not a pipefish after all — an ornate ghost pipefish, one of the reef’s great camouflage artists.

A false clownfish peeks out from the folds of its magnificent anemone.

A lionfish on patrol, every fin fanned like plumage.

Ruth behind a gorgonian sea fan bigger than she is.

Two clownfish rise from the tentacles to check out the photographer.

A coral hawkfish perches motionless, sea-urchin spines at its back.

A tigertail seahorse in gold, anchored in the shadow of an urchin.

Head-on with a lionfish — all camouflage and attitude.

Three clownfish, two anemones — the whole neighborhood at home.

The obligatory photo stop: Patong Beach, Phuket.

The breakfast buffet’s donut wall. The Vegemite went untouched.

Tiger prawns and spiny lobster on ice — picking dinner, Patong style.

Dusk at Patong Beach as the last jet skis come in.