Smacked in the Pool, Saved by the Sea: How Marine Biology Became the Highlight

Floating on a red heart-shaped floatie in the hotel’s infinity pool is usually a blissfully relaxing experience. There I was, lounging on the floatie, chatting with Happy Guy, and gazing at the stunning Andaman Sea in Thailand. We had just arrived after over 30 hours of travel, eager to unwind.

But then—bam! Out of nowhere, an arm flew toward my face and slapped me right in the eyeball. A fellow guest wearing goggles, apparently training for the Olympics, had mistaken the infinity pool for a lap pool. I was, unfortunately, in his way. He quickly apologized, and his friend even offered to get me some ice. I assured them I was fine, but the unexpected smack left me feeling frazzled.

Needing a distraction, I climbed out of the pool and wandered over to the hotel’s activities desk. There, I met a friendly Serbian gentleman named Mickey. He started chatting about the resort’s activities, including a tuk-tuk tour. As he spoke, he showed me photos of the tour on his Instagram page, which, for a while, helped me forget about my throbbing eye.

Mickey then mentioned something intriguing: the resort had a Marine Biological Center. I perked up and asked if there were any activities happening that day. He told me there was a complimentary class at 1 PM titled “The Mysterious Transformation,” which focused on the life stages of jellyfish. Without hesitation, I asked him to sign us up!

Fast forward to the class—we spent an hour with Marat, a passionate Marine Biologist originally from Russia but now living in Thailand. Marat walked us through the fascinating life stages of jellyfish, from polyps to ephyra, all the way to medusa. Under the microscope, we saw these stages up close. Happy L & Happy A were completely captivated, and we were joined by only two other hotel guests, which made the session feel intimate and personal.

Marat’s enthusiasm for marine life was infectious, and his vast knowledge about jellyfish left us brimming with questions. By the end of the class, we all agreed—it was the highlight of our stay in Phuket.

Two days later, we joined Marat again for a shore walk in the afternoon. During the walk, we discovered an incredible variety of tide pool creatures, including crabs, shrimp, fish, sea cucumbers, and even water slugs (which Happy L & Happy A bravely held!). Marat patiently explained each creature’s role in the ecosystem, making it both educational and fun.

And today? Well, today was the best yet. Our family went snorkeling with Marat at the reef just across the street from our hotel. The underwater world was teeming with marine life! We spotted sea urchins, clownfish, anemones, giant clams, starfish, parrotfish, batfish, Moorish idols, and so much more. We even saw parrot fish eat coral and poop white sand! Marat guided us the entire time, pointing out creatures we might have missed on our own.

We were in the water for over an hour, completely mesmerized. It was an unforgettable experience, and I can’t recommend Marat and the Marine Biological Center enough.