Scuba Diving and Liveaboards Phuket, Thailand

By the time it came to the IE we were all in different stages of readiness. Bruce and I had gone over his physics so many times he was talking about gasses in his sleep.  The Friday afternoon came and at the appointed hour we joined around 50 other candidates in the exam hall. The examiners were later than we expected but they tried to calm us down with some chat. Maybe it was just me but all I wanted was the exam paper, the time to do it in and to get out.

"Before"

All the practice, revision and the discussions helped as we all got through the papers. Some scraped a pass, some passed with high marks, and one of us had a resit to do the next day. But after the first day we were all still in with a chance to become Open Water Instructors.  Even coming out to torrential rain would not dampen our spirits. A couple of guys went for a relaxing massage, but most of us headed to the school room to chat about the day and begin preparations for the morning. We had been given our skill set to teach and after an hour or so some of us went for a beer, (Its sociable to spend time together!!!)

"Beer O'Clock"

Next morning we met at seven, in various states of readiness.  But we knew that this session in the pool would be easy.  We had been taught well.  We had practiced teaching skills and knew what would be expected of us.  Separated into two groups we were all having side bets as to which group would have the highest average score. As it turned out we scored well, better than every dive center there. Why – because we had worked hard to make sure we got it right. Our Course Directors knew we would do well, because they knew that they way they taught us was the right way.

"Time to get wet"

Presentations in the afternoon flew past. We had been given our subject to present about on the Friday night and had worked examples into the presentations well. For Project AWARE, when the group were asked to suggest something old, someone suggested their Grandfather! Even the examiners loved this example.  3 parts gone and tomorrows Open Water session was to be the last. Would be Instructors nearer their dream as our resit man had scored over 90% in his resit. Christophe’s  lunchtime session paying dividends again.

Sunday morning at 7 we arrived outside the “Scuba Cat front shop”. The confidence was high but you could feel the nerves. Maybe one or two beers the night before were not the ideal way, or the Disco crowd were coming down from the dancing high, but we jumped into the pick up more subdued. Bruce and Christian had their sea sick tablets as we headed off to Racha Noi for our last session.

"Day 3"

Staying in our groups of four, we were delighted to see that one group got off to the best start by floating through the Rescue Scenario. Again all the practice had paid off, I was remembering my Instructor in Scotland’s voice pacing me through the whole thing. Didn’t matter though as Christophe told us to get out HIS ocean. One more session and the dream was reality. All 8 still in the game and now buzzing.

We went down to around 10m to be met by Jim our examiner.  Going through each of our two skills, when I surfaced with Alfredo after the CESA – Jim said we were in the game and that’s all we needed. When our second group joined us, the hilarity took over. Some other centers had pupils in the water re-doing their Rescue Scenario!! We couldn’t believe it. Some of them seemed to be doing it for the first ever time. Looking at them struggling to remove equipment made us realize that we were good Rescue Divers, and that our practice had paid off.

"Team Dec 2010"

Thanks again Ceri, Find out the result tomorrow……………..

A big thank you to Ceri Duff, IDC Candidate Dec 2010, for sharing her story. I have decided to Break this into two installments, IDC and IE – she writes nearly as much as she talks!!!!

Choosing Scuba Cat Diving in Thailand as the place for us (Ceri and Bruce)  to go for our IDC took us some time. But it’s like the simple dive instruction – plan your dive – dive your plan.  We researched a few places but after my partner spoke to Sarah, he was convinced that this was the place to go.  Ok, talking to other old pros helped but there was something about the way Sarah seemed relaxed and well NON SALESY that we liked. So come 1^st October we booked it all, sorted out the flights and our countdown began………

Arriving in the busy resort of Phuket was a hot, humid and strange feeling.  This was to be “home” for the next few weeks, and by the time we got to the center we both wanted to jump in and cool off.

Sarah met us, introduced us to Christophe – our Course Director and we headed off to the Star Orchid to meet the hotel owner, his wife and beautiful little Elizabeth, their year old daughter.  Our room was comfortable, shower, loo and enough space to store our luggage. (Two BIG Mares bags, with our diving equipment and clothes for three weeks).

Christophe

And then we got some great news – have the rest of the afternoon and evening off, we start at 8:30 tomorrow. As we laughed, Christophe gave us a sheet with a schedule, a piece of paper showing how to tie knots and two red pieces of string.  God. Homework on night one!

So as we Scottish do, it was off for a beer and some lunch, and to practice our knots of course!

Patong is a friendly place, and it is indeed the land of a thousand smiles. Night clubs – yes, Bars – yes, touts selling T shirts – yes, massage parlours – yes, ladyboys – I think there are some at night but cant recall seeing them – night time was study time, but the guide books don’t tell you about the friendliness, and politeness of the Thai people. They make the town worth visiting.

Next morning we travelled the 25 metres to the ScubaCat dive “school” area and we met our fellow IE Candidates. An American, Canadian, Spaniard, Frenchman, German and a Finnish guy.

Trust me to pick the IDC with no other females.

Not to worry, they treated me like a guy, although there were several whispered conversations in the morning about who did what and where!!  We managed to speak together and found out that we had mainly one thing in common, a passion for diving, which was shared by our “teacher” Christophe.

Each day we knew where we were to be – 720am for pool sessions, 7:30 for days on the boat and an 8:30 start all other days. No days off, and we could study as much – or as little as we liked in the evening. Christophe was an excellent mentor for the course, but the added benefit to us students was that Sarah was on hand in the evenings.  I had one bad day doing mock exams, and after chatting through my feelings with them both, they agreed I could resit the paper downstairs in the coffee area.  Right on the street, the guys trying to be quiet but failing miserably, and a beer in hand. Sarah laughing in the background at some of the stories – maaaaaassssssaaaaaaaaggggggee being shouted often. But I resat that mock exam – with Sarah making sure I didn’t cheat, and scored over 90%. It was the noise I needed.

Classrooms/Bar!

Pool sessions were fun. Teaching eight students how to teach is no mean feat, but with the help of Gerry and Andreas we managed the sessions quite quickly. Just in time for a lunch break – try the Irish bar down the road for Penang Curry, then back to work. But that’s the thing, yes it was hard, it was difficult but we all helped each other, and no-one ever said no to any request for help………….

………..To be continued

Night diving is something that divers seem to love or hate, just like marmite!!! Night diving offers an experience that is completely different to day diving.  First and foremost it’s dark and a torch is a must. The torch gives light, but it is concentrated, so you only get to see what is in the beam.  If anything, this lets you focus more on the marine life that is highlighted.

Diving in the Dark

It’s incredible to see the difference in life. The day shift is going to bed and the night shift is coming out. You will find fish tucking themselves into cracks in the rocks for protection against the nocturnal predators. Parrotfish, for example, can be seen with a protective mucus bubble surrounding them. This can only be produced once during the night, so it is important not to disturb the fish when shining the light.

If you should be lucky enough to see a turtle sleeping then just say “hi” and “goodbye”. When a turtle sleeps it lowers it’s heart rate, so that it is able to sleep without having to go to the surface for air. If the turtle is disturbed then it may become disorientated and doesn’t know which way up is.

Also, the shock of being woken could induce a heart attack, which is not a good scenario!! So it is important to show respect for the sleeping creatures and not shine the light directly into their eyes. Can you imagine what it is like when you are fast asleep and someone walks into your bedroom and puts the light on?

Predators, like moray eels looking for a midnight feast can often be seen free swimming at night. They look amazing as their undulating bodies move across the reef. During the day morays tend to hide in rocks, so it is hard to appreciate their size and beauty. Barracudas are really quiet cheeky and often use the torch light to locate their next meal. So, if you don’t want to be responsible for fish becoming a meal then don’t shine you torch on it!

The night shift includes crabs in all different shapes and sizes. Have a look in finger corals to find small porcelain crabs, look under coral blocks to find the larger ones. Decorator crabs, with their legs covered in camouflage are difficult to find as they look like the coral surrounding them.  Sponge crabs are amusing to watch as they try and merge with the rocks, so they can’t be seen.

Lobsters can be seen walking around the reef and are very good rock climbers and they don’t even need crampons!! It’s amazing how quick these cumbersome creatures can move. Look in coral blocks and you will be able to see red dots, like little rubies. These are the eyes of shrimps, many different species in all shapes and sizes.  Again, a lovely sight as they dance around.

There is just so much to see on a night dive, but the key is to move slowly and concentrate on a small area. Always take the opportunity to blank out your torch by placing it against your body (don’t switch it off) and wave your arms around. If the Bioluminescence are in full swing then you will create a magical moment as they sparkle around you.

Night diving is an experience not to be missed ………………………

Why leave it all to chance……….. enjoy your first night dive experiences with a Professional, so you can enjoy the wonders anytime day or night.

The video footage of the Thai Girls, thanks Matt for all your work on that day, I know it must have been hard work!

http://youtu.be/Ets-aK7lPsc

Life is never dull here at Scuba Cat Diving, 5 * CDC Phuket, Thailand.

The Hard Rock Cafe was celebrating its first anniversary of being open here in Phuket and came to see us to see if we would be involved…………….. Some of the instructors threatened me with Death if I dared say no………….

They were to Host “Miss Hard Rock -Phuket”!

Miss Hard Rock Cafe Phuket 2010

and strangely enough the male instructors on the team were queuing up to take the Beautiful Thai Girls for one of their first round challenges…………..

Try Dives and a Beach Clean up in Patong.

Claus and Darren were two of the first Volunteers to take the Hot Thai Girls on their first Scuba Diving experience and Matt Butcher, Scuba Cat’s own professional videographer recorded the Dayalong with many helpers, including our Instructor Interns!

The Gorgeous girls all had a great day,

……….However it was the first time we have had to clean the pool after try dives to prevent the filters being blocked by false eye lashes, earrings…………….

So after reapplying their makeup, and redoing their hair……… the Thai Girls went over to Patong Beach to Clean up ……………… I have never seen the trash get cleared up so quickly as it did by these skimpily dressed Thai Girls!!!!