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!!!!

The Scuba Diving industry over the years has evolved rapidly and more people are becoming involved. There has always been a misconception that it is a sport that is available to the fit and able bodied.  However, in recent years the industry has seen an increase in disabled divers, which has been a major leap forward. Disabled divers have been supported by the introduction of various organization’s that purely work with people with various disabilities, both physical and mental.  Scuba Cat, 5 * CDC Center, is also a DDI Instructor Training Centre (Disabled Divers International). Sarah Kench, the Owner and General Manager, is a Course Director and an  Instructor Trainer for the organization and Hielke Oppers, a Instructor at Scuba Cat Diving is also an Instructor for DDI.  Scuba Cat Diving recently represented the DDI at MIDE, the Malaysian Dive Show in Kuala Lumpur.  Their presence at the show always attracts interest and it is a positive step in promoting the disabled diving community, which is growing.

Scuba Cat representing the DDI at MIDE 2011

Many disabled divers are restricted with their movements  and sensory functions. Can you imagine being a paraplegic, sitting in a wheelchair for most of your waking day? Most people who have been able bodied and due to injury or disease are restricted do have a tendency to suffer from depression. There seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Diving offers hope. It is freedom from a wheelchair. Scuba Cat Diving has offered this freedom  to many people over the years.

Diving for the Disabled

Scuba Cat Diving has facilities that can accommodate disabled  divers. The training center is a multi purpose building, where disabled divers  can enjoy their theory lessons in comfort on the ground floor. Scuba Cat has it’s own swimming pool and day boat, which means that logistics of accommodating a disabled diver is not an issue.  Every disabled diver is assessed and depending on the type of disability a program is put into place to cater for that individual’s needs and wants.

"No Barriers"

This is a wonderful program and with time hopefully more and more disabled divers will enter the sport.  Disabled is a word that tells the world that you can’t do something. Diving ENABLES these people and highlights what they CAN do!!