The first question we often get asked when talking about wreck diving is ‘can we go inside’.  Scuba divers have always held a fascination by what the wrecks hide and hold within their bodies this is what makes the Wreck diver speciality course so popular. By taking this training and holding this license is the only way that wreck penetration is allowed.

Wrecks are manmade structure that have either been deliberately sunk or have had some event where they have sunk without intention. Over the time they become a new reef and attract marine life to it and become an artificial reef in their own right, offering a habitat for a variety of creatures.

The wrecks offer a new challenge for many divers, who are interested in the different terrain underwater, the history, or heritage that goes with the site.

There are many types of wrecks, most often they are ships, but can include, submarines, tanks, airplanes, or automobiles.

In the Phuket region we have many wreck dives on offer.

The King Cruiser, our largest wreck which was a car ferry that crashed in Anemone Reef on one of it’s journeys to Phi Phi.

Marla’s Mystery, deliberately sunk by Scuba Cat as an artificial reef at Racha Yai Island.

The Haruby and Andaman Eagle, also at Racha Yai Island, deliberately sank to give new dive sites.

Speedboat wreck again on Racha Yai that has been visited many times by divers over the years it has been underwater.

The Tuna Fish Wreck in Similans, again deliberately sank for a new dive site.

The Atlantis X again in the Similans, a dive liveaboard that ventured there in the closed season and suffered damage due to the weather, she sank on Island number 8.

With all these wrecks available to recreational scuba divers it is not surprising that the Wreck diver course is so popular at Scuba Cat.

Wreck diving offers great rewards but in return it can also carry greater risks, especially if penetration is involved, so to be able to do this the Wreck Speciality course is essential.

Most wrecks can be enjoyed simply by following the outline, but some require more complex navigation techniques, which are taught on the course.

The main concern with wrecks can be the need to monitor air and depth more closely, being aware on entanglement problems, so particular vigilance with streamlining, and sharp objects.

The Wreck diver course emphasizes the need to carry a knife, and use of gloves, along with good buoyancy control.

The course consists of 4 dives each building on the skills learnt in the previous dive, leading to the diver being able to penetrate a wreck safely.

The use of anti silting dive techniques, navigation, lines, and safety cylinders is covered within the course.

While scuba diving does require a certain level of health and fitness, your age doesn’t prevent people from becoming Scuba Divers.  YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN TO SCUBA DIVE!

People are no longer sitting home on the sofa during retirement. This generation is not only the largest, in the world’s history but it has also been one the most active. Needless to say they are not going quietly into the good night!

You may have read over the years about Scuba Kittens where Scuba Cat Diving has introduced diving to many of the younger generation through Bubblemaker, Sealteam  and Junior Open Water courses. Recently we went the opposite way.

The oldest newly certified open water diver from Scuba Cat has completed his Open Water Course with Scuba Cat Diving.

Larry Boersma is a repeat customer of Scuba Cat for over 4 years. Originally from Holland he now lives in the US and still works as a professor in one of the universities over there. He enjoys regular holidays in the Far East and has visited Thailand and Indonesia.

He had completed 18 Discover Scuba Diving experiences with us, and more in Bali and Borneo, for a long time he was happy with this and enjoyed taking photographs at the beautiful Racha Islands.

Earlier this year we made a special exception and Larry went with a private instructor the sites of Shark Point, Koh Doc Mai and Anemone reef. Usually these are reserved for divers who can go to 18m or deeper. But with more than 50 dives already we felt Larry could cope with these new sites.

This must have made him want more as when he came back to see us after 3 month he had decided to take the open water course with us and then join our liveaboard MV Scuba Adventure for a 4 day 4 night trip to Similan, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock.

With Kath as the tour leader on the boat and Francois as his private guide Larry enjoyed  every one of the 14 dives on offer during the trip.

We are not sure if at 82 Larry is the oldest newly certified open water diver but everyone at Scuba Cat is very happy to see him finally move on from being a habitual Discover Scuba Diver to a fully certified one.

Congratulations Larry!!

Trying to decide if Scuba Diving is for you?

Listen to your Body. 

You can’t expect your body to be as agile when you were 21. It is normal to tire easily or succumb to illness more often. An illness is simply your body’s way of telling you to slow down a bit. Listen to your body and don’t push it too hard. Do what you feel comfortable with, why not take a leaf out of Larry’s book and start with Discover Scuba Diving?

Don’t overestimate  your health. 

If you are the type of person who runs everyday and goes to the gym regularly then perhaps, you won’t have to worry so much about the encounter of health problems underwater. Nevertheless, be sure to visit your Doctor before you start this challenge. If your doctor gives you a thumbs-up, well then go dive! If not, ask how you could get dive fit.

Know your limits.

If you’ve been physically active for much of your whole life, then nothing should stop you from trying Scuba Diving. Unless your Doctor says otherwise, you could still go diving, but only do what you feel comfortable with, don’t succumb to pressure from the others on the Dive trips, if you don’t want to go deep or dive in strong currents, then don’t!

So you have decided to come out and dive with us, fantastic news, here are a couple of pointers before you take the course

More than likely your Instructor will be younger than you. As a mature student, you will have to deal with this. No matter what your position is in the “real world” in the pool or on the boat, the instructor is the boss. Learn to be flexible.

Learning

Expect a learning curve. At Scuba Cat Diving all our Instructors take diving courses very seriously. People who are settled into careers or retirement often forget just how hard learning new things can be sometimes. So go easy on yourself.

Yourself

Be open-minded. You might think you have “been there” “done that” and “survived near everything”, being underwater, breathing through scuba gear and being dependant on a dive buddy, can take some getting used to. Some more mature students can become resistant to being told what to do and when to do it. It’s understandable. It’s hard giving over control to someone who may be half your age, but our instructor’s want you to experience all the joy of diving while remaining safe.

If you have always wanted to go scuba diving but have never found the time, learn why it is never too late to start scuba diving, no matter what your age!

Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket, Thailand are pleased to announce that we are now 100% Aware, the first Dive Centre on Phuket to achieve this.

What is 100% Aware?

100% Aware is a voluntary program that encourages dive centres around the world to promote the work of Project AWARE, a non-profit organisation that relies on financial support from environmentally concerned divers.

100% AWARE donations will target protection for the world’s most threatened shark species and the removal and prevention of marine debris from precious underwater environments. Together we can make ocean protection a reality.

Here at Scuba Cat Diving we certify hundreds of scuba divers each year, so our involvement in the 100% AWARE program represents a substantial investment on our part in the work being done by Project AWARE.

By joining 100% Aware we show our commitment to support the Project Aware movement of scuba divers protecting the ocean planet.

The Project Aware movement focuses on two major ocean issues – Sharks in Peril and Marine Debris, or rubbish in our Oceans.

There are many conservation issues converging on our ocean planet at once, but by concentrating on these serious problems where scuba divers are uniquely positioned to directly and positively affect real, long-term change, we hope to be able to make a positive, tangible difference in these two areas.

We believe this is our responsibility as leaders in the diving community and this is just one more way we can help and show our commitment.

The underwater world is not only ours to enjoy, but also ours to protect.

We`ve been working with Project Aware for years, and have a number of initiatives to promote environmental conservation

including:

• Underwater and beach clean-up activities
• Fundraising activities
• Conservation courses, including our new AWARE Shark Conservation Diver Course
• General awareness and promotion of conservation in everything we do.
• Artificial reefs
• We are also spearheading the campaign on Phuket to ban the trade of shark fins.
• As part of our partnership with Project AWARE, we also recently hosted Finley, Project AWARE`s own shark ambassador, as she toured the world promoting shark protection.

Shark Awareness at Molly Malones

What does this mean for you?

As a Scuba Cat Diving Student Diver, you will now receive the special limited edition Project Aware certification cards to stand out from the crowd and serve as a reminder of the importance of conservation.

Project Aware Certification Card

We encourage our students to make their own voluntary donations to Project Aware above and beyond ours.

Each time you take a Dive Course, you will be helping in the movement to address two major ocean issues – Sharks in Peril and Marine Debris