The 13th August 2013 was a very good and special day for Phuket’s divers. In fact, in honor of her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s 81st birthday, divers community and volunteers met to cleanup our reefs and beaches.

GO ECO PHUKET is a non-governmental organization recognized by the Thaï government, that takes place every year, this year in August. This year, more than eleven diving companies and 1500 divers and non divers were present to clean up and help to protect the oldest most productive ecosystems on earth. Moreover, a lot of volunteers came, included divers of other countries who were in holidays, Thai people and students and schoolchildren from educational establishments of the island. Everybody was ready to begin this cleaning day at 7:00 am under the sun at Chalong Pier for a small briefing, TV interview and thanks for all those involved in this action.
After that, every diving teams and beach cleaners went to the beautiful Racha Yai, Racha Noi or Coarl Island to begin their job…
Our Scuba Cat Team took about 1.5 hours to go to Racha Yai with MV Scuba Fun, and about 22 people on board, included 10 volunteers.

Our destination once we arrived were the Bay’s 2 and 4 for the day.

Scuba Cat were given the responsibility for putting down 2 new mooring lines at Bay 2, the owner Sarah Kench, has donated the use of 2 1000 tonne anchors for the lines to be attached to, this will enable more mooring opportunities for the dive and snorkel boats visiting the island. Once the equipment  was on the divers went for the dives to try to make the reef of Phuket one on the top diving destination in Thaïland and in the world !!

After approximately two fifty dives each and many efforts, Scuba Fun and his team have collected bottles, clothes, old dead fish for analyses, metalics and plastics debris, ropes, ans fishing nets.
To close the day on the way back, all dive boats stood in line to celebrate this good and productive day and take pictures before going back to the pier to sort and weigh all the collected debris from the day.

We would like to thank our sponsor for the day All About Scuba Diving, the crew and volunteers who donated their time to help in this underwater clean up.

Summary of the day : 4 356 kilos of debris collected in total !

GO ECO PHUKET, it’s doing what you like, while participating in the environmental protection !

Scuba Cat Diving has joined the cause of Shark Guardian to promote the preservation of sharks in all over the world. Shark Guardian started as a non-profit organization but as of the 1st of July 2013 it was granted a UK Charity Status. The founder is Brendon Sing who is one of the course directors for Scuba Cat and is run by him and his wife Liz Ward Sing.

Shark Guardian is implicated by the conservation, the education and actions about sharks since 1998. In the mind of so many people, sharks are aggressive and attack people like surfers or snorkelers in so different countries. However the reality is not this one, shark guardian has established a list about shark facts which demonstrate the disappearance of them caused by human’s actions.
Shark Guardian shark facts, do you know these?
97 % of all sharks species are harmless to people and more people are killed by falling coconuts, insects or other animals per year than by sharks.

People killed by animals Source: Le Monde.fr 8 July 2013

70-100 Million sharks are killed each year by humans for shark fin soup, but these one contains a high level of mercury dangerous to humans.
Sharks have existed for 400 million years and there are over 500 species of them. However, today a third of all shark species are nearly extinct.
Sharks are apex predators of the ocean and maintain the balance of all other marine life and ecosystem in the ocean.
That’s why shark guardian need people help for the conservation and protection to survive of sharks in the ocean.
If you are interested by this cause or if you want more information about shark guardian cause join or contact them on
www.sharkguardian.org
or info@sharkguardian.com

If you again think sharks are monsters and kill people in all over the world just take few minutes to know their causes and the consequences of their disappearance.

Scuba Cat is proud to be a Shark Guardian dive center, when you come to the shop we have a stock of the t-shirts where all the profit goes into the charity.

In Phuket, the weather doesn’t have the same four seasons as other parts of the world like in Europe. Don’t be afraid of the weather in low season. In July, you can wear polo shirts and shorts every day. The temperature doesn’t drop below 28°C.

There are a lot of reasons why people choose to take a vacation in Phuket.
Mostly people come to Phuket for the sea and the beaches, but there are so many more reasons, such as scuba diving, culture, great and cheap food or for the nightlife.

During the high season can be when you get the best weather, this is approximately between November and May. It is also the time when the west facing beaches in Phuket are sheltered and calm. That’s why this is the period when most of tourists come.

So, why choose the low season, here are the main reasons:

Low season is the period from June to October. Actually, it is in July we entered in the South West Monsoon season. But low season is a great time to visit Phuket. You will get sun most of the time, so many days are hot and if it does start to rain you just have to go as shelter for as long as the rain lasts. The rain that does fall mostly comes at night and often passes quickly.

Monsoon, makes people forget about beachfront vacations. But, In June,July and August for example there are not so many days of rain. During the monsoon season Phuket turns lush and green; it can be the coolest period in the year, quieter and most relaxing of all as there are few tourist in the resorts and service is at a high standard.

You can do anything in low season that you can in high season, but there are advantages to this time of year.
Hotel rates are slashed and you can generally get lower prices from tour operators, vehicle rentals, boat trips …. The months June, July and August are still a popular time to visit as people take advantage of the low season prices.
Big resorts drop prices dramatically, and you can found cheap guesthouse rooms with all necessary comfort for a handful of bhat.

Furthermore, this period is called the “green season” because with the rain there are so many tropical plants that cover Phuket. And with the fewer tourists in this season you have more space to move and to enjoy beaches and islands. Indeed, you will find more room next to the sea, less divers in the water and more space in the shops and restaurants.

Don’t hesitate to come in low season, you will find the same charm and the same beauty that Phuket and surrounding area has, but for a lower price and few people.

During the Green season we are still offering a full range of daytrips on board MV Scuba Fun, and also offer overnight trips to Phi Phi on our liveaboard MV Scuba Adventure. It is still possible to learn to dive or take continuing education programs with us throughout the year.

Book now for high season 2013/2014 pay in full and receive 10% discount, this includes courses, Scuba Adventure Liveaboard and Scuba Fun daytrips.

Daytrip dive packages now start from just 2 days on MV Scuba Fun

5% for 2 daytrips

10% for 3 daytrips

15% for 4 daytrips

20% for 5 daytrips

ALSO

Do 2 or more days fun diving and get 10% discount on any retail dive equipment.

Dive Computers

Buy any dive mask and get a scuba cat mask strap free or half price flex pulse snorkel

Buy mask and fins and get free flex pulse snorkel

Buy any BCD and Reg set and get an aqualung sports dive bag free

Spend 10,000thb on retail get 10% discount

Why wait, contact us now on info@scubacat.com.

Of all the feasts and festivals in Thailand, which are many, the Songkran Festival is the most striking, and it is celebrated not only in this country but also in Burma, Cambodia and the Lao State.
Songkran has traditionally been celebrated as the New Year for many centuries, and is believed to have been adapted from an Indian festival. It is now observed nationwide, even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. In Phuket the main day is the 13th of April, with some starting a day early or carrying on the next day.
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but now fixed to the 13th of April which is in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season.

Songkran is a Buddhist festival and many people go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city’s important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually ‘bathing’ the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats.

But the most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passers-by. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbours, and monks. The songkran festival is counted as a new life. The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddha’s for cleansing and then using this “blessed” water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder.

Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles.
In recent years there have been calls to moderate the festival to lessen the many alcohol-related road accidents as well as injuries attributed to extreme behaviour such as water being thrown in the faces of traveling motorcyclists.

Songkran is also celebrated in many places with a pageant in which young women demonstrate their beauty and unique talents, as judged by the audience. The level of financial support usually determines the winner, since, to show your support you must purchase necklaces, which you place on your chosen girl.
In Phuket Songkran starts off innocuously enough but by midday on April 13 streets are lined with pickup trucks with their beds loaded with ice-cold water which is thrown at any passer by. It can be a chaotic scene.

Small children and adults alike delight in using water guns and spraying anyone who comes in their path – no one is safe. It is best to leave leave your cameras and anything likely to suffer water damage behind in your hotel room, because of all the water flying around.