Phuket is a jewel in the Andaman Sea offering tourists a multitude of things to do whilst visiting the Island. Here are a few suggestions…. good to do when you are not diving.

PHUKET FANTASEA

This spectacular Las Vegas style cultural show is the largest on the Island.  The show itself is set in a theme park which offers carnival games, shopping and a choice of restaurants. The show is a colourful tale of Thai fantasy, adventure and romance with trapeze artists, performing elephants and other animals.  The show also hosts the largest buffet in Thailand.

BIG BUDDHA

Big Buddha is a serene statue situated on the Nakkerd Hills between Chalong and Kata and can be seen throughout the southern part of the Island.  Surrounded by beautiful tropical rainforest the views from here are spectacular. It is considered that the Buddha is a natural symbol of hope. Big Buddha, standing 45m high with a 25m base is officially called Phra Puttamingmonkol Akenakkin Buddha.   It has been built purely by donations out of Burmese white marble, which shimmers in the sun.  Big Buddha is dedicated to the King of Thailand, whereas the smaller brass Buddha image on the same site has been dedicated to the queen.

WAT CHALONG

Wat Chalong is the largest and most visited of the Island’s Buddhist temples. Wats, or Buddhist temples are important symbols in Thailand as the majority of the population are Buddhist . The Wat is open to on a daily basis from 7am to 5pm. Wat Chalong is associated with the revered monks Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang who were famous for working with herbal medicine and attending to the sick and injured.  During the tin miners rebellion in 1876 they tended to the injured on both sides and were active in mediation to bring the warring parties together to resolve their dispute. Many local Thais are blessed by monks and receive a string tied around their wrist to protect against illness and injury.  Since 1954 the temple has hosted an annual fair around Chinese New Year. There are many stalls selling local products, fairground rides and live music. Please remember when visiting the Temple that it is a place of worship and to act and dress accordingly.

PHUKET AQUARIUM

Phuket Aquarium is located at the end of Cape Panwa and is directly under the control of Phuket Marine Biology Centre, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and the Ministry of Natural resources and Environment.  The aim of the aquarium is to provide education and knowledge on the diversity of marine life, flora and fauna. There are over 30 tanks of fresh and salt water exhibits, all labeled in English and Thai with facts about the creatures. The star attraction is a large tank with a tunnel through the centre allowing people to walk through and be surrounded by sharks, groupers, wrasses to name a few. Outside there is a nature trail that leads to large pools with baby green and hawksbill turtles.  Injured adults are tended to in the rehabilitation area. The facility also has a marine biological centre with an endangered species unit. Other facilities include a small children’s playground and a coffee shop.

PHUKET’S VIEW POINTS

Phuket has amazing natural beauty. This can be appreciated by visiting one of the viewpoints around the Island.  Phromthep Cape is the Island’s most southerly hill. The cape also has a lighthouse, which is open to the public. It houses some interesting historical maritime artifacts.

Radar Hill view point is the highest point in Phuket at 529m. It has incredible views and is accessible via Chao Fa West Road. From here you can also see Phuket’s Bang Wad reservoir.

Kata viewpoint, locally known as Khao Saam Haad (3 beach hill) has great views of Kata Noi, Kata Yai and Karon beaches It is located between Nai Harn and Kata Noi beaches.

Windmill viewpoint is between Ya Nai and Nai Harn, where the large white windmills are facing out to sea. This is a quiet area with a covered sala with a seating area.

PHUKET WATERFALLS

Phuket has 4 waterfalls, Bang Pae, Ton Sai and the lesser known one, Ao Yan. Bang Pae and Ton Sai are in the Khao Phra Thaeo National Park on the east of Phuket. This area is virgin rain forest and is host to many birds, monkeys and barking deer. Bang Pae is north of Phuket Town and is the largest of Phuket’s waterfalls. Bang Pae is particularly popular with local Thais for swimming during the wet season and picnics.

Ton Sai, also known as Banyan Tree Waterfall is west of the National Park. It is possible to walk through the forest with a hired guide to Bang Pae. This waterfall is more family orientated with facilities including toilets, restaurants and a small children’s playground. The waterfall is easily accessible but it is not as impressive as Bang Pae. There is also a well signed trek 2km long behind the waterfall. It is easily found by taking the road east at Thalang’s main traffic lights. It is well signed.

Kathu waterfall does not have a lot of water during the dry season, but it helped by 2 artificial pools halfway up. The waterfall has stairs and several levels leading to the cascade. It is possible to rest at the tables and chairs on the way up. Kathu waterfall is easy to find, turn left at Caltex onto Route 4020 if you are coming from Patong continue for 1km until you see the black marble sign.

Ao Yan waterfall is very quiet and not visited a lot. It is located behind the beach next to Ao Yan near Cape Panwa. To reach the waterfall is it essential to have good shoes as the trek is difficult. There are several drop pools, all small but it is possible to bathe in them. The waterfall can be found by taking the small road at the western end of the beach by the prawn farm. At the end of the road there is a parking area. The path leading up the hill is 100m to the right of here.

GIBBON REHABILITATION CENTRE

Unfortunately, Thailand’s wild gibbon population suffers at the hands of poachers they often kill the mother to take the baby, which is then sold into the illegal pet trade. A young gibbon is “cute”, but at the age of 5 years they can become aggressive and develop sharp canine teeth that inflict severe injury. This leads to abandonment or killing of matured aggressive pets. The centre in Khao Pra Thaeo National Park, near bang Pae waterfall tries to rehabilitate abandoned pet gibbons back into the wild. This is a long process as often the gibbons have to learn what to eat in the wild, regain strength and mobility and basically learn how to become a gibbon!! The centre is staffed by European volunteers who pay to work at the sanctuary, which is open  daily between 10am and 4pm. As it is a nonprofit organization donations are always welcome.

PHUKET MANGROVES

Mangroves are a crucial part of Phuket’s tropical and coastal ecology. They are important as nurseries for fish and crustaceans. In recent years mangrove areas have been replanted as they are a natural defense against large waves and flood damage. This became apparent following the 2004 tsunami. The mangrove is also a good natural filter of impurities in the water and can hold large amounts of carbon in the roots.

There are several ways of seeing the mangroves. Tours using ATV’s is perfect for families. An ATV can carry two people. There is an ATV camp in the Thalang district whose tours include rubber plantations and deserted beaches fringed with mangroves. It is also possible to visit the mangroves on bikes. The tour companies provide top of the range light weight mountain bikes with a suppoet vehicle and an English speaking guide. Kayaking in the mangroves is also another popular activity. The journey is about 2 km along the Klong Mudong which is alive with bird life, macaque monkeys and many other animals.

June 1st is a very special day for us at Scuba Cat Diving

Sarah Kench, Course Director and her team took over ownership of Scuba Cat Diving 5 years ago.

To help you celebrate this very special year with us we invite you to receive 10% discount on any Scuba Cat Courses, Daytrips or Liveaboards made during this month. (excluding Professional Courses and Internships)

Scuba Diving Courses

MV Scuba Fun

• Daytrips to Racha Yai, Racha Noi, King Cruiser, Shark Point, Koh Doc Mai and Anemone Reef

MV Scuba Sport

• Half Day trips available November to April

Snorkelling for the Whole Family

MV Scuba Adventure Liveaboard – starting from 2 days one night

•  Similans,Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock
• Hin Dueng, Hin Mueung, Koh Ha, Phi Phi

If you book and pay in full anytime during June 2012 you will receive 10% discount not only for this month but for the rest of the year…… plus you will receive a free Scuba Cat T-Shirt with all Courses during the month.

The future for Scuba Cat:

Vision

Scuba Cat Diving aims towards creating interaction between people and aquatic life which is fun, safe, educational and sustainable.

• Sustainable for customers means someplace they can come back to where there is a wide range of services which satisfies and/or challenges them for years.
• For the environment it means interaction with the environment in such a way that the benefits for the environment/ecology outweigh the drawbacks.

Mission

To be the best Dive Centre in Phuket through good diving practices, great instructing, increasing ecological awareness and responsible interaction with environment.

Values

Everything we do are based on the following set of values. They are not stand-alone values but all apply at the same time one way or the other.

• Good intention – What we do is not as important as why we do it
• Value for money – We have no intention to be the cheapest, only to be the best. Our prices are competitive, and represent great value for money
• Quality – Only the best is good enough
• Safety first – There are always expectations, however, we will only do what we consider to be safe
• Entertainment – We don’t just provide great courses and dive trips – we provide great experiences from the start to the end…….Fun!!!!

Come and see for yourself, we believe we are achieving our goals but dont just take our word for it see what people have said about us on Trip Adviser!

There are several places in Patong that are frequented by Scuba Cat Diving  Instructors and customers. Perhaps you want to come and join us after diving.

COYOTE

Coyote is a perfect place to meet up and have a few sundowners while watching the sunset over Patong Bay.

This popular bar and restaurant is found above Starbucks next to the Ban Thai Hotel. It has a lovely outside area as well as the air conditioned inside.

Coyote serves Mexican and Southwest US cuisine including the ever popular dishes such as quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, burgers, ribs and steaks to mention a few.

The bar is renowned for the extensive list of exotic margaritas, over 75 to choose from. If you want to indulge in fruit juices just ask for a virgin margarita..delicious! Happy hour is offered from 11am to closing time.

The décor is traditional Mexican with many of the artifacts being imported to give the authentic feel. The restaurant can cater for parties.There is also a special VIP room available for private events and parties. There are 2 American pool tables inside. Coyote offers good value, pleasant atmosphere and welcomes families.

The American chef, Matt  is extremely helpful and will cater for people with dietary requirements.

CHICAGO STEAK HOUSE

Chicago Steak House is situated above Coyote.

This luxurious, intimate restaurant with it’s rich mahogany and crimson leather booths offers great value. The restaurant offers finest quality imported lamb and beef. The beef is Australian grain fed dry aged Aberdeen Angus. With every main course there are different styles of potato, gravy and steak sauces to compliment. There is also a fantastic salad bar to accompany the meal.

The restaurant offers an extensive wine and cocktail list. The food is prepared by an American chef to the highest standard. He also offers a Chef’s special that starts at 295 baht.

Eat and drink whilst listening to the sounds of the big band era. All in all an experience not to missed.

MOLLY MALONE’S

Molly Malones, locally known as Molly’s, has become an institution in Patong being frequented by locals and tourists alike. It opened it’s doors on the Beach Road in Patong in 1999.

The Irish management have imported a huge amount of different beers and stouts including Guiness, Kilkenny, Heinken and Magners cider. The food on offer is traditional pub grub and Thai food. Beware… the portions are large.

Mollys is open from 10am till late, but you can buy an early bird breakfast at 99 baht from 9am to 12. The pub has 3 main areas, outside where you can watch the world go by, inside with the air conditioning and large flat screens that broadcast all major sports events and finally the dedicated pool hall.

One of the main attractions of Mollys is the live music that starts at 10pm every night. The versatile classic rock band has become a legend with an extensive selection of songs from the 70’s to the present day. They will even do requests. Molly Malones is also family friendly and welcomes children.

SCRUFFY MURPHY’S

Scruffy Murphy’s is the sister bar to Molly Malones. It is conveniently situated in the heart of Patong’s night life in Bangla Road.

The range of imported beers and stouts including Guiness, Kilkenny and Magners cider reflects the Irishness of the bar. The bar has many flat screens placed around the walls of the pub, which broadcast all the major sporting events from around the world. There is a small seating area outside which faces directly onto Bangla Road, a great place to “people watch”. Scruffy Murphy has an excellent range of pub grub and Thai food. It’s guaranteed that you won’t go hungry as the portions are huge. A 99baht breakfast is also on offer. Scruffys also offer a 99 baht happy hour on draught pints and cocktail specials as well as double vodka red bull everyday at 99 baht. There is a resident band that plays every night from 10pm.

This is a great pub with a great atmosphere.

Friday….

The IE starts I have Finlay on the table, the Shark Project Aware mascot, (I had kinda stolen it during the IDC), the surroundings were beautiful it was the first time I had ever done an exam with flowers on the table and a table cloth, time and effort had gone in to making this a nice place to do the exams.

Finley

There were some speeches and some motivational stuff then we were given our folders with our skills for the next couple of days, I don’t really get that excited about things but when I saw the skills I had to present I really could of jumped in the air and shouted YESSSSSSSSS

Knowledge Development Presentation

• Dive Master Manual, Knowledge Review Chapter 5 Q8

Confined water teaching presentation

• Demonstrate Rescue Breathing Using Pocket Mask only

Open Water Teaching Presentation

• Mask removal and replace
• Knot Tying Sheet Bend
• Rescue Demonstration Mouth to mouth

And 5 skills from the skill circuit.

First exam

OPEN BOOK STANDARDS

Question one, I knew the answer, and didn’t need to look it up, but I did anyway just to make sure many of the answers were like this, still I reminded myself not to assume I was right and double checked. I finished handed in my paper and got told take 10 have a break then come back, so off I went had a drink (coffee) then came back.

Second Exam

DIVE THEORY

I finished with a lot of time to spare, I did not go back and check my answers I find that when I do that I end up doubting my original answer and getting it wrong so last box ticked and I handed it in I waited while they marked it finally ….. Congratulations you passed I had scored high on all of them lowest mark was 85% I scored 95% on standards too.

Relief now all I had too do was prepare for the next day,

I went back to the classroom with Roy and Marc and prepared for the next day’s class room presentation, and our slates for the pool.

Saturday

Confined Water

Red team (that was us) were first in the pool, I was relieved I wanted this over with, I swore that if I screwed up on the skill circuit I was just going to grab a load of weights and not come up ever, no way was I going to go back to Big Vin and say I failed, it was going fine until I did remove equipment and replace, I missed a release and yes the examiner saw it… now with Vin that would have been a 1… shiiiiit still just keep going.

Confined Water Presentation :  Mouth to pocket mask. I did my demonstration then had the students do it, 1st mistake pocket mask upside down spotted and corrected in about 5 seconds flat, second student dunked the head, I saw it coming next thing I know I was given the cut and skill over.. Fastest cut of the day … I knew that was a pass…

Scores were 4.8, and 23/25 not perfect but high.

Back to the hotel (Kata Beach Resort) ….

Knowledge Development presentation

I went second out of our group. This was not my best subject, lots to remember and lots of places to get it horribly wrong, but Sarah and Sean had done their jobs well Point by point I hit the critical attributes , Passed second highest marks…..4.6

That was it for Saturday that left Sunday, I knew that the game wasn’t over there was still time to screw up.

Open Water

Sunday again we were first in but first time to do an awesome briefing, this is where it matters almost more than in the water, while nobody wants a bad score it can happen, but a good briefing and de-briefing can save the day, I wanted points on my side just in case, I had been prepared well during the IDC by Sarah and Sean now all I had to do was apply it , briefing went well so as I swam out to the dive site I was hopeful but still mindful that almost anything could go wrong. One of my team mates was talking about skills, I told her shh you know it don’t wind yourself up, yeah but… no shh I started singing she joined in and chilled we got to the patch of sand laughing dropped the line in and were as ready as we could be.

Rescue Scenario

All was going well then a release on my victims BCD wouldn’t release; damn I missed a breath, immediately gave two breaths, no prompting and carried on….

Score 5

 Under water

I had dived this site and knew how much space wasn’t there, I swear it’s the teeniest patch of sand you have ever seen especially with 5 of you in it and skills to do.

People took their goes then it was my turn, 1st guy fumbled with his mask, cut redo…

Remember … damn he did it again… redo oh crap this isn’t good and again, stress levels are going up, am I wasting time? Have I nailed it? I could almost see it falling apart right here… stop breath focus, briefing was good just get this guy done and move on…job done, next one mask replace upside down… stop redo… remember… he got it right second time…. Up to the surface back to the beach

Swimming back I knew in my heart I had done enough, but I had to sit on the excitement I still had the de-brief to do. Stress levels around me got higher, I stopped listening I needed to focus on my de-brief I wanted a 5 that mask thing was bothering me.

On shore, I wrote up my debrief. De kitted and packed my gear…then it was time

I listened to the others then gave mine…. Well done Ivan you passed 4.8

Passed - The Red Team

That night I got a text message from BIG VIN… a man of few words, he did not disappoint ….”Well done mate welcome to the club”. Praise indeed.

IE Over and I passed it was the 25th of March 2012 and I had been at this since mid way through January. Final Hurdle the IE Party at Molly Malones………….

I stayed in Phuket until May team teaching and guiding, I also took some Speciality Instructor Certification with Scuba Cat.

It’s been one hell of a journey, and many people to say thank you too.

So I’ll just say thank you to every one that has added to the experience and knowledge I have acquired, ALL the Instructors and Dive Masters at Scuba Cat.

To Big Vin, for giving me all those 1’s and for sharing his knowledge…  If you ever want to become a DM I really don’t think you could ask for a better Instructor anywhere in the world.

Little Vince, For showing me more about how to help the qualified instructors during my Divemaster training, from setting up bouylines to accounting.

Kiwi, for being a mine of information and having time to answer even the dumbest of questions.

To Sarah and Sean for giving us hell and preparing us to go through the IE with the highest scores.

To my partner Cameo, for making it possible for me to be here and keeping our world running at home.

And to my Dive Buddy, Patience that sat and helped me go through all the e-mails and number crunching at the beginning and had faith in me during my journey.

IDC Phuket Thailand March 2012

The IDC is two weeks of intense learning, it takes the skills you have and teaches you how to teach them, instills the standards that are expected of you by and prepares you for the Instructor Examination.(IE)

If Vin gave me the ability to demonstrate the pool skills then Sarah ( Course Director) and Shaun ( Master Instructor) taught me how to Teach the skills.

Confined and Open Water presentations

Rule 1 ….Never Ever Ever loose contact with your students… ok to dive master, ok to students have 1 student come to you, have the Dive Master hold the students that are left, damn I got turned, oh look one has quietly swam off and the others drowned (theoretically) and the dive master is on planet zorb…. 1

Here we go again with the 1’s if you hadn’t guessed by now 1 is a fail….

Back to class let’s do a presentation on ow confined 1…. Write it up present it… yep you guessed it 1.

Wait for Sarah and Sean to stop laughing, be told how to do it properly.

Do another get a 3.5  yaaaaaaay it worked (bout blooming time)

More Physics, more theory aced every thing with one exception….. physics;  now physics is actually a subject I like, It really isn’t complicated but I was failing and just couldn’t figure out why, as Sarah kept saying RTFQ, problem was I was reading the FIN question and totally not understanding it, ask me the question and I could tap my calculator and give you the answer no problem give me it written in form well I might as well of been reading Chinese, finally I cracked it 95%.

Class Room presentations

These turned out to be the hardest yet simplest of things to do, hardest because you have to learn how exactly to put over the information that you need to but done to a formula laid out by , once you understand what is needed it becomes easy

Standards preparation

Standards are exactly what the word means, it is the bible of what you are and are not allowed to do under rules, two books are used in this exam, Sean goes through it lots and lots by the time he’s finished if you don’t actually know the answer to a question you will know where to find it.

AI exam

I woke up in the morning the sky was blue and I knew I was going to pass which felt kind of odd because Physics still wasn’t going right but I knew that I knew the answers to any thing that was asked and that today the questions were actually going to make sense.

Went to the class room sat down got the exam, and away we went box after box to be filled in, I finished Roy my class mate was still doing his, If I failed this I would not be going to the IE it was make or break time, I got up gave my paper to Sean he asked if I was sure it was done I said yep just mark it please, and then went down stairs for a coffee.

You have to understand that going to the IE for me was a journey that could end at any moment, I could of failed my Divemaster and now I could fail the AI exam, its most definitely a one step at a time journey, I finished my coffee and Sean came down, well done mate an easy pass I had scored out of the exams 2 100%’s and physics 95% I was going to the IE.

Pressure…..

The night before the IE, I was on facebook I posted some music and a couple of comments, Big Vin posted …. “You should save your Energy for the Job in hand Ivan” the truth is that’s exactly what I was doing, trying to stop my head from making mountains out of mole hills, The IE if you let it can be a stressful time, 3 days of exams; first is the written exams on the Friday, physics, physiology, standards etc, Saturday brings pool skill circuit and your demonstration of a skill or two, Sunday is rescue and open water skills.

I was sitting on the balcony of my apartment reflecting on the journey so far and the three days that were ahead, my phone went Big Vin ….. Don’t let the others stress you out just do what you have to do good luck mate.

To say I wasn’t nervous would be a lie, but I was if not confident then hopeful, I knew that all I had to do was not be a Muppet and just do what I had been taught, as for the exams there wasn’t a question I didn’t know the answer to or couldn’t work out, I just needed to RTFQ and do it.

People get stressed about exams but this was the first exam that I wasn’t stressed about, a thought came in to my head and it stuck and everything became easy, An exam is really just a bunch of questions you already know the answer to…