Diving paradise - getting my feet wet

Diving – if you’ve done it skip this (first) section, if not…

have you ever seen the movie Avatar?  Even better, did you see the 3D version? OK.  Well, imagine you are the main character in it.  You are immersed into a whole new world; you are foreign to it but can interact with it.  You fly, you hover, you glide.  Inside this world are strange and wonderful creatures that you have never dreamed of before - different shapes, sizes, colours and personalities.  The “forest” is wide and wild.  It stretches on for miles around you, up down and sideways.  A kaleidoscope of colours and contours.   Some of the creatures take one look at you and dive off, others go about their business like you are just another pedestrian passing them on their watery sidewalk.  Others come up and look at you, curious.  Some get territorial.  Others  come and pick any loose skin or scabs off you (don’t worry, these are very small fish and remember some people pay a lot of money for that “therapy” in the high street).

You haven’t seen Avatar?  OK, well (this is a bit harder)…put yourself into a spa pool or bath where the water is the same temperature as your body so you feel like you are weightless.  Now, close your eyes and imagine you are in an enchanted forest and you can glide and fly with all of the wild life. This isn’t really working is it?...oh well, rent the movie Avatar and, if you want to be in it, come diving.  Too trippy to describe otherwise…and that’s not recommended in diving (in fact it’s verboten). So, a lot less expensive than crystal meth or cocaine, safer (if done properly), legal and acceptable in groups.  Oh, however, one shared attribute – it is addictive. 

 

[with special thanks to Nick Shellcroft, the professional underwater photographer who accompanied us on my last dive and took the pictures in this post]

taken on my last open water dive in Koh Tao- at Hin Pee Wee site

For all of you hardened, non-tropical divers…

If you are from the survival school of…”Suit up in a 7mm wetsuit, go for sea dive in 13 degree water with 1m visibility.  Descend until you feel mud, swim until you hit the submerged tyre then turn left until you can feel the submerged gumboot  If you feel something soft in front of you that slows you down, extract yourself from your buddy’s wetsuit…”…then you’ve been scammed and you really need to get here.



Getting my feet wet - it's been a while - water 30 degrees

The Haka is preparation for the Dive!

 

Beautiful ! (the sea life that is!). An explosion of colour

 A word on working and playing if doing a dive course

Mr T - newly qualified Open Water Diver

If you are doing your open water course, don’t come here planning to work all day and party all night.  While a well-structured course, it is a pretty intensive 4-day mix of theory and practical during the day with homework on the theory at night followed by tests in the morning.  Best to squirrel yourself away for the period of the course then spend another week here exploring your new found world and enjoying the evenings. 

Just what I am not doing! 

Phnom Penn and my friend Jehangir beckons so I leave the day after finishing the course.