LOCAL COLOR 7: Thailand

Kao Lak to Chumphon by Bus, Thailand Day 60 (March 30)

Today we leave the western sea of Thailand, and cross the mainland to the Eastern sea. Oddly enough, the travel agents in town have no idea how to get to Ko Tao, because they don’t sell any service. We take a 7AM public bus to the next bus station north of Kao Lak, and then book another bus to Chumphon. Unfortunately, we don’t make the 1PM boat, so we stay the night in Chumphon Gardens Hotel in the downtown area. The hotel is a business traveler style; cheap, clean, includes everything, and seems the lap of luxury, coming from the beach area.

Southern Thailand Map

Chumphon to Ko Tao by boat, Thailand Day 60 (March 31)

Southern Thailand Map

We take the 7AM high speed catamaran and head to Big Blue Diving Resort, as recommended by Katie. After signing up, and looking around town, we decide we don’t like it. Their beach side rooms are full, and we don’t like the hotel up the road. We switch to our second choice; Ban’s Diving Resort.

Ban’s is a well lubed diving factory and certifies more divers than anywhere in the world. It’s a bit corporate, but we found it professional and efficient. Since they are not at capacity, they have great deals, and the classes are not packed to the max. You can get Open Water certification for $250, and get 4 nights free fan cooled room.

Kevin and Vana start the PADI Open Water scuba diving class at 5PM. Videos, books, and homework, oh my!

Studying for exams. Feels like college all over again.

Can't complaint studying in an environment like this

Ko Tao, Thailand Day 61 (April 1)

Today is theory in the morning with an afternoon pool session. Since we have left over air, we do a quick dive offshore, and see reef and fish; just 50 yards offshore. We are familiar with a lot of the skills from our try dive in Belize, but there several new skills to learn.

pool session

Ko Tao, Thailand Day 62 (April 2)

Today, we take a 7:30AM boat and do two dives to 12m in the morning. The sun is out, and the dive is really clear, with no currents. We descend using the boats anchor line, so the students can easily control their descent rate and practice ear equalization. At the bottom, we practice the basic regulator purging, mask clearing, regulator recovery, and buoyancy. After swimming around and taking some photos, we surface to practice weight belt and full scuba equipment removal and replacement.

At 18 people, our group is very large, but we split into three groups of six people in the water. In the water, there is an instructor in the lead, and dive master at the rear of each group.

Our instructor is a Thai guy named Santi. At times, he is difficult to understand, but he is really cool, and every other sentence ends with a long “for sure…”. It is interesting to note that all the instructors and dive masters smoke. It seems they have an aversion to breathing normal air.

In the afternoon, we learn theory about decompression illness, and dive tables. Computing dive tables and pressure groups after lunch in prime napping hours, with our bodies filtering excess nitrogen is like third world torture (Vana: zzz...ZZZ...uh...what dive table?!).

Tank line up

Navigation instruction

Group descent

KR swim through

Mask clearing

Blowing kisses (my special skill)

Underwater yoga (buoyancy practice)

Alternate air source breathing (save your buddy)

Underwater smiles

Vana with our group, Santi in glasses

Ko Tao, Thailand Day 63 (April 3)

Today is our final two dives of the class, and the instructors don costumes for the dive film. Today we dive to our depth training of 18m. We start the first dive practicing a controlled emergency swimming accent from 6m; exhaling a continuous “ah…” from an endless supply of expanding air in our lungs. Then we free descend and practice more skills at the bottom.

we almost get crashed by another boat while setting up the line, no wonder most dive accidents happen on the surface

controlled emergency swimming accent

ahhhhhh......

While practicing full mask removal and replacement, the instructor tricks us out in dark aviators, which makes for some funny filming. Also, Santi pulls everyone up in a few seconds when a sea snake runs through our circle at the bottom. The local sea snake (same as we saw in the Similans) is the fourth most poisonous animal in the world; although not aggressive and not easy to get bitten from its small mouth.

underwater cop

sea snake

running under a student's leg during skills

Divemaster packing heat, pulls a toy gun for self defense! (I laugh so hard almost ran out of oxygen)

In the evening, the entire group meets for dinner, and we watch the edited dive video set to music. I realize now that we are staying in a summer camp for young adults (everyone’s in their 20’s except KR. Everyone’s from Europe except us and another two Canadian guys).

One stamp for the dive logs, another for our forehead, means a free beer

dinner and watching DVD

Santi is wearing a batman outfit, and looks hilarious with his forearms crossed in defense while a giant trigger fish swims around him erratically, biting his fins. The trigger fish has a conical protection area for its nest when breading, and attacks the fins of any fish or diver, which enters its territory. In another funny moment, Santi snaps the top of a woman jumping from the boat during our dive break. The top ends up wrapped around in her face in the water.

Underwater Batman

I'll show you who's the boss here

The other group also has a funny video. During the dive briefing the British instructor goes through a straight faced elaborate description of how the students should spit in their fins to prevent blisters under the increased pressure at depth. The camera then cuts to students using their deepest lung butter to fill their fins during dive prep . The next clip shows the instructors shaking their heads; spitting in fins? That’s just disgusting; I knew something was wrong with this group!

what matters is - we had FUN while learning. Our class kick ass!

Everyone in the class gets their certification except for one student in the hospital from a motor bike accident; the most dangerous activity by far in Thailand. Supposedly, diving is even safer than sleeping under a coconut tree!

Thanks so much to Santi and all the staff at Ban's Diving Resort. We really had a great time, and felt completely at home during our stay (party, beer, study at the same time. Just like the old days at UCSB). We really wish we could stay several more days, for sure...

More pics taken during our stay below.