Did not get a camera, the cost for a throw away was not worth it. Sorry. You will just have to put up with my descriptions. Usual morning is a 10 o clock start, today we were on the big boat, there was a few divers today so it might be busy out there. No not really, even with all the boats you still don’t see to many other divers.
The big boat is a pretty nice boat fitted out just for diving. There is lots of room, two levels, it’s the perfect dive boat. Will it should that’s what it was built for. We did the usual boat talk etc, you can go here you cant go there, no poking the captain with sticks he is not there for amusement, then the pre dive talk, we will be doing this and that and for the first dive just having a swim around.
Cool, gear up in the water, signal the boat to say you are ok, no one is watching anyway. First thing was a 5 meter emergency ascent, if I did not make it to the surface I would have to do it again. For those not in the know, you drop down 5 meters and then have to slowly come up to the surface without air. Just made it, let the air out in my lungs a bit too fast. But did it so don’t have to do that one again.
Dive time we slowly made our way down to ten meters, and then off for a swim around and drop down to 16-20 meters, I have to say I have been having problems equalizing to 10 meters after that it’s sweet. We headed off in search of a Nemo fish that lives in a rock circle all by himself. The rock circle is there to keep divers away from him. It’s more to save the plant (not sure of the name for it) that he lives in. If it dies so does he.
On the way there we swam though a hole between some rocks, it was pretty cool and managed to make it through no problems. So were swimming in around 16 meters of water. As we came upon where the Nemo fish was we could not get close because there was a trigger fish there, these fish are pretty territorial and will charge at you and try and bite you. Alas we had to keep our distance and just swim on by.
We had been swimming away from the boat and into the slight current, so we got chance to just drift back towards the boat. This was pretty cool because I just played around, I find it really cool just floating upside down. Maybe you not supposed to do this but I had some fun, Just have to watch out for the big rocks.
So dive one for the day over, my second to last dive, bugger, I could just stay here and get my Dive masters. Dive two was a going to be a few skills that PADI require, Taking off your mask at 15 meters, floating, blowing bubbles with the regulator off and some directional train with a compass and then forward and backward rolls. We get to play around. You can see I took it all very seriously. You gotta have fun.
So off the boat again this time it was much easier to equalize, my body must be getting used to it. We dropped down to about 10 meters then headed out slowly dropping down to 13-15 meters were we did our skills tests. Mask on mask off mask on, sweet. Regulator out blow circle bubbles mine were crap, just could not do it. I think it is more to make sure you are happy without you regulator in. I have to point out I got my heart going a bit as could not get my regulator back in straight after the bubble blowing. I remained calm even though I was screaming on the inside and after a few seconds managed to get it back in.
Had problems with the floating, it was not because I could not float it’s because it seems my arse is lighter then water and wanted to go up while my head went down, I can float just upside down. The next one was forward roll, which was no problem and had no problems with the backward roll either. TJ my instructor confessed after the dive he had got a bit disorientated after his backward roll.
The last skill of the day was using a compass underwater which was really easy. O yes I am a pro now. At one stage in our dive we went passed one of the instructors who had lost his students and ended up having to go to the surface to find them. They were on the advanced course. They did make it back to the boat in the end.
We went for a swim round after this and just chilled, I was feeling pretty relaxed about the whole diving and things, it’s been pretty cool, we got to see a really big trigger fish but he was more interested in eating then us at the time, even TJ said it was a big one.
TJ was a really good instructor and it was great just having a one on one, made it really good, I did not have to worry that I was slowing people up or anything, it was all about the diving. Ko Tao summer time when there are not many people around, good place to learn.
So Tomorrow will be my last day here then it’s back to the mainland and a train journey up to Lao and then back on the bike, hope my legs remember what to do, will just have to plan short rides for a start.
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