Project AWARE says an estimated seven billion tons of debris enter the world’s oceans every year. The consequences are devastating, it adds, nearly one million birds are killed by aquatic litter and an estimated 100,000 marine animals, including dolphins, whales and sea turtles, choke or get tangled in debris every year. Sponsored by PADI Asia Pacific, International Cleanup Day will be marked in 23 countries throughout Asia Pacific with over 100,000 volunteers taking the lead. At least 50 of those from Big Blue! Support & celebrate International Clean up day this September 17th!
We have another 4 new Divemasters in Training starting with us today. Welcome to the next 2 months of unlimited diving! You are going to see so much marine life, you're going to get to dive with Whalesharks, & turtles, you'll watch Barracuda's feeding at night, you'll learn all about Pressure, Henry's Law, Boyle's Law & PADI standards. You'll see the human body in all its varying shapes & sizes & by the time you finish you will have lost weight, gained a great tan & earned yourselves a qualification that permits you to work on the beach anywhere in the world! So how come there was only 4 signed up? Sounds awesome. I'd have thought there'd be 100's of people signing upto do something like this!
It was brought to my attention ( just a few minutes before I realised it was my 1 year wedding anniversary- Whoops!) that we are about to have our yearly mass exodus! Its in the next couple of weeks a lot of our guys are going to start making preparations for their return to the Dark Side- Khao Lak, the portal to the Similan & Surin Islands. Of course we knew already that Rick is leaving to steer the Big Blue Khao Lak operation. & Fanette of course. & most of team Japan & Ricky & Anna & Keith are all returning to their previous Westside posse. But unfortunatley we are going to lose Panos & Kayleigh, Rich, & Soren & Koen as well! Bugger! Good staff is hard to find! : (
Saturday 29th August 2009-
POLICE raided the Takuapa bus station in Phang Nga on Friday and found protected coral reef fish in transit to Bangkok. About 180 coral blooms were rescued and are being brought back to Phuket. A man who was accompanying the blooms ran off. And in Bangkok a man has been arrested and accused of being the mastermind behind a 100 million baht-a-year coral reef fish poaching ring. Police were taken to a house in the sea gypsy village at Rawai where they found 150 protected fish of 18 species in aquarium tanks. More than 100 living coral blooms were also found in the house by officers. The man accused of organising the poaching, had between 100,000 baht and 500,000 baht moving into his bank account each week. The bulk of orders came from Chiang Mai. The fish and the blooms would be sent to buyers by air transport, once sufficient orders had been filled. Police are now tracing the sources of his bank-book income of 100 million in the past year.
Big thanks to none other than Mr John Williams the author of Lonely Planets Diving & Snorkelling Guide to Thailand & the 'go to' guy if you ever want to know anything especially about Liveaboard boats. Here's what he says about our recent Liveaboard acquisiton! - " Looks like our buddies at Big Blue Diving Koh Tao & Khao Lak will be taking over management operations for the MV Pawara. While always a well run boat, we know that Michael, Takeshi, Rick and the rest of the team will make it even better and more... fun than ever. Bent and John look forward to working with them!" -Nice one John! There's our first seal of approval from the Dam Nam man from Siam!
Thanks again to G our Big Blue Representative who has put soo much into Koh Tao & the Save Koh Tao Group. He goes to every meeting, every workshop, every coordinated get together & today he is organising the Sairee Reef & Beach clean up. We got 3 diveboats ready 5 kayaks, & 2 longtails. G is managing events underwater & Deano is managing the boats & the rubbish collection! Its not as easy as you think organising a beach & underwater clean up. It requires organisation, preparation, coordination, a baguette, a beret & an outrageous French accent! C'est bon trevally! Merci Monsieur Guillaume.
Thursday 27th August 2009-
Well first off I think we should all bow down with our hats off to Dale who organised last nights premiere showing of the movie The end of the Line a documentary on over fishing. It is a rare movie that will change your life. I am going to stop buying or eating from this day forth Atlantic Cod, halibut, sea bass, tuna, hake & scallops! It not only made me feel sick it made me feel ashamed, despondent & anxious, increasingly disenchanted with our politicians & above all, guilty! Great job Dale. There must have been over 100 people show up! Imagine if all of them choose not to eat fish anymore! & they tell 100 people. And so on. And so on. Till we got no cows left cos we've eaten them all! Oh dear. Mankind. We're so screwed! We are slowly killing ourselves! Time for a happy movie! Anyone want to watch Top Gun next?
Its that time of the month- the Koh Tao underwater clean up. This Saturday our save the world from Rubbish representative Guillaume with his trusty side kick Kayleigh will be tackling the beach in the morning with a big Beach clean up & then in the afternoon we will have about another 30 divers all coming out with us to pick up the rubbish that we can find on Sairee Reef. Everyone welcome & then there'll be another free Barbecue at Vibe Beach bar after, for all participants. Be green. Drink Beer & Eat Sausages!
So while some of us are toiling away on the beaches & in the water, socialising at night, educating by day, Canada & his team of Hill Billies are in the deepest darkest densest part of the Khao Sok National Marine Park strumming on their banjo's (tech diving) & delving through their nether regions (Cave Diving). They've been gone 4 days now & we've not heard a squeak from any of them which obviously means they are having an absolute blast or... they're on a new Reality Thai TV equivalent of the Blair Witch Project!
Wednesday 26th August 2009-
M.V. Pawara is going to be one of the nicest Liveaboards operating on the west coast of Thailand next season. I know this to be true because our favourite Hawaiian Rick will be at the helm leading the Big Blue Diving Khao Lak team. It's going to be a little daunting operating 2 speedboats & a luxury liveaboard but hey, if anyone can do it it's going to be our man Rick! So remember people if you are looking for something a little different on your next holiday then book yourselves a Liveaboard aboard MV Pawara & tuck in to 4 meals a day, 12 dives, 9 Similan Islands, a couple of Surin Islands & more Manta Rays than you can shake a stick at!
It's the Movie Premiere of the 'The End of The Line' an award winning documentary in the style of Shark water explaining how overfishing is changing the world & what we eat. Anyone with the slightest interest in where our fish come from & the devastating effects of our voracious appetite for it should watch this. We have reached a pivotal moment for fishing, with 75% of the worlds fish stocks either fully exploited or overfished. If nothing is done to stop the squandering of fish stocks the life of the oceans will face collapse & millions of people could starve!. The End of the Line looks at the problem & proves that we, as consumers, have to change if the situation is to improve!
Despite looking like boys, sounding like boys, & swearing like boys, the boys at Crystal sent out the ladies team to last night's Crystal Diving Vs Big Blue Diving Sports night at Crystals Sairee Beach Bar Vibe run by the legendary Massive Dave!. Well we think it was the Crystal Diving Ladies team. They certainly drank like a bunch of girls & they were pretty easy to pull over in the Tug of war & they didn't know any answers to the sports questions so it certainly felt a little one sided! Cheers Dave & Matt! Apart from the cricket you boys just aren't having a very good week for sport!
Tuesday 25th August 2009-
Not sure what happened there but quite literally overnight our email inquiries have quadrupled. Many thanks one & all for writing in with your questions & such & I will try & get to them as quick as I can but wow looking at some of them this might take a while. So if you happen to be one of those waiting here's a couple of answers to some of the same questions. Monsoon starts mid November & finishes by Christmas. Yes it's still good up till then. Yes you can still go diving during monsoon. Yes we have our own Liveaboard in the Similans next season. Yes we are open on Christmas Day & New Years Day for afternoon diving. And 'No'. Simon isn't enjoying the football right now after his teams dreadful start to the beginning of the season! But Barry & Jim are!
Whaleshark at Southwest Pinnacle was spotted yesterday afternoon so we sent Banzai out this morning to see if we could treat our customers to something really special- spending the morning diving with them. Unfortunatley we failed as the Whale Shark was obviously hiding under a rock somewhere cos we didn't see it. We did however see a large school or 2 of Fusiliers & Barracuda's & a couple of Cuttlefish & an ink squirting octopii! Would have seen a few sharks in years gone by if Mankind hadn't brought them to the brink of extinction!
Rumour has it the staff at Crystal Dive have been working out, pumping iron & then going home early to study in preparation for tonight's big match between ourselves & the guys at Crystal. Its competition night at Vibe Bar & Massive Dave has laid on a tug of war, a potato sack race, a general knowledge quiz, an egg & spoon race, a muscle man competition & an all you can eat Barbecue. Should be a breeze for us. Big Paul just got back off his visa run so we'll win the All you can eat, the muscle man, the general knowledge, & the tug of war. Not sure there's a potato sack big enough for Paul but we've got the rest covered!
Monday 24th August 2009-
Bluefin tuna are a pelagic species: they live in the open waters, far beyond the reach (and governance) of individual nations. They are also one of those predators at the top of the ocean's food chain, preyed upon mostly by man. They grow up to four metres (12 feet) in length, weigh as much as 250kg (550lb) and, when chasing prey—mostly sardines—can swim at a speed of 70kph (45mph). They also range widely, traversing the Atlantic Ocean to reach breeding grounds in the Mediterranean Sea. But what was once known as the common tunny has, over the past few decades, come to be at serious risk of extinction, thanks to overfishing driven by demand from Japan, where bluefin tuna are considered a delicacy and are used in sushi and sashimi.To find out more come to the Thailand premiere of the movie The End of the Line at Big Blue Bar & Restaurant this Wednesday. The first 100 tickets are free!
Its Monday night 'New Restaurant night' Last week Lara chose a Burmese Restaurant which was delicious. Apparently the sauteed Catfish with roast leeches is apparently devine though not sure anyone had that particular dish, well not on purpose at least! & tonight it is Emily's choice. Last week Burma, this week India! We're so Continental here in Koh Tao! Tune in to see which corner of the world we shall be visiting next week when its Barry's choice! If you haven't got anything better to do!
Canada & his team at Big Blue Tech are off tonight for another 4 days & nights of adventure in the Khao Sok National Park. Descending through the murky depths of the lake, delvng into unexplored cavern systems – The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of Big Blue Tech, its continuing mission to explore a strange new world, to seek out new life and new civilizations and to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Sunday 23rd August 2009-
Thats sad. 3 dead turtles found in the last 3 weeks. The one we found today has been dead for a few days already. We sent a long tail out to go pick it up & bring it back to land & then the vet came round & measured her took a few photos & then did an autopsy on it to see how it died. And surprise surprise we have the results from Hawksbill Turtle CSI! This poor little fellow choked on a plastic bag. Not an uncommon way for a turtle to die but a very unpleasant one. Save the turtles & say no to plastic bags!
One of Koh Tao's biggest problems is that we run out of fresh water quite regularly. Alot of businesses have actually been importing water from the mainland for the past few weeks already. So if you are coming to Koh Tao or if you are even here already please be careful with the amount of water you use. Save water. Drink beer! When you wash shower with your partner! And keep your laundry wash to a minimum wear the same pair of pants for four days. The correct way, then back to front, then inside out and then inside out and back to front!
"Hey Jim. I am off to Australia today. Really excited to see my sister, although I have to admit I am a bit worried it is way to cold over there...Once again thank you so much for letting me have such a fabulous time on Koh Tao. Nora x" You are more than welcome Nora. It was great to see you again & Caz is missing you dearly! Enjoy Australia & Happy diving!
Saturday 22nd August 2009- 
Hats off to DMT Dale who has done an outstanding job & has got himself a copy of the movie 'The end of the line' sent to him directly from the film distributors themselves! Which means this Tuesday at the Big Blue Cinemaplex we shall be screening the Thailand Premiere of this amazing documentary portraying the plight of the Blue Fin Tuna in our oceans due to over fishing & deep sea trawling. Nice one Dale. Now Dale, would you mind writing a letter to James Cameron as I'd really like to see the new Sci fi movie Avatar next!
Just beautiful! Our new Big Blue Brochures have been printed & we have a few thousand in stock ready to be handed out & distributed around the place. The touts are all armed & ready for action. So are the Instructors & Divemasters. In fact we are all very excited. The brochures really look great. Thanks Canada for the design & layout, thanks Tetsu & Lia for the photos & thanks Sanna, Dan & Oskar for the posing. You all look great. Except you Dan. Your mask makes your bum look big!
Hot on the heals of Simon & his bid to become our SSI Instructor Trainer is everyone's favourite Frenchman G who will be launching his bid to become our very own Big Blue PADI Course Director. Simo will be able to start his SSI ITC within the next couple of weeks & G can get cracking on his PADI CDC at the beginning of next year. So its the SSI ITC ASAP & G's PADI CDC TBA! TTFN!
Friday 21st August 2009-
Congratulations to 3 of our new Advanced Nitrox divers, Andy, Panos & Jean Louis. The course is designed to train the divers in the benefits, hazards and proper procedures for utilizing Enriched air nitrox through to 100% oxygen for dives not requiring decompression. It's exciting stuff & both Panos & Andy will be continuing this Advanced technical diving when they set off for the depths of the Khao Sok National Park next week to complete their TDI Cavern Course. Technical diving. Not for the faint of heart this tech & cave diving thing but thats alright for these boys. After all Andy was trained by the Royal Marines & served a stint or 2 in Afghanistan. & Panos Iosifoglo is... from... SPARTA! Hoo!
How's this for a free dive- coming face to face with a 50ft female humpback whale. Imagine diving along side one of these great giants of our seas. As we know whales come in all shapes & sizes & one photographed recently measured over 50 feet & is estimated to weigh about 50 tonnes. It is allegedly the smallest man a whale has ever been photographed next to. Or is that the largest whale a man has ever been photographed next to?
Well Simo has his nose in the books right now as he is studying for the big exam! Simon is soon going to be our SSI Instructor Certifier which is the PADI equivalent of the Course Director. So before too long we will be able to train all those interested in becomming SSI Instructors. Which is becomming increasingly more popular. & of course because Big Blue Diving is one of the largest SSI Dive centers in the world old Simo could find himself pretty busy over the next few weeks, months & years! Good luck Simo. Hope you pass the Fizzix Eggsam!
Thursday 20th August 2009-
A few months ago one of the islands dive boats actually sank here on Sairee Reef. It was I believe a case of schoolboy error when the Captain forgot to turn on the bilge pump one stormy night & came to work the next morning to find his boat 6 feet under...water! Anyway its since been delicately lifted & towed to the deeper depths of Japanese Gardens to become for the moment a Koh Tao Wreck Dive! Not quite the type of wreck Canada & his Team at Big Blue Tech are used to diving but Yvonne & her group of Advanced Divers they all thought it was pretty cool! Deep Dive at Chumphon followed by a wreck Dive at Japanese! Sounds pretty cool to me too!
Thai fishermen have been issued a warning against dropping broken trawl nets in the sea, saying the net could kill marine animals, particularly the Ridley's turtle. Swallowing a small piece of net could be very dangerous for marine animals, while larger pieces could trap them & cause drowning. The warning came after a 2 year old Ridley's turtle was found stranded on a beach in Phuket with severe injuries caused by being trapped in a large broken piece of trawl net. The turtle was believed to have been trapped in the net for several days & its front leg was missing presumably cut off as it struggled to free itself. Wounds were also detected on its front right leg & head! Save the turtle! Stop trawling!
"Hi Jim, as I've recently ran out of log space in the little yellow logbook I got doing my OW/AOW/Nitrox with you guys in 2008, I thought I should send you guys a little thank you note for a great introduction to the world of diving. The classes were fun, yet efficient (managed to transition to no-vis and cold water easily), the diving was great and I certainly left Big Blue with a strong urge to dive more and the skills to do it. So send my thanks to Rick, Panos & Celine if they're still around.- Dominic Couture" You're the man Dominic! & Rick & Panos. & yes Celine you are the gal! Cheers for writing in Dominic & see you next year for another logbook!
Wednesday 19th August 2009-
Its been a while since we had any new ones & then 4 come along all at once! I'd like to welcome Nick & Taylor from Californ-I-A & Harry & Guy from Witshi-R-E! The boys have all signed up for their Divemaster Courses so will be swimming & sweating & studying & partying & demonstrating & correcting & listening & lecturing & diving & drinking till the cows come home! Which at Big Blue is an average of about 8 weeks! Welcome to your Divemaster Courses boys! These are going to be the best days of your lives!
"Hi Jim, I left Koh Tao today and Im already up in Bangkok. Sorry I didn't say goodbye, couldn't find you this morning. Just to say thanks for everything, I've had a wonderful time on Koh Tao and at Big Blue. A very warm reception coming back after 4 months and its been great seeing everyone again. Also, thanks for helping me out last week with accommodation and diving, had an excellent week! :) Hopefully will drop into Big Blue next Summer! Cheers, Simon" You're welcome mate it was nice to see you again & appreciate you dropping me a line. See you next year!
K-I-S-S-I-N-G... Thats what we like a woman who knows what she wants & aint afraid to go out & get it! Latest news on the on again off again relationship of the year is that they are on again! Well they were a couple of nights ago but apparently things have changed since then & now they are off again untill the next time she has a drink. So this time tomorrow they're bound to be back together! Must be true love! Congratulations Lara & Deano you make a beautiful couple... yesterday... & in another couple of days time... probably!
Tuesday 18th August 2009-
Another gloriously hot and sunny day on Koh Tao! The full day trip yesterday was very successful, Sail Rock and Southwest were crystal clear, huge schools of barracuda, batfish and fusiliers about, Banzai dropped a load of sunburned but happy fundivers back to Sairee!
Everyone’s working their socks off (hypothetically of course, bare feet and flipflops are the way forward in life!), G’s off out to the Biorock in the morning with a gaggle of enthusiastic DMTs, Jeroen’s got people signing up left right and centre to go freediving, Canada’s starting another techie course tomorrow, and there’s fundivers and open water students aplenty to keep us all busy!
The Big Blue girls have come up with a new idea for our Monday nights – the aptly named ‘Monday Club’ – each week an incredibly fussy and critical team of instructors, dms, dmts and anyone else they pick up along the way head to a different restaurant for fine wine and dining, watch out dining establishments of Koh Tao!
Shopgirl Kate treated herself to a well-deserved day of relaxation at the Jamakhiri spa, and who should she see up there also but DM Duncan, revelling in his femininity whilst getting his nails done! He’s obviously trying to spruce himself up for Mickey’s return in a few weeks…he’s got a long way to go, some say he’s fighting a losing battle, the rest would be more mean!
Preparations are underway for the up and coming cave trip to Khao Sok, compressed are prepped, reels are being reeled, longtails getting booked, P’Tea’s got a holiday...who's up for some cavern diving?!
Sunday August 16th 2009-
What an enormous success our Free dorm rooms are proving to be! 3 bunk beds or 6 beds all with their own individual light, Air conditioning, hot water shower, fridge & individual lockers & all of which is for FREE on the days you dive or 200 Bt per bed on the days you don't dive. What a bargain! Especially for the single travellers who are looking to meet people, go places & do things! PADI loves these rooms!
Well Rick has been a busy little chap organising the new Liveaboard Big Blue will be operating in the Similan Islands next season. & the bookings are already starting to pour in as the season advances. Come November the 1st Rick will be standing on the end of the pier as he waves goodbye to his first Liveaboard voyage of the season to the Similans & Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock. Waving with 1 hand & wiping away an emotional tear with the other. Its like sending your baby off for the 1st day of school.
Simon is back & he's brought more hair back with him than he had when he left. Hippy Simon! & he's also brought his better half Jodie back with him as well. & other better half , Hairless Keith! & as soon as Hippy & Hairless are back they are working! Simon is straight into an SSI Stress & Rescue Course & Keith is taking a posse of excited Open Water Divers off for their first Advanced Dives this afternoon. Welcome back boys. Time to get you working again & lose some of the pies you've been eating while you've been away!
Friday August 14th 2009-
Not a bad day for marine life yesterday. 1 of our boats got to dive with the whale shark at White Rock. 1 of our boats managed to squeeze in a snorkel with a pod of pilot whales just off Sairee Reef beleive it or not! & Our Full Day Trip managed to spend a bit of time with another mobular ray! Not a bad day! Not as good as being able to find a guitar shark, a dolphin & a manta ray but not bad!
'Imagine what people would say if a band of hunters strung a mile of net between 2 immense all-terrain vehicles & dragged it at speed across the plains of Africa. This fantastical assemblage, like something from a Mad Max movie, would scoop up everything in its way: predators, such as lions & cheetahs, lumbering endangered herbivores, such as rhinos & elephants, herds of impala & wildebeest, family groups of warthog & wild dog. Pregnant females would be swept up & carried along, with only the smallest juveniles able to wriggle through the mesh. Picture how the net is constructed, with a huge metal roller attached to the leading edge. This rolling beam smashes & flattens obstructions, flushing creatures into the approaching filaments. The effect of dragging a huge iron bar across the Savannah is to break off every outcrop, uproot every tree bush & flowering plant, stirring columns of birds into the air. Left behind is a strangely bedraggled landscape resembling a harrowed field. The industrial hunter gatherers now stop to examine the tangled mess of writhing or dead creatures behind them. There are no markets for about a third of the animals they have caught because they don't taste too good, or because they are simply too small or too squashed. This pile of corpses is dumped on the plain to be consumed by carrion. This efficient but highly unselective way of killing animals is known as trawling!" Taken from the Book "The End of the Line" by Charles Clover.
Well the manic rush has subsided alot now. Word is that there are no more rooms left on Koh Tao & though that may well have been true a couple of days ago it just aint so now! We got bungalows by the beach budget & luxurious. We got rooms with fan or AC, we got cold water or hot water. I got dorms, singles, doubles, triples & with the boss away I even have the keys for his house & we can squeeze a whole posse of people in there! So now there's no excuse to not come & visit the best island in Thailand! (as voted by the Koh Tao Tourism Authority!)
Thursday August 13th 2009-
Right on time! Whaleshark at White Rock! Perfect timing for all our Full Moon Party people who were diving this morning with it! Not bad is it. Only 2 dives out in the open ocean & then wham dive 3 with a Whaleshark! Jacques Cousteau would be turning in his grave after he spent 20 years searching for what was then the elusive whaleshark. Still Jacques never dived with Big Blue though I bet he wished he had! Could have saved himself a few years of wrinkled skin!
It is known as the ultimate 80s fashion piece for men and has graced many an embarrassing holiday snap, but it could be the end of an era for the humble Speedo 'Hurrah!' The Alton Towers Resort in the UK has declared a war on the minute swimwear, in a bid to maintain Britain's modesty and prevent embarrassment among fellow members of the public. 'We feel this small brief style is not appropriate for a family venue so we are advising male bathers to wear more protective swimwear such as shorts.' The decision is somewhat contrary to the stance taken by many resorts, particularly in France, & funnily enough at the Andaman Club in Burma when you do your visa runs here, because Speedos are considered more sanitary than their more modern counterparts, the boardshort!
Well despite the madness of the last few days (congratulations on handling all that Amanda), we are still able to organise a Full Day Trip to Sail Rock today. & the weather is gorgeous at the moment & so is the diving so it should be a fantastic day out. Fried Breakfast followed by 3 dives in the Gulf of Thailands best dive sites & then the worlds best Massaman Chicken Curry! Don't give the leftovers to Rick tho! Last time we did that he put it in an empty water bottle but after a couple of hours the curry exploded in his bag! Messy Massaman!
Monday, August 10th 2009
Well, the Full Moon rush is actually happening. People are flocking from Koh Phangan every day, Kayleigh is running around Sairee Beach every morning to find some more rooms to accommodate all our customers, Jim and the DMs are hunting for any extra piece of diving equipment they can get their hands on, the restaurant and bar are packed all day (and night) long. And all our customers get a room to sleep in, dive gear to swim underwater and they can even order food and drinks when not on the boat, all served with a smile. Well done everyone, let’s keep up the good work!
Congratulations Toby! After 5 weeks of hard work assisting, leading, passing exams and other extra-curricular activities, he is a now a professional Divemaster. Now, as you know, this always ends with a challenge. Toby proved to us last night that he was not only a great diver by performing a boozy check or doing press ups with a tank, he also reminded the crowd that he was a great German by giving us a great demonstration on how to dance to David Hasselhoff hits!
Now Emily, let’s watch what we say to our students, shall we? This morning, when getting off the longtail after the dives, one of Emily’s students felt disappointed that everybody else had picked up a bag, any bag, two if they felt strong (you know the story…) and he had nothing to carry. So Emily cleverly suggested that he picked her up, without hesitation, the young lad hastily grabbed his instructor and carried her on his shoulder. At this time, we are still trying to find out with rinse tank he dropped her in!
Saturday 8th August 2009-
Whaleshark! About time too! Must be something to do with the moon, the tide change, the fact that everyone else is coming to Koh Tao so why not Whalesharks aswell? And the visibility at Southwest Pinnacle this morning is wide open so anyone who went diving saw the Whaleshark this morning poncing around at Southwest. Well anyone who didn't dive with Big Blue saw it! We were at Chumphon! Doh!
Andy Griggs! What a nice surprise. & then Alex Daluisio! Not 1 but 2 of our olde Instructors from days of yesteryear or 2 ago has popped back to say hi & whats cooking? In fact there are a few old faces hanging around at the moment. We got Graphic Designer Caz & China Nora, Hoang from Holland, & then there's Keith Blues Bros Angles on his way too. Just one big happy magnet around here! See you all at beer o'clock!
In an effort to help the world last a little bit longer & decrease our own demand for water & its consequential plastic waste we are proud to present you with a water 'Cooler Jacket'. These ingenius environmental contraptions have a thermal sheet in side which keeps your ice cold bottle of water ice cold all day! & if you buy one of these then you can fill up your water everyday you stay with us for free! Free Water! Save money!Reduce plastic bottle waste! & keep your water cold all day even when you are on the boat! Go green! Save Water! Yours now for only 400 Bt!
Friday 7th August 2009-
Ok guys & gals, its the busiest week of the year! All action stations at the ready. Kate & Por our shopgirls are ready to show you your rooms. Today Soren is at the ready to answer your questions. Amanda has the boats ready. Kayleigh has the keys ready & Sonia & Yvonne are on standby in case we need back up! The beds are made, the rooms are clean. The classrooms have been chilled, the toilet seats warmed, our taxi's are on the pier, & we're all just waiting... waiting... for the Full Moon Party rush. I know its coming I can feel the ground move!
Well the Big Blue chicks are back after their night of debauchery & misdemeanours & look ridiculous with their neon face paint. Apparently the party was packed to the rafters with over 20000 revellers partying like its two thousand zero zero nine! Anyway it was all a great success & Sonia said she can't wait to do it all again next month! And the month after that, and the month after that!
Nice one Kayleigh. Yesterday afternoon Kayleigh got her hands dirty along with another 100 volunteer conservationists who all got together at the Tanote Bay Water Reservoir which is a Koh Tao initiative to help solve our water shortage issues that effect us every summer. Kayleigh spent the afternoon planting trees & vetiver grass to harden up the soil to make it firmer, stronger & less resistant to erosion & mudslides, thereby ensuring a successful sturdy reservoir! Nice one Kayleigh.Go Green!
Thursday 6th August 2009-
Its now official! As of today Big Blue Diving now has their very own luxury Liveaboard boat in the Similan Islands! Welcome to MV Pawara - 32m in length, and built of steel making her one of the largest liveaboards plying the western Indian Ocean. She takes a total of 20 divers in 10 air conditioned cabins on regular departures. She has two types of cabins deluxe and standard, and both types are air conditioned, have twin beds and en suite bathrooms. The huge interior saloon seats everyone comfortably and is completely air-conditioned & she has a 'breakfast nook' and briefing room right next to the dive deck so you can duck in for a quick bite or a cup of tea without having to walk upstairs to another deck. And she also has a huge dive deck and dive platform making getting in and out of the water a breeze. One of the finest boats cruising the Similan & Surin Islands & its ours! How exciting!
The Big Blue Ladies are all off to the Full Moon Party tonight in Koh Phangan so are spending the afternoon putting on their make up, fixing the stilettos on their high heels & ironing their bikinis in preparation for their all night Full Moon Bikini party! Yvonne has managed to bully Sonia, Emily, Kelli, & Lara & about 15 of their recent dive students to all come along for the night as well! Actually they have been extremely cunning in getting Jim to allow them the time off work to go by making Emily sunbathe topless outside the dive shop all afternoon! What a nice boss! Have a great party ladies! Remember don't take anything to Koh Phangan you don't want to lose! May as well leave your top here Emily!
Congratulations Jim ( If I dare say so myself) for having completed his beginner Freediving Course with Jeroen our Big Blue Free Diving Instructor. He has successfully descended, & more importantly ascended from a maximum depth of 23 meters with just a single breath of air! Lungs the size of melons! Next step is the Advanced Free Diver Course where he shall attempt to descend down to a maximum depth of 30 meters though he might have to wait a few days till he has a go at that depth. For that you need balls the size of melons!
Monday August 3rd- 2009-
Should I tell? Should I spill the secret? Should I? Could I? No I mustn't! Bringing attention to it will just make the whole thing fall flat on on its arse! But it is very exciting & when word gets out its going to make some people very aroused & others very jealous! So what is it then? Well I can't really tell you all I can say is it involves 5 days 4 nights 3 men 2 fat ladies & a boat! & no I'm not just talking Bingo! Can you guess what it is yet? Answers on a postcard & watch this space for more news! Clickety click & Buckle my shoe!
What is it with a divers fascination for doing their 100th dive in their Birthday Suit? Congratulations Tobi for turning 100 on your night dive last night. & so kind of you to share your kleiner weiner with the nocturnal undersea world! Lucky you didn't bump into a Hermit crab though isn't it. They like small cockles & limpbits!
Congratulations G & his team of very clever friends who won last nights Island Pub Quiz at Dirty Nellies. G, Barry, Emily, Helen, & Kelli, marched away with the winnings after competing in a gruelling sweatsoaked blood stained bout of who knows more useless information than you do competition. It was decided that G & Barry know more crap than the chicks! But hey we all knew that already eh boys! Congratulations all of you on your 179 bt winnings!
Hats off to DMT Dale who has done an outstanding job & has got himself a copy of the movie 'The end of the line' sent to him directly from the film distributors themselves! Which means this Tuesday at the Big Blue Cinemaplex we shall be screening the Thailand Premiere of this amazing documentary portraying the plight of the Blue Fin Tuna in our oceans due to over fishing & deep sea trawling. Nice one Dale. Now Dale, would you mind writing a letter to James Cameron as I'd really like to see the new Sci fi movie Avatar next!
Just beautiful! Our new Big Blue Brochures have been printed & we have a few thousand in stock ready to be handed out & distributed around the place. The touts are all armed & ready for action. So are the Instructors & Divemasters. In fact we are all very excited. The brochures really look great. Thanks Canada for the design & layout, thanks Tetsu & Lia for the photos & thanks Sanna, Dan & Oskar for the posing. You all look great. Except you Dan. Your mask makes your bum look big!
Hot on the heals of Simon & his bid to become our SSI Instructor Trainer is everyone's favourite Frenchman G who will be launching his bid to become our very own Big Blue PADI Course Director. Simo will be able to start his SSI ITC within the next couple of weeks & G can get cracking on his PADI CDC at the beginning of next year. So its the SSI ITC ASAP & G's PADI CDC TBA! TTFN!
Friday 21st August 2009-
Congratulations to 3 of our new Advanced Nitrox divers, Andy, Panos & Jean Louis. The course is designed to train the divers in the benefits, hazards and proper procedures for utilizing Enriched air nitrox through to 100% oxygen for dives not requiring decompression. It's exciting stuff & both Panos & Andy will be continuing this Advanced technical diving when they set off for the depths of the Khao Sok National Park next week to complete their TDI Cavern Course. Technical diving. Not for the faint of heart this tech & cave diving thing but thats alright for these boys. After all Andy was trained by the Royal Marines & served a stint or 2 in Afghanistan. & Panos Iosifoglo is... from... SPARTA! Hoo!
How's this for a free dive- coming face to face with a 50ft female humpback whale. Imagine diving along side one of these great giants of our seas. As we know whales come in all shapes & sizes & one photographed recently measured over 50 feet & is estimated to weigh about 50 tonnes. It is allegedly the smallest man a whale has ever been photographed next to. Or is that the largest whale a man has ever been photographed next to?
Well Simo has his nose in the books right now as he is studying for the big exam! Simon is soon going to be our SSI Instructor Certifier which is the PADI equivalent of the Course Director. So before too long we will be able to train all those interested in becomming SSI Instructors. Which is becomming increasingly more popular. & of course because Big Blue Diving is one of the largest SSI Dive centers in the world old Simo could find himself pretty busy over the next few weeks, months & years! Good luck Simo. Hope you pass the Fizzix Eggsam!
Thursday 20th August 2009-
A few months ago one of the islands dive boats actually sank here on Sairee Reef. It was I believe a case of schoolboy error when the Captain forgot to turn on the bilge pump one stormy night & came to work the next morning to find his boat 6 feet under...water! Anyway its since been delicately lifted & towed to the deeper depths of Japanese Gardens to become for the moment a Koh Tao Wreck Dive! Not quite the type of wreck Canada & his Team at Big Blue Tech are used to diving but Yvonne & her group of Advanced Divers they all thought it was pretty cool! Deep Dive at Chumphon followed by a wreck Dive at Japanese! Sounds pretty cool to me too!
Thai fishermen have been issued a warning against dropping broken trawl nets in the sea, saying the net could kill marine animals, particularly the Ridley's turtle. Swallowing a small piece of net could be very dangerous for marine animals, while larger pieces could trap them & cause drowning. The warning came after a 2 year old Ridley's turtle was found stranded on a beach in Phuket with severe injuries caused by being trapped in a large broken piece of trawl net. The turtle was believed to have been trapped in the net for several days & its front leg was missing presumably cut off as it struggled to free itself. Wounds were also detected on its front right leg & head! Save the turtle! Stop trawling!
"Hi Jim, as I've recently ran out of log space in the little yellow logbook I got doing my OW/AOW/Nitrox with you guys in 2008, I thought I should send you guys a little thank you note for a great introduction to the world of diving. The classes were fun, yet efficient (managed to transition to no-vis and cold water easily), the diving was great and I certainly left Big Blue with a strong urge to dive more and the skills to do it. So send my thanks to Rick, Panos & Celine if they're still around.- Dominic Couture" You're the man Dominic! & Rick & Panos. & yes Celine you are the gal! Cheers for writing in Dominic & see you next year for another logbook!
Wednesday 19th August 2009-
Its been a while since we had any new ones & then 4 come along all at once! I'd like to welcome Nick & Taylor from Californ-I-A & Harry & Guy from Witshi-R-E! The boys have all signed up for their Divemaster Courses so will be swimming & sweating & studying & partying & demonstrating & correcting & listening & lecturing & diving & drinking till the cows come home! Which at Big Blue is an average of about 8 weeks! Welcome to your Divemaster Courses boys! These are going to be the best days of your lives!
"Hi Jim, I left Koh Tao today and Im already up in Bangkok. Sorry I didn't say goodbye, couldn't find you this morning. Just to say thanks for everything, I've had a wonderful time on Koh Tao and at Big Blue. A very warm reception coming back after 4 months and its been great seeing everyone again. Also, thanks for helping me out last week with accommodation and diving, had an excellent week! :) Hopefully will drop into Big Blue next Summer! Cheers, Simon" You're welcome mate it was nice to see you again & appreciate you dropping me a line. See you next year!
K-I-S-S-I-N-G... Thats what we like a woman who knows what she wants & aint afraid to go out & get it! Latest news on the on again off again relationship of the year is that they are on again! Well they were a couple of nights ago but apparently things have changed since then & now they are off again untill the next time she has a drink. So this time tomorrow they're bound to be back together! Must be true love! Congratulations Lara & Deano you make a beautiful couple... yesterday... & in another couple of days time... probably!
Tuesday 18th August 2009-
Another gloriously hot and sunny day on Koh Tao! The full day trip yesterday was very successful, Sail Rock and Southwest were crystal clear, huge schools of barracuda, batfish and fusiliers about, Banzai dropped a load of sunburned but happy fundivers back to Sairee!
Everyone’s working their socks off (hypothetically of course, bare feet and flipflops are the way forward in life!), G’s off out to the Biorock in the morning with a gaggle of enthusiastic DMTs, Jeroen’s got people signing up left right and centre to go freediving, Canada’s starting another techie course tomorrow, and there’s fundivers and open water students aplenty to keep us all busy!
The Big Blue girls have come up with a new idea for our Monday nights – the aptly named ‘Monday Club’ – each week an incredibly fussy and critical team of instructors, dms, dmts and anyone else they pick up along the way head to a different restaurant for fine wine and dining, watch out dining establishments of Koh Tao!
Shopgirl Kate treated herself to a well-deserved day of relaxation at the Jamakhiri spa, and who should she see up there also but DM Duncan, revelling in his femininity whilst getting his nails done! He’s obviously trying to spruce himself up for Mickey’s return in a few weeks…he’s got a long way to go, some say he’s fighting a losing battle, the rest would be more mean!
Preparations are underway for the up and coming cave trip to Khao Sok, compressed are prepped, reels are being reeled, longtails getting booked, P’Tea’s got a holiday...who's up for some cavern diving?!
Sunday August 16th 2009-
What an enormous success our Free dorm rooms are proving to be! 3 bunk beds or 6 beds all with their own individual light, Air conditioning, hot water shower, fridge & individual lockers & all of which is for FREE on the days you dive or 200 Bt per bed on the days you don't dive. What a bargain! Especially for the single travellers who are looking to meet people, go places & do things! PADI loves these rooms!
Well Rick has been a busy little chap organising the new Liveaboard Big Blue will be operating in the Similan Islands next season. & the bookings are already starting to pour in as the season advances. Come November the 1st Rick will be standing on the end of the pier as he waves goodbye to his first Liveaboard voyage of the season to the Similans & Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, & Richelieu Rock. Waving with 1 hand & wiping away an emotional tear with the other. Its like sending your baby off for the 1st day of school.
Simon is back & he's brought more hair back with him than he had when he left. Hippy Simon! & he's also brought his better half Jodie back with him as well. & other better half , Hairless Keith! & as soon as Hippy & Hairless are back they are working! Simon is straight into an SSI Stress & Rescue Course & Keith is taking a posse of excited Open Water Divers off for their first Advanced Dives this afternoon. Welcome back boys. Time to get you working again & lose some of the pies you've been eating while you've been away!
Friday August 14th 2009-
Not a bad day for marine life yesterday. 1 of our boats got to dive with the whale shark at White Rock. 1 of our boats managed to squeeze in a snorkel with a pod of pilot whales just off Sairee Reef beleive it or not! & Our Full Day Trip managed to spend a bit of time with another mobular ray! Not a bad day! Not as good as being able to find a guitar shark, a dolphin & a manta ray but not bad!
'Imagine what people would say if a band of hunters strung a mile of net between 2 immense all-terrain vehicles & dragged it at speed across the plains of Africa. This fantastical assemblage, like something from a Mad Max movie, would scoop up everything in its way: predators, such as lions & cheetahs, lumbering endangered herbivores, such as rhinos & elephants, herds of impala & wildebeest, family groups of warthog & wild dog. Pregnant females would be swept up & carried along, with only the smallest juveniles able to wriggle through the mesh. Picture how the net is constructed, with a huge metal roller attached to the leading edge. This rolling beam smashes & flattens obstructions, flushing creatures into the approaching filaments. The effect of dragging a huge iron bar across the Savannah is to break off every outcrop, uproot every tree bush & flowering plant, stirring columns of birds into the air. Left behind is a strangely bedraggled landscape resembling a harrowed field. The industrial hunter gatherers now stop to examine the tangled mess of writhing or dead creatures behind them. There are no markets for about a third of the animals they have caught because they don't taste too good, or because they are simply too small or too squashed. This pile of corpses is dumped on the plain to be consumed by carrion. This efficient but highly unselective way of killing animals is known as trawling!" Taken from the Book "The End of the Line" by Charles Clover.
Well the manic rush has subsided alot now. Word is that there are no more rooms left on Koh Tao & though that may well have been true a couple of days ago it just aint so now! We got bungalows by the beach budget & luxurious. We got rooms with fan or AC, we got cold water or hot water. I got dorms, singles, doubles, triples & with the boss away I even have the keys for his house & we can squeeze a whole posse of people in there! So now there's no excuse to not come & visit the best island in Thailand! (as voted by the Koh Tao Tourism Authority!)
Thursday August 13th 2009-
Right on time! Whaleshark at White Rock! Perfect timing for all our Full Moon Party people who were diving this morning with it! Not bad is it. Only 2 dives out in the open ocean & then wham dive 3 with a Whaleshark! Jacques Cousteau would be turning in his grave after he spent 20 years searching for what was then the elusive whaleshark. Still Jacques never dived with Big Blue though I bet he wished he had! Could have saved himself a few years of wrinkled skin!
It is known as the ultimate 80s fashion piece for men and has graced many an embarrassing holiday snap, but it could be the end of an era for the humble Speedo 'Hurrah!' The Alton Towers Resort in the UK has declared a war on the minute swimwear, in a bid to maintain Britain's modesty and prevent embarrassment among fellow members of the public. 'We feel this small brief style is not appropriate for a family venue so we are advising male bathers to wear more protective swimwear such as shorts.' The decision is somewhat contrary to the stance taken by many resorts, particularly in France, & funnily enough at the Andaman Club in Burma when you do your visa runs here, because Speedos are considered more sanitary than their more modern counterparts, the boardshort!
Well despite the madness of the last few days (congratulations on handling all that Amanda), we are still able to organise a Full Day Trip to Sail Rock today. & the weather is gorgeous at the moment & so is the diving so it should be a fantastic day out. Fried Breakfast followed by 3 dives in the Gulf of Thailands best dive sites & then the worlds best Massaman Chicken Curry! Don't give the leftovers to Rick tho! Last time we did that he put it in an empty water bottle but after a couple of hours the curry exploded in his bag! Messy Massaman!
Monday, August 10th 2009
Well, the Full Moon rush is actually happening. People are flocking from Koh Phangan every day, Kayleigh is running around Sairee Beach every morning to find some more rooms to accommodate all our customers, Jim and the DMs are hunting for any extra piece of diving equipment they can get their hands on, the restaurant and bar are packed all day (and night) long. And all our customers get a room to sleep in, dive gear to swim underwater and they can even order food and drinks when not on the boat, all served with a smile. Well done everyone, let’s keep up the good work!
Congratulations Toby! After 5 weeks of hard work assisting, leading, passing exams and other extra-curricular activities, he is a now a professional Divemaster. Now, as you know, this always ends with a challenge. Toby proved to us last night that he was not only a great diver by performing a boozy check or doing press ups with a tank, he also reminded the crowd that he was a great German by giving us a great demonstration on how to dance to David Hasselhoff hits!
Now Emily, let’s watch what we say to our students, shall we? This morning, when getting off the longtail after the dives, one of Emily’s students felt disappointed that everybody else had picked up a bag, any bag, two if they felt strong (you know the story…) and he had nothing to carry. So Emily cleverly suggested that he picked her up, without hesitation, the young lad hastily grabbed his instructor and carried her on his shoulder. At this time, we are still trying to find out with rinse tank he dropped her in!
Saturday 8th August 2009-
Whaleshark! About time too! Must be something to do with the moon, the tide change, the fact that everyone else is coming to Koh Tao so why not Whalesharks aswell? And the visibility at Southwest Pinnacle this morning is wide open so anyone who went diving saw the Whaleshark this morning poncing around at Southwest. Well anyone who didn't dive with Big Blue saw it! We were at Chumphon! Doh!
Andy Griggs! What a nice surprise. & then Alex Daluisio! Not 1 but 2 of our olde Instructors from days of yesteryear or 2 ago has popped back to say hi & whats cooking? In fact there are a few old faces hanging around at the moment. We got Graphic Designer Caz & China Nora, Hoang from Holland, & then there's Keith Blues Bros Angles on his way too. Just one big happy magnet around here! See you all at beer o'clock!
In an effort to help the world last a little bit longer & decrease our own demand for water & its consequential plastic waste we are proud to present you with a water 'Cooler Jacket'. These ingenius environmental contraptions have a thermal sheet in side which keeps your ice cold bottle of water ice cold all day! & if you buy one of these then you can fill up your water everyday you stay with us for free! Free Water! Save money!Reduce plastic bottle waste! & keep your water cold all day even when you are on the boat! Go green! Save Water! Yours now for only 400 Bt!
Friday 7th August 2009-
Ok guys & gals, its the busiest week of the year! All action stations at the ready. Kate & Por our shopgirls are ready to show you your rooms. Today Soren is at the ready to answer your questions. Amanda has the boats ready. Kayleigh has the keys ready & Sonia & Yvonne are on standby in case we need back up! The beds are made, the rooms are clean. The classrooms have been chilled, the toilet seats warmed, our taxi's are on the pier, & we're all just waiting... waiting... for the Full Moon Party rush. I know its coming I can feel the ground move!
Well the Big Blue chicks are back after their night of debauchery & misdemeanours & look ridiculous with their neon face paint. Apparently the party was packed to the rafters with over 20000 revellers partying like its two thousand zero zero nine! Anyway it was all a great success & Sonia said she can't wait to do it all again next month! And the month after that, and the month after that!
Nice one Kayleigh. Yesterday afternoon Kayleigh got her hands dirty along with another 100 volunteer conservationists who all got together at the Tanote Bay Water Reservoir which is a Koh Tao initiative to help solve our water shortage issues that effect us every summer. Kayleigh spent the afternoon planting trees & vetiver grass to harden up the soil to make it firmer, stronger & less resistant to erosion & mudslides, thereby ensuring a successful sturdy reservoir! Nice one Kayleigh.Go Green!
Thursday 6th August 2009-
Its now official! As of today Big Blue Diving now has their very own luxury Liveaboard boat in the Similan Islands! Welcome to MV Pawara - 32m in length, and built of steel making her one of the largest liveaboards plying the western Indian Ocean. She takes a total of 20 divers in 10 air conditioned cabins on regular departures. She has two types of cabins deluxe and standard, and both types are air conditioned, have twin beds and en suite bathrooms. The huge interior saloon seats everyone comfortably and is completely air-conditioned & she has a 'breakfast nook' and briefing room right next to the dive deck so you can duck in for a quick bite or a cup of tea without having to walk upstairs to another deck. And she also has a huge dive deck and dive platform making getting in and out of the water a breeze. One of the finest boats cruising the Similan & Surin Islands & its ours! How exciting!
The Big Blue Ladies are all off to the Full Moon Party tonight in Koh Phangan so are spending the afternoon putting on their make up, fixing the stilettos on their high heels & ironing their bikinis in preparation for their all night Full Moon Bikini party! Yvonne has managed to bully Sonia, Emily, Kelli, & Lara & about 15 of their recent dive students to all come along for the night as well! Actually they have been extremely cunning in getting Jim to allow them the time off work to go by making Emily sunbathe topless outside the dive shop all afternoon! What a nice boss! Have a great party ladies! Remember don't take anything to Koh Phangan you don't want to lose! May as well leave your top here Emily!
Congratulations Jim ( If I dare say so myself) for having completed his beginner Freediving Course with Jeroen our Big Blue Free Diving Instructor. He has successfully descended, & more importantly ascended from a maximum depth of 23 meters with just a single breath of air! Lungs the size of melons! Next step is the Advanced Free Diver Course where he shall attempt to descend down to a maximum depth of 30 meters though he might have to wait a few days till he has a go at that depth. For that you need balls the size of melons!
Monday August 3rd- 2009-
Should I tell? Should I spill the secret? Should I? Could I? No I mustn't! Bringing attention to it will just make the whole thing fall flat on on its arse! But it is very exciting & when word gets out its going to make some people very aroused & others very jealous! So what is it then? Well I can't really tell you all I can say is it involves 5 days 4 nights 3 men 2 fat ladies & a boat! & no I'm not just talking Bingo! Can you guess what it is yet? Answers on a postcard & watch this space for more news! Clickety click & Buckle my shoe!
What is it with a divers fascination for doing their 100th dive in their Birthday Suit? Congratulations Tobi for turning 100 on your night dive last night. & so kind of you to share your kleiner weiner with the nocturnal undersea world! Lucky you didn't bump into a Hermit crab though isn't it. They like small cockles & limpbits!
Congratulations G & his team of very clever friends who won last nights Island Pub Quiz at Dirty Nellies. G, Barry, Emily, Helen, & Kelli, marched away with the winnings after competing in a gruelling sweatsoaked blood stained bout of who knows more useless information than you do competition. It was decided that G & Barry know more crap than the chicks! But hey we all knew that already eh boys! Congratulations all of you on your 179 bt winnings!
