Canada & his team at Big Blue Tech recently returned from a technical diving expedition in Singapore on the HMS Repulse which was sank during a Japanese air attack during World War2 making it a war grave and a protected site meaning penetration was not appropriate. Although penetration has happened in the past we felt being former British military members it would be best to respect the war grave. During the trip Andrew Cav noticed on the list of casualties another “Cavell” after some research he found out that his great cousin died during the fall of the Repulse making the wreck an extremely humbling dive for him personally. The wreck itself is in 55m of salt water lying almost inverted on its port side with visible torpedo damage midships and stern. The large guns can be seen lying in the sand along with ammunition thrown around the exterior. Visibility was stunning with the wreck visible from the surface of the water. Big Blue Tech... Seriously!
The end of another month & another Full Moon Party exodus from Koh Phangan. Every month Koh Tao sinks a little deeper into the sea after being inundated with 1000's of hungover fluorescent painted party people, & this month despite the commotions in Bangkok is no different. Its like a Bank holiday weekend in the real world! Public transport increases from 8 boats a day to 12 boats for the next few days, all the resorts are all booked up, especially on the beach, the bar shelves are fully stocked, & all the boys are running around wearing their pulling pants.
Most of our DMT's are being treated to the joys of Nitrogen Narcosis at 40 meters today with the Deep Diver Specialty & Nitrox Specialties combined. So this afternoon its another beautiful day at Chumphon Pinnacle for 2 dives. The boat is pretty much full, & then the Beginners boat is choc a block at Japanese Gardens & tomorrows Full Day Trip to Sail Rock was closed within half an hour of promoting it cos it filled up that quickly! & I just know its going to be in the next couple of days we're going to see a Whaleshark! There's just so much plankton in the water right now its as good as guaranteed! Spectacular memories for those who see it! Red shirt for those who don't!
Tuesday 27th April 2010-
If three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land, then it is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time diving as taking care of the garden! Its Live & let dive not Live & let lawn!
Don't worry we'll be fine! After all this isn't the first time the shit has hit the fan. In 2001 tourism in Thailand was impacted by 9/11. In 2002 the war in Afghanistan put tourists off flying anywhere near the Middle East so our European tourist numbers declined. In 2003 it was SARS. 2004 the Bird Flu epidemic & of course 2005 was a dreadful year just after the Tsunami. 2006 we had the military coup with the ousting of the former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, followed in 2007 by all the problems with bombings in "the South". 2008 was the Yellow shirts taking over the airport & in 2009 we all felt the impact of the global financial crisis. & now 2010 a volcano in Iceland & a bunch of Red shirts in Bangkok seem to be happily destroying our chances of having a good year! But like I said...don't worry about us, we'll be fine! This isn't the first time the proverbial shit has hit the industrialized size fan!
Recent discoveries by groups who practice both yoga and scuba diving have reported similar meditational qualities between the two activities, since breathing underwater creates a weightless state and the ability to achieve inner quietude. According to LeisurePro, one of the largest sellers of scuba equipment in the world, there are six reasons why ’scuba as the new yoga’ is becoming the latest travel trend:
* The body becomes relaxed underwater in a gravity-free environment where divers become naturally buoyant, like being in outer space.
* Many athletes use underwater meditation, such as Olympic swimmers.
* Certain types of dives called "drift dives" allow divers to gently move with the current, with minimal body movement.
* As with meditation, slow breathing works best with scuba. Focusing on breathing relieves stress and promotes relaxation.
* The only noise you generally hear underwater is the sound of your breath.
* Observing the beautiful colors of fish, coral and other sea life is stimulating.
Scuba Diving! Namaste.
Sunday 25th April 2010-
If you are into sex then now is the time to come diving! Its coral spawning time here in Koh Tao & recently Eco Queen Jenny dived our house reef to witness a spot of underwater hanky panky. Corals reproduce sexually, but are at a disadvantage as they are fixed to the sea bed. So they use the rising water temperatures and the phases of the moon as a cue to synchronise their reproductive activity to maximise the chance of success. Species that have separate sexes must release eggs and sperm at similar times for them to be fertilised. Some species of coral are both male and female, and they release eggs already prepackaged in sperm. Bundles of eggs and sperm float to the surface to mix with others along the reef. Each kind of coral times its release to a certain hour on a certain night, maximising the chance of cross-fertilisation. The fertilised eggs drift away from the reef. Leaving a very excited Jenny caked in spermatozoa polyps! How sexy is that?
Don't tell anyone but... the rumour going round is that Kelli & Ash are looking to tie the knot! Today Kelli was seen searching the net for info on marriages in Thailand! & as for honeymoon destinations we all know Ash has been spreading himself all over Europe in recent days, (sorry dreadful joke), so there's obviously something on the cards! Love is in the air! First it was Jim & Andrea, shortly followed by Scobby & Jolene, then it was Marcel & Katti, soon it will be Dan & Kymmie & who knows maybe Kelli & Ash will beat Emily & Craig & Canada & Yvonne down the aisle! Watch this space! The race is on.
A foreign national walking his dogs stumbled on a decidedly strange looking body that appeared to have been washed ashore in Pattaya. It is estimated to have been out of the water for approximately 8 hours. The creature is described as being approximately 2.3 metres long with the lower half resembling that of a large marine mammal and the top taking the form of some sort of land creature with arms and webbed fingers. The whole of the creature is covered in scales, which have started to flake off due to the length of time out of the sea. The strange creature has been taken under naval escort to the marine laboratory for forensic examination. Maybe its that bloke who fell asleep in the Poonama Canal the other day!
Wednesday 21st April 2010-
So recently we had a rather intoxicated member of the public, nothing to do with Big Blue I might add, who woke up one morning lounging around the very picturesque part of town we like to call the Poonama Canal. Unfortunatley for him he was still there at 7 in the morning when we all go off for our morning dives, & we managed to take a snap of him with his feet dipped into the river. What a lovely place for a sleep. So picturesque. The grassy bank, a lovely starry night, a rose tinted morning dawn & emulsified toes!
Ooh my word! So yesterday I mentioned that some old has been topless model from the UK has been told she can't dive cos she has surgically enhanced breasts & this morning I come to work and my emails are all about whether it really is dangerous to dive with breast implants cos some of our prospective want to be divers have recently had their breasts boosted! Ladies relax! Please. Don't worry. We have had many surgically enhanced hooters descend with us to depths reaching 30 meters & have even employed a couple of Instructors over recent years, one who is with us now, who haven't gone pop underwater yet! Its just codswallop! So for all those ladies who wrote to me this morning please don't worry. Come diving & bring your bosums along too!
2 more whales seen at Southwest Pinnacle yesterday morning. Probably the same 2 we saw the other day but not as exciting of course cos we weren't there, but none the less quite noteworthy. So we've set out today on another Full Day Trip to the amazing Sail Rock in the anticipation that the whales are moving south from Chumphon where we saw them last week to South west where they were yesterday to Sail Rock where they will be today! I am the Whale whisperer!
Tuesday 20th April 2010-
Well the place feels a little empty but I guess it would do seeing as we've all had to say goodbye to one of the largest figures in the team- Big Paul! Unfortunately for us Paul isn't a jaffa & when he went home last CHristmas he got his good lady in the family way & now they are expecting their first baby together. So our resident Whaleshark went home (honorable thing to do) is now counting down the days till his son pops out! Congratulations Paulie. Thank for all your hard work, hope you had a fun last night & managed to enjoy every 1 of those 44 hours on the way home.
Breasts of Britain Glamour girl, Katie Price has been warned that her surgically-enhanced breasts could explode or drown her if she goes ahead with a diving course, according to a report. The glamour girl is currently enjoying a holiday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Earlier this week, insiders claimed that Price wanted to go diving in the Red Sea as part of the break. However, a source told the Daily Star: "There have been scare stories about implants exploding underwater. "Research has shown this is unlikely but they do fill with air bubbles as the pressure increases and can change size underwater. Implants also affect buoyancy so she'd have to make extra efforts to stay afloat. "Given the risks, and how long she has spent perfecting her boobs, it is unlikely Kate will go ahead." What a load of tits!
Canada & his dream team of sweaty, hairy, plump, tight speedo wearing techies all went out this afternoon for a jolly on our very own Koh Tao wreck which no one knows about other than us! A little under a year ago one of the Koh Tao cargo boats sank less than 40 minutes away from Koh Tao in exactly 40 meters depth which means we officially have the very best deep dive, wreck dive & tech dive all within a hop skip & a jump away from Koh Tao. Now if that aint a reason to learn how to Deep, Wreck & Tech dive then what is! Apart from a pair of sweaty, plump, tight testetechies!
Sunday 18th April 2010-
Isn't it amazing how one thing leads to another thing & next thing you know just when every thing was beginning to look ominously quiet the island has exploded again! & why? Well its this volcano in Iceland innit! Because no one can get home everyone is heading back to their favourite spot in Thailand- Koh Tao- chillin & diving & hanging out till the ash settles! Wasn't anticipating that this time last week when I saw that tumble weed roll through the resort! Welcome back!
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Just so you know... weather at the moment is hotter than balls! Its a sweltering 38 degrees today. Diving is hotter than balls too! Its 20-30 meter visibility at most sites. There isn't even a whisper of wind or a surface ripple. Right now conditions here are exactly the same as they are in the bounty advert... hotter than balls!
Thursday 15th April 2010-
In the interests of keeping our customers happy & seeing as we have been so let down by our whale sharks this season, and to make sure we honour our promises to our customers who came over here especially for whale sharks this season we had to make do with a couple of passing Brydes whales a few days ago! Not just any old couple but a big 12 meter female & a smaller 6 meter baby! And we know it was at least 12 meters & no exaggeration as Erik was down at 10 meters when it breeched the surface & duck dived straight back down to Erik with its tail still out of the water when it came eye to eye with him. Not a bad dive for someone who's logged 100's of dives under his belt! Not bad for Heather's group of divers who were logging their 3rd dive either!
Only now recovering from a very sodden New Year on Tuesday. And in addition to all the new range of military style water cannons this year Songkran was made all the more special when Instructor Beccy walked in wearing her white T-shirt & bikini bottoms claiming she'd "forgotten" to put on her bikini top underneath. It took no time at all to to get Beccy soaked from tits to toe! Merry Christmas & a Happy Songkran.
So the goings on in Bangkok don't seem to be getting any where. Well they've stopped killing each other at least which is a start but unfortunately there's still a lot of hoo ha going on & consequently our arrivals have dropped dramatically. So much so that its freed up heaps of time for me & I think I'm going to go for a dive tomorrow morning at Chumphon! Now if that doesn't get the crowds coming nothing will!
Monday 12th April 2010-
"Hi Jim, So I am now sitting back in reality at my desk at work and I just can’t stop thinking of Koh Tao and Big Blue!! So I thought I would send you some feedback!! I spent 5 nights down in Koh Tao from the 4th April to 9th April. I did my open water course and also 2 adventure dives. I wanted to let you know that this was by far the best holiday I have ever been on!! It was a tossup between 3 dives schools on Koh Tao and I feel I made the best choice. The moment I arrived at the resort Beccy sat me down and went through everything with me. I started the course that night and Beccy was my instructor. My biggest concern when going diving was getting sea sick... luckily is was nice and calm so that was not an issue!! From the moment I entered the water I felt at ease because Beccy had explained everything in detail so I knew it would all be ok.
Pros- Amazing instructors Beccy and Erik, staff can make a holiday what it is and Beccy in particular was fantastic, I cannot speak highly enough of her and her efforts with our group! I know that was a thought from all the girls as well. The relaxed and professional attitude of all the staff!! They all had just the right mix!! The amazing dive spots we visited. The list goes on and on.....
Cons- Someone not been at the pier to pick me up – good thing I used my intelligence and saw one of your cars and waited by it!! Kate at reception – don’t think customer service is her strong point? Not been able to finish my Advance open water due to the fact I had to leave which was another con. I will be back!!! And I will tell all my friends to visit you if they want to go diving!!!
Cheers Georgie Lucas"
Millions of marine turtles have been killed over the past two decades through entrapment in fishing gear, according to a global survey. Six of the seven sea turtle types are on the Red List of Threatened Species. Researchers advocate much greater use of gear safe for turtles. These include circular hooks rather than the conventional J-shaped hooks on long fishing lines, and hatches that allow the reptiles to escape from trawls. Turtles must come to the surface to breathe. When they are caught in a net or on a fishing hook, they cannot surface, and drown. Sniff.
There's a few old faces crawling out the wood work over the last few days & weeks. Of course we know octo-lingual Hal is back & working already, & then newly engaged Dan & Kymmie are back, Dan is teaching already & Kymmie is our new shop bitch. Then yesterday Teetotal Fat Alain came back & who should walk in the door this morning but the Milky Bar kid himself...Peter Couldn't give a Buckmaster! Welcome back everyone. Just in time for Songkran!
Sunday 11th April 2010-
Oh dear. Well I guess no one is too surprised that its all ended in fisty cuffs up there in the City of Angels, Bangkok, between the Red Shirts & the Government security forces but at the same time I don't think anyone was anticipating the dead & injured. Very sad. Of course all the foreign embassies are issuing travel warnings to Bangkok which is fair enough & we certainly don't recommend hanging around in the confrontation zones but please don't fret. Bangkok is a huge city & the press does have a habit of blowing things out of proportion. Its obviously not good news whats going up in the capital but this is Thailand & the Thais are wonderful peace loving people so this will all blow over soon. Blimmin well better or we're all in for a very low high season. Great for you... not so great for us... terrible for the Thais! :(
Another extremely successful Full Day Trip to Sail Rock yesterday made all the more successful by the fact we all (well almost 'all') saw a Whaleshark! About time too! After all it is whaleshark season & we haven't seen any yet so its definitely about time! High fives to all those who broke their whaleshark virginity yesterday. Low blows to all those who didn't!
Coming up to the most ridiculous day of the year this week! Songkran! The Thai New Year when everyone runs around with water pistols spraying & squirting each other with the most oversized water pistols you can think of! What fun. Sounds extremely immature & juvenile & is! But like I said extremely good fun & a great way to celebrate the New Year... in April!
