Wednesday 23rd March

Everybody look at the moon! Everybody look at the moon! A few days ago we all got the chance to witness a "super moon", the closest our orbiting lump of cheese has been to mother earth for 18 years! Sounded pretty cool when we heard about it and it didn't fail to impress either. On the night of the full moon itself it was almost as if the sun hadn't even set it was that bright and by morning we were left with an enormous orangey coloured moon face hovering just above the horizon. Not a bad sight to see at 7am when you're on your way out for the morning dives is it now? Since that awfully bright night there has been a massive improvement in the visibility (20-30m in places) and an almost immediate halt in the crappy weather we've been experiencing running up to the full moon...until this morning...when the heavens opened up and prepissitated all over us again! Nice one weather! Cheers! Lets hope it only lasts for a few days...

So only a few more days now until the Koh Tao underwater festival. The site is coming on well by the looks of it and so is the big blue dance practise(which is still a secret sorry). The guys have been working there butts off for the last few weeks preparing for their part in the festivities, aimed at raising money and awareness for Save Koh Tao. It is going to be one of many performances over the two days by local dive schools and children's schools getting involved this year. So if you're in the area, pop down on the 25th-26th, have a ganders and help us to try and preserve this beautiful island and its stunning waters. Food, beers, music and baby turtles! What more could you want?

Oh, I almost forgot! Not only did we have that super duper moon to gorp at the other morning but little did we know we were on our way out to bump into a whaleshark! Yes, another whaleshark I say. They're getting boring now! Recent plankton blooms have started to attract more and more of the buggers to our waters once again. Not like we've had any shortage of them this year or anything but sightings are on the up all the same. We even had the pleasure of diving with a Brides Whale and her calf yesterday!!! Holy quackamoly, Whalesharks, BRIDES WHALES, SUPER DUPER MOONS! What are you going to do people...who you gonna call?!

Saturday 19^th March-

Today is the 1^st birthday of Big Blue Conservation. BBC was started last year by our green queen Jen Matthews. Big Blue wetlands, the coral nursery, swim for sharks, coordinating the 2011 Save Koh Tao Festival, running 2 day eco programs to full internships, organizing beach and underwater clean ups and entertaining science professors are to name but a few things that’s this little star has achieved. And now we have the opening of the Eco Lab (or Hobbit Hole as we affectionately call it). Well done Jen we all bleed green at Big Blue.

Three instructors and their students are on board a dive boat in the middle of the ocean— there’s a BSAC instructor, a PADI instructor, and an SSI instructor. Everything is going fine, until the boat springs a leak, and starts to sink.
The SSI instructor says to his students, "Okay… we’re in the middle of the ocean, so we might as well do our deep dive."
The BSAC instructor says to his students, "Okay… we might as well do our navigation dive, so let’s get our compasses out and swim towards shore."
The PADI instructor says to his students, "Okay… for $25 extra you guys get to do a wreck dive!"

Any instructors wishing to be dual certified are invited to join the next 2 day SSI cross-over which will be starting in a few days. Prices available on request or contact SSImon Garrity at bigbluediving.com Go MORE places, see MORE people, do MORE in general!

Latest News March 2011

Thursday 17th March-

Our thoughts go out to all those people who have been affected by the Earthquake and Tsunami which hit Japan on Friday. Big Blue has a large number of Japanese staff both here in Koh Tao and over on the west coast in Khao Lak. We have happy reports that all their families are safe and well, but now have a long hard struggle to rebuild their lives again as they all lost everything. Kuma one of our longstanding members of staff left for Japan 2 days ago armed with supplies and money which was provided by the generous donations of everyone here.

Yesterday DM mentors Nick and Sonia took 11 of our new trainee dive professionals on a boat trip to Buoyancy World for a buoyancy clinic. Going back to basics with fin pivots and hovering then advancing to 180 Degree fin pivot, hovering upside down, learning how to fin backwards and helicopter, all kinds of fun. Then back on the boat to practice long tail briefings, boat briefings and learning how to prep a boat, Basically how to be a Big Blue Divemaster!!! Which are undoubtedly the best on the island!

The Save Koh Tao Festival is fast approaching and this year’s event is going to be bigger and better than previous years. Rehearsals for our show are well underway and the Flying Trapeze girls Gemma and Kelly are spinning faster than ever!!During the day there will be buoyline restoration, installation of anti-sedimentation devices (which stops the reef being smothered by land run) over 100 turtles released. On the night we have Mr and Mrs Koh Tao with our very own Emily representing Big Blue. There will be photography contests, live music. As well as having the best dancing and rope spinning performance of the decade, perfectly timed for St Guinness Day, to be sure!! HAPPY PADDYS DAY you drunken bums.

March 2011

Monday 8th Febuary

So, for the hundredth time, “The Turtle Whisperer” Natalie Quinn piped up again this afternoon! Nat, who has been doing her SSI Dive Control Specialist training here over the last few months, has the unusual ability of spotting turtles on EVERY trip she goes on! It’s a clear indication that the turtles around here are still hanging in there and with the Koh Tao Festival right around the corner we’re looking forward to a fresh injection of little turtles to join them! This year Save Koh Tao will be releasing 100 turtles into the waters around the island and with a bit of luck they will make it back to lay their eggs. Turtles navigate using the earths magnetic field as their own Global Positioning System (GPS). By sensing the field, they can work out both their latitude and longitude and head in the right direction enabling them to return to the beach in which they were born to lay their eggs. The Festival will be taking place on 25th-26th March…and yes, once again we’re going to be doing are own little show! This time it’s a secret though, so wait and see… Be there or be square people!

Big Blue Tech has now started running technical diving liveaboards off the coast of Cairns on a purpose diving built vessel the Spirit of Freedom. Spirit of Freedom is one of Australia’s most comfortable and well appointed live-aboard dive vessels. At 37 metres in length, with three decks of living space, generous cabins with private bathroom, the Spirit of Freedom offers all the amenities of a hotel, complimented by first class meals and outstanding service. A large dive deck with nitrox and photo facilities, houses every convenience to ensure comfort, safety and freedom in your diving.

Trips varied in length from 4 to 7 days are available most year round. Contact info@bigbluetech.com.au for more information.

So it looks like it’s not without consequence once again for our friends at Sea Shepard… “For the fourth year in a row, federal police have raided Sea Shepherd ships despite repeated failures to find legal grounds to pursue the anti-whaling group at Japan's request.

The Greens leader, Bob Brown, said officials were being pressured by the Japanese government to act against Sea Shepherd, and he urged the Foreign Affairs Minister, Kevin Rudd, to lodge a complaint with Tokyo.

Sea Shepherd's flagship, Steve Irwin, and the group's long-range vessel, Bob Barker, docked in Hobart after forcing the whaling fleet to withdraw from the Antarctic halfway through its season having taken less than one-fifth of its quota.''I'm actually quite convinced, about 75 per cent certain, that they won't be back again,'' the group's leader, Paul Watson said. ''But if they are we will be ready to go back.''The fisheries agency of Japan regards the prospect of returning to the Antarctic as ''extremely gloomy'', according to the national newspaper, Yomiuri Shimbun. However, no public statement of permanent withdrawal has been made by the Japanese government.

The police confirmed it had received referrals to investigate incidents in the past four seasons. Its 2007-08 investigation focused on clashes between the Steve Irwin and whale chaser Yushin Maru No. 2. ''These matters were finalised on September 21, 2009, following advice from the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions that there was insufficient evidence to commence a prosecution,'' a police spokeswoman said.

She said investigations into seasons 2008-09 and 2009-10 were continuing.” Well, who gives a monkeys what they say! Good job boys and a huge pat on the back from everyone who DOES give a monkeys about the future of these magnificent creatures and the future of our oceans! HORAH!