In the spirit of Halloween I plan on writing a book full of unbelievable scuba diving yarns, jaw dropping stories, unconventional
wisdom, stupid diver stunts,
mystery, murder, intrigue, weird tales, insightful
articles, and stories no other publication would dare touch. A Giant moray bites off a PADI Divemaster's finger . . . the stupidest thing anyone has ever done while feeling the effects of Nitrogen Narcosis... A women wakes up to find one of the boat boys on her Liveaboad lying naked on top of her... Face to face encounters underwater with Polar Bears, Salt water Crocodiles, Anaconda's. What happened when a Florida Liveaboard found bundles of cocaine floating on the surface. An Instructor takes his Deep Dive student down a further 30 meters deeper than planned! A diver
commits suicide underwater rather than run out of air. A cockroach in your reg & a centipede in your Wetsuit. I reckon I'm onto a winner! Its not exactly the sort of thing you'd tell your Open Water Course or put on the front page of your Scuba Dive Resort website but I reckon I might get a few beers out of it! Not so many new divers maybe, but a few beers! Happy Halloween.
“Hooked in for the ITC!”
- Instructor Training Course is what it is and one hell of a way to
taking the next step for my career choice! in 2011 i was traveling
through Thailand as a backpacker and found this little island called
Tao(koh tao) and boy it hooked me in! combining beautiful beaches great
food and people like the staff i have come to love at big blue this is a
magical bubble and i love every minute of it. and so after going home
for over a year i woke to the realization that i want to be a
professional diver so off i went back to koh tao and to learn to become a
Dive control specialist which turned out to be 3mths of blissful
diving, learning and having fun with new people, well i decided i wanted
more and so after a few mths back home i saved some money packed my
bags and told my teachers to watch out im coming back to pester them for
a few more mths and become a Instructor.The ITC was my biggest
challenge yet in my life and with Tosh And Simo Teaching me i had the
best help i could imagine ever having, these two Instructor Trainers
have the Experiences, the skill and the patience of what i believe truly
makes a great teacher they are a great part of the big blue team and i
hope they keep up all the good work they do for every new student that
comes through -Reece Jones.
- Instructor Training Course is what it is and one hell of a way to
taking the next step for my career choice! in 2011 i was traveling
through Thailand as a backpacker and found this little island called
Tao(koh tao) and boy it hooked me in! combining beautiful beaches great
food and people like the staff i have come to love at big blue this is a
magical bubble and i love every minute of it. and so after going home
for over a year i woke to the realization that i want to be a
professional diver so off i went back to koh tao and to learn to become a
Dive control specialist which turned out to be 3mths of blissful
diving, learning and having fun with new people, well i decided i wanted
more and so after a few mths back home i saved some money packed my
bags and told my teachers to watch out im coming back to pester them for
a few more mths and become a Instructor.The ITC was my biggest
challenge yet in my life and with Tosh And Simo Teaching me i had the
best help i could imagine ever having, these two Instructor Trainers
have the Experiences, the skill and the patience of what i believe truly
makes a great teacher they are a great part of the big blue team and i
hope they keep up all the good work they do for every new student that
comes through -Reece Jones.
Just a little disappointed to not find any paparazzi outside my house this morning! To not be mobbed as I walked down the street by autograph hunters. To not see any topless photos of myself spread across the local papers. To not get any offers in the mail for their exclusive rights to next months OK Magazine or FHM! To not have to drive my Honda Dream through the streets of Koh Tao at 90 miles an hour with police escort! To not have to run through the hordes of screaming teenage girls as they try to tear off my Y-fronts & grab tufts of chest hair! I just can't help feeling that my new found celebrity stardom isn't quite what I thought it was going to be! Come on SSI. A Platinum Pro 5000 Card is one thing. But where are all my hordes of back stage groupies? Other than Tosh & Simon who have only just managed to lift their chins off the floor!
Tuesday 30th October 2012-
The SSI Platinum Pro5000 Diver card is the calling card of the world’s
most elite water explorers. What makes the SSI Platinum Pro5000 Diver award so special is that it’s
all about diving. The unsung dive master on any island and Jacques
Cousteau earned their cards the same way—by diving 5,000 times.
It documents the dedication and commitment of diving’s
pioneers and industry-makers. Scuba Schools International is proud
that the sport’s most elite people carry the SSI Platinum Pro5000 Diver
card. Many Pros have confided that it’s the first diving credential
they ever received…and their favorite! The list of cardholders is a “who’s who” of
diving, containing the world’s most prominent dive leaders, scientists,
photographers, manufacturers, retailers, and now... Big Blue Diving's own Jim Donaldson!
“Open Water @ Big Blue with Jo - AMAZING!!!”-
We had booked Big Blue before arriving on Koh Tao based on great reviews
and recommendations! Unfortunately there was a mix up with the driver
and no one had come to receive us at the pier, Big Blue upgraded our
room to compensate which was absolutely wonderful of them! The resort
itself is beachfront and picturesque, stunning sunsets and sunrises! We
REALLY wanted to complete our Open Water SSI course, but were on a
tight schedule and didn't have the full 3 1/2 days to spend on the
island, Big Blue went out of their way to accommodate our schedule, they
gave us a private instructor and designed a fast track course for us!! The
course itself was wonderful, couldn't have imagined a better
experience! Big Blue is a large diving school with all the of the big
school resources, yet each student gets personalized instruction as the
teacher-to-student ratio is very small. The instructors are all very
experienced, we were lucky to be paired with Jo Prickett! Her love and
enthusiasm for diving was obvious, she was always upbeat, optimistic and
excited about each dive we went on. This was our first time diving and
she was a WONDERFUL instructor!! Very knowledgeable, informative,
supportive, patient and FUN! She helped us choreograph our Open Water
video, which turned out absolutely awesome!! (p.s. Jo- JUMP ON ITTTT). Overall
we couldn't have asked for a better Open Water experience or
instructor. Jo we can't thank you enough for making our first dives and
trip to KohTao an unforgettable experience!! Hope to return as dive
master one day :)- Smiti & Sonal
We had booked Big Blue before arriving on Koh Tao based on great reviews
and recommendations! Unfortunately there was a mix up with the driver
and no one had come to receive us at the pier, Big Blue upgraded our
room to compensate which was absolutely wonderful of them! The resort
itself is beachfront and picturesque, stunning sunsets and sunrises! We
REALLY wanted to complete our Open Water SSI course, but were on a
tight schedule and didn't have the full 3 1/2 days to spend on the
island, Big Blue went out of their way to accommodate our schedule, they
gave us a private instructor and designed a fast track course for us!! The
course itself was wonderful, couldn't have imagined a better
experience! Big Blue is a large diving school with all the of the big
school resources, yet each student gets personalized instruction as the
teacher-to-student ratio is very small. The instructors are all very
experienced, we were lucky to be paired with Jo Prickett! Her love and
enthusiasm for diving was obvious, she was always upbeat, optimistic and
excited about each dive we went on. This was our first time diving and
she was a WONDERFUL instructor!! Very knowledgeable, informative,
supportive, patient and FUN! She helped us choreograph our Open Water
video, which turned out absolutely awesome!! (p.s. Jo- JUMP ON ITTTT). Overall
we couldn't have asked for a better Open Water experience or
instructor. Jo we can't thank you enough for making our first dives and
trip to KohTao an unforgettable experience!! Hope to return as dive
master one day :)- Smiti & Sonal
Did you know that on Koh Tao alone this year the SSI Ecological program (soon to be replaced by Mission Deep Blue) has raised 137 thousand bht or 4500 dollars in just 10 months! Now that is a sustainable program SSI are proud to be part of and includes funding for: Buoyancy world, Bio Rock, Coral nursery
School based Programs, EMP Programs. That is without the separate donations we have made to initially get these programs of the ground.Or the international sharkproject. Thanks to you all for your efforts, wait till 2013 we are going to rock the environment gangman style!
Monday 29th October 2012-
Organizing another awesome underwater adventure around the best divesites in the South East Asia area. This is going to be a road trip like no other! Its going to include a liveaboard around the Similans & Surin Islands, a few long tail dives off the coast an hour or so north of Phuket checking out a few wrecks there. Its going to include the American Submarine the Legarto, discovered just recently but beleived to be one of the last downed Subs of the Second World War. It's going to include one of the most infamous Second World War wrecks ever the HMS Repulse which along with her consort HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941 just 3 days after Pearl Harbour, when they attempted to intercept landings in Malaysia. This is truely a trip of a lifetime! Times & dates & costs are all to be worked out so this is just a heads up but if you are interested in more news on it then do please get in touch with the boys in the Tech shack who'll keep you posted. The more the merrier & cheaper! contact info@bigbluetech.net or info@bigbluediving.com
“ITC at Big Blue”
I came to Big Blue to do my open water with SSI and I fell so in love
with diving and the feel of it that I never left - I just finished doing
my instructor training course with Simo and Tosh. It was an amazing
experience, I felt extremely prepared for my Instructor Exam, and we all
passed with flying colours thanks to our two IT's. I have never enjoyed
anything remotely like school until I did the ITC - to be able to learn
so much about diving, and to learn how to get other people involved was
incredible. Everything they teach you resonates even after you finish
the course and start instructing for real. It was hard work, no doubt
about it, but it really pays off and you feel so much more confident in
yourself as a diver afterwards. Simo and Tosh offer constructive advice
to achieve the results that you want, and they really know what they are
talking about, having worked alongside SSI while on the island. As
for Big Blue, so many months there have given me some of the best times
of my life - I am so appreciative of everyone who works there, because
they work so hard to produce confident, self-reliant divers, but also
because they really embrace everyone into the family that is Big Blue.
The staff are amazingly friendly, and I am lucky enough to call them my
friends. I would, and do, recommend Big Blue to anyone coming to Koh Tao
to dive as you will not find another experience like it, whether you're
starting from the beginning or ready to take the leap into instructing.
Thank you for everything Big Blue!! xxxxx Becky
I came to Big Blue to do my open water with SSI and I fell so in love
with diving and the feel of it that I never left - I just finished doing
my instructor training course with Simo and Tosh. It was an amazing
experience, I felt extremely prepared for my Instructor Exam, and we all
passed with flying colours thanks to our two IT's. I have never enjoyed
anything remotely like school until I did the ITC - to be able to learn
so much about diving, and to learn how to get other people involved was
incredible. Everything they teach you resonates even after you finish
the course and start instructing for real. It was hard work, no doubt
about it, but it really pays off and you feel so much more confident in
yourself as a diver afterwards. Simo and Tosh offer constructive advice
to achieve the results that you want, and they really know what they are
talking about, having worked alongside SSI while on the island. As
for Big Blue, so many months there have given me some of the best times
of my life - I am so appreciative of everyone who works there, because
they work so hard to produce confident, self-reliant divers, but also
because they really embrace everyone into the family that is Big Blue.
The staff are amazingly friendly, and I am lucky enough to call them my
friends. I would, and do, recommend Big Blue to anyone coming to Koh Tao
to dive as you will not find another experience like it, whether you're
starting from the beginning or ready to take the leap into instructing.
Thank you for everything Big Blue!! xxxxx Becky Saturday 27th October 2012-
Despite monsoon season looming ever closer, the diving has never been
more glorious. We are still enjoying crystal clear calm waters and sunny
weather, but on top of that, how about adding 3 whalesharks spotted at
Chumphon recently? Yes please! To have so many whalesharks in
close proximity to our reefs means only one thing - that our reefs are
producing alot of food for these massive creatures. Usually preferring
the solitary life, whalesharks are known to school only when there is
high productivity in an area, such as Ningaloo reef in Australia and our very
own Chumphon Pinnacle! Whalesharks feed primarily on plankton, with over
8,000 bristle-like teeth filtering the waters for these tiny tasty
treats. Whalesharks are thought to detect areas with high productivity
(high amounts of plankton) through chemical sensing. Sharks have 2 extra
senses than us - the jelly-like filled channels in their nose known as
the Ampullae of Lorenzini detect electircal pulses in the water and are
used to locate food, mates and danger. They also have sensitised lateral
lines - two lines that run either side of the whalesharks body which
help detect movement in the water. Although we know this, we still don't
fully understand these huge beauties, such as where they reproduce.
There is a lot of research still being conducted on whalesharks, some of
which we contribute to here with our Eco arm Big Blue Conservation. Pretty cool huh?
And you can see these Whalesharks in all their glory at Chumphon right now!
“Best Dive School You Can Imagine!”
A personable, professional, and fun staff make this one of the best
experiences I have had in my life - all while technically being in
school! Yes, there is homework to be Scuba certified, yes there are very
early mornings, but the instructors, the fellow students, the location,
and the diving all make it more than worthwhile. I couldn't recommend
anywhere more highly. Chloe was my instructor and if you have the
opportunity to be in her class, be prepared for an even more amazing
experience! Thanks Big Blue, I hope to come back soon!
A personable, professional, and fun staff make this one of the best
experiences I have had in my life - all while technically being in
school! Yes, there is homework to be Scuba certified, yes there are very
early mornings, but the instructors, the fellow students, the location,
and the diving all make it more than worthwhile. I couldn't recommend
anywhere more highly. Chloe was my instructor and if you have the
opportunity to be in her class, be prepared for an even more amazing
experience! Thanks Big Blue, I hope to come back soon! Friday 26th October 2012-
Wrapping up another very successful week at Big Blue we ended up whipping the gang at Scuba Junction at the Koh Tao trapeze! Our staff whizzed through the air like the legendary flying Wallenda's family! Well we flew gracefully till Big Blue Tech Donny twatted the back of his head on the standing platform & then DM Darren & Instructor Iain gave their best impressions of flying elephants, & wrapped up nicely by Inst Rich's Superman impression! An excellent night had by all & special thanks to Scuba Junction for letting us whip you nicely & Gemma for organising the event. http://flyingtrapezeadventures.com well worth a visit on your next visit to Koh Tao.
I first travelled to koh tao a little over 2 years ago and completed my
PADI open water course @ crystal dive resort (lower lower case) while i
had fun and enjoyed my stay it was the staff that make the difference.
One certain character that i now have a life long friendship with was
Richard Todd, and because of this i returned to koh tao to do my
advanced open water with one condition that Richy was my instructor, as
well recommending him to many of my friends who have completed courses
under his guidance. The advanced was alot of fun and well worth doing as
an add on to your open water ! Fast forward a year and i knew i
would be back, only to find that Richy had moved dive schools down to
BIG BLUE (upper upper case) and it didn't take long to see why !!! The
atmosphere and location of the place is simply brilliant and couldn't be
positioned anywhere better. The staff were great and the food is
delicious not to mention the various options of accommodation. On
orientation my friends whom i was travelling with were offered an
option of doing their course either under padi or SSI, they were given
an option after being equally represented and after considering the
extra cost for a PADI book that i no longer know where mine is and the
flexibility of the SSI course they decided to go with SSI, which turned
out to be exactly what they were after. We were lucky enough to have two
instructors on our course the first being the amazing Rich and his
instructor intern Becky. Both of them were extremely fun and
professional and I will continue to recommend that people dive with BIG
BLUE and ask for Rich and Becky, and dive under the organisation of SSI.
After doing my training under padi and accompanying my friends on every
dive of their SSI open/advanced course I much preferred the SSI way of
doing things, it is more flexible and appropiate for learning how to
dive on a truly magificent island. 10 out of 10 !!!!! Big thanks to BiG BLUE (upper upper case :)) and Rich and Bec's, see you when i return!!!!!!!! Wednesday 24th October 2012-
Despite the rain its still amazing, (world class in fact) Scuba Diving with 3 Whalesharks being spotted at the same time in the same location! Man that Chumphon Pinnacle truely is an awesome Dive site! & one of the sharks appears to be an unidentified Whaleshark according to www.whaleshark.org so we have decided to name it & adopt it for ourselves! "Lulu" the Whaleshark. 4 meters long, with a distinct black spot on her tailfin. Weren't able to identify its gender but having got our in House Marine Biologists Jen & Jam-cam to check the photos it appears we have ourselves a girl! Hence the female name! Named after my daughter no less. :-) Want to name or adopt your own Whaleshark? Have a look at www.whaleshark.org a visual database of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) encounters and of individually catalogued whale sharks.
“Big blue is for you”-
Week long diving trip to get my advanced water ticket, stoked the whole
time, big blue crew are awesome and made my stay on the wonderful island
of Koh Tao one to remember. Advanced to beginner should check in with
Big Blue, good times can't wait to get back, say G,day to Pong at Big
Blue 2 Bar!!!!
There's rumours circulating of a White tip reef shark being spotted at Green Rock yesterday! In fact there's photographic proof. So lets recap shall we. Bull sharks at Sail Rock & Chumphon. Whalesharks at Southwest, Sail Rock & Chumphon. Blacktips at Laem Thien & Buddha Point & now a White tip at Green Rock. All we need now is the return of the Grey Reefs at Chumphon & the Leopard Sharks at Aow Leuk & Shark Island & we'll have got the whole band back together! Congratulations everyone. Saying no to Shark fin soup is definitely having an effect! Now lets see if we can't save a few more dolphins & Whales eh!
Week long diving trip to get my advanced water ticket, stoked the whole
time, big blue crew are awesome and made my stay on the wonderful island
of Koh Tao one to remember. Advanced to beginner should check in with
Big Blue, good times can't wait to get back, say G,day to Pong at Big
Blue 2 Bar!!!!Tuesday 23rd October 2012-
Ok... now hypothetically speaking... lets say you ran a bar. & in that bar you are selling 9 Pepsi's to 1 Coke. Would you expect Coke to throw their toys out the pram & demand their Cokes back & ban you from selling any more Cokes? Or would you reckon Coke would pop round furnish you with promotional glasses, mirrors, stickers, labels, posters, t-shirts etc & sit down & ask you "What is it we can do to help you sell more Cokes?" I mean really. Wouldn't you reckon that would be the better more professional way to run the business? You know hypothetically speaking!
“Excellent Dive School, Talented Instructors”
I just spent the last 4 days doing the refresher and advanced dive
courses at Big Blue on Koh Tao. My experience has been superb. I
did a refresher course with Jade because it had been over a year since I
last dove. I am really glad I did this because it helped me feel very
comfortable with the basics before doing my advanced. Jade was amazing.
She was so good at explaining things and helping me feel at ease in the
water after a long absence from diving. I've dove with instructors in
America, Austrailia, and Belize and the instructors at Big Blue are by
far the best I've ever encountered. Jade helped me perfect my buoyancy
and was extremely attentive to me underwater, making sure I was
comfortable the whole time. She also was very good at identifying fish
and other interesting things underwater.I did my Advaced
Adventure Diver Certification with Billy Cloud. It was incredible. I
highly recommend doing not just and Open Water, but also an Advanced
course. We did 5 dives together and with each dive, Billy introduced new
skills and challenges to help me learn more about navigation, sea life,
safety, buoyancy control, breathing techniques and Oxygen conservation,
using dive computers, diving in difficult conditions such as low/no
visability, wrecks, and at night. Even though I was diving in novel
situations, I never felt uncomfortable because Billy was very attentive
and did an excellent job preparing me for what to expect. Big
Blue offers free/cheap accommodation while you are getting
certified/diving. It's not the most luxurious in Koh Tao, but not worth
complaining about (ahem past reviewers). They also have some newer and
nicer bungalows at their second location up the beach that are more on
the high end if that's your thing. We stayed in the fan/no hot water
private room and it was comfortable and clean. The atmosphere at
the school/bar/restaurant is so much fun. I loved meeting people from
all over the globe, eating the excellent food (with HUGE portions) and
watching fire-dancing shows every evening. Enthusiastic
recommendation to choosing Big Blue for your diving/certification needs
on Koh Tao. And also a big thanks to Jade and Billy for bringing my
diving to the next level. You two rock!
I just spent the last 4 days doing the refresher and advanced dive
courses at Big Blue on Koh Tao. My experience has been superb. I
did a refresher course with Jade because it had been over a year since I
last dove. I am really glad I did this because it helped me feel very
comfortable with the basics before doing my advanced. Jade was amazing.
She was so good at explaining things and helping me feel at ease in the
water after a long absence from diving. I've dove with instructors in
America, Austrailia, and Belize and the instructors at Big Blue are by
far the best I've ever encountered. Jade helped me perfect my buoyancy
and was extremely attentive to me underwater, making sure I was
comfortable the whole time. She also was very good at identifying fish
and other interesting things underwater.I did my Advaced
Adventure Diver Certification with Billy Cloud. It was incredible. I
highly recommend doing not just and Open Water, but also an Advanced
course. We did 5 dives together and with each dive, Billy introduced new
skills and challenges to help me learn more about navigation, sea life,
safety, buoyancy control, breathing techniques and Oxygen conservation,
using dive computers, diving in difficult conditions such as low/no
visability, wrecks, and at night. Even though I was diving in novel
situations, I never felt uncomfortable because Billy was very attentive
and did an excellent job preparing me for what to expect. Big
Blue offers free/cheap accommodation while you are getting
certified/diving. It's not the most luxurious in Koh Tao, but not worth
complaining about (ahem past reviewers). They also have some newer and
nicer bungalows at their second location up the beach that are more on
the high end if that's your thing. We stayed in the fan/no hot water
private room and it was comfortable and clean. The atmosphere at
the school/bar/restaurant is so much fun. I loved meeting people from
all over the globe, eating the excellent food (with HUGE portions) and
watching fire-dancing shows every evening. Enthusiastic
recommendation to choosing Big Blue for your diving/certification needs
on Koh Tao. And also a big thanks to Jade and Billy for bringing my
diving to the next level. You two rock! 
Bullsharks still cruising around the rocks & pinnacles at Sail Rock & yesterday there were 2 Whalesharks hanging out there as well, & this morning we've just been radioed again to be told that there is another Whaleshark at Chumphon Pinnacle as well! Its only 4 meters long but thats ok! An encounter with any animal that is 4 meters large is still going to be an experience you'll treasure for a lifetime! And not forgetting the meter long Cobia hanging on to the Whalesharks & the big typhoon of Big Eyed Jacks, the Wall of Barracuda & the massive school of inquisitive Batfish, the 30 degree water temperature & the 20 meter visibility! It's a hard job this but you know, someone's got to do it & if you aint going to pull your finger out & have a go then it may as well be me!
“Excellent First Diving Experience” -
I Went to Big Blue to complete my SSI Open Water course in early October
based on a friend’s recommendation. Big Blue far exceeded my
expectations. On arrival, the staff was very friendly and provided us
with accommodation in a beachside bungalow, free of charge, while we
attended the course. While everyone at Big Blue was very
helpful, our dive instructor Chloe went above and beyond to make sure
that we were totally comfortable with our experience. I was quite
apprehensive about diving but after a day of training in the pool with
Chloe, all of my fears were gone. Her instructions were clear, concise,
and presented in a way that was fun and easy to understand. The
diving was incredible. We were briefed before every dive so that
everyone was comfortable and knew what was going on at all times. The
dive prep was very thorough and at no time did I feel unsafe. We had
such a great time in the open water course that we decided to continue
on with Chloe and get our Advanced Open Water certification as well.Thanks to Big Blue and Chloe for making my first experience diving one I’ll never forget!
I Went to Big Blue to complete my SSI Open Water course in early October
based on a friend’s recommendation. Big Blue far exceeded my
expectations. On arrival, the staff was very friendly and provided us
with accommodation in a beachside bungalow, free of charge, while we
attended the course. While everyone at Big Blue was very
helpful, our dive instructor Chloe went above and beyond to make sure
that we were totally comfortable with our experience. I was quite
apprehensive about diving but after a day of training in the pool with
Chloe, all of my fears were gone. Her instructions were clear, concise,
and presented in a way that was fun and easy to understand. The
diving was incredible. We were briefed before every dive so that
everyone was comfortable and knew what was going on at all times. The
dive prep was very thorough and at no time did I feel unsafe. We had
such a great time in the open water course that we decided to continue
on with Chloe and get our Advanced Open Water certification as well.Thanks to Big Blue and Chloe for making my first experience diving one I’ll never forget!
I've never seen so many Job opportunities in Scuba Diving for SSI Dive Professionals in all my days of diving! Seems like the opportunities in diving lie very much now with the SSI Instructor. Ooh how the tide has turned! Fantastic if you are already SSI, not so great if you are only a PADI Instructor but don't despair as it only takes 3 days to Crossover & become an SSI Instructor if you are only PADI already. So for those interested we have Instructor jobs in Greece, Brazil, in Sydney Australia we're looking for an SSI Instructor to lead Shark Diving Specialty courses & Intros at the Manly Sea Life Center. We need Dive Leaders for various Liveaboards best one being in Cost Rica, cruising the Cocos Islands, A videographer in the Philipines & here in Thailand we got SSI Instructor jobs for anyone interested in working in Phi Phi Islands, Khao Lak & even here in Koh Tao! I even have 2 manager positions available one being in Bolton, UK, & the other one is for our very own Sister branch at Big Blue Diving Khao Lak! Please note for all the listed jobs above you must be SSI Instructor certified! Look here for more info or please feel free to contact us directly info@bigblueinstructortraining.com
Saturday 20th October 2012-
Between 1580 and 2011 there were 2,463 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks around the world, of which 471 were fatal. While sharks kill less than 20 people a year, they suffer greatly at human hands. Between 20 & 100 million sharks die each year due to fishing activity, according to data from the International Shark Attack File. THAT'S ABOUT 11,000 AN HOUR!!! 100 million sharks are killed each year-by longlines, by "sport" fishermen, or by a barbaric practice known as shark finning:- Hooked sharks are hauled onto boats, their fins are sliced off while they are still alive. These helpless animals are then tossed back into the ocean where, unable to swim without their fins, they sink to the bottom & die an agonizing death... FOR SOUP!!! Obesity kills 30,000 people a year, lightning - 10,000, TEXTING - 6,000!, hippos - 2,900, airplanes - 1,200, volcanoes - 845, autoerotic asphyxiation - 600, falling out of bed - 450 just in America, bathtubs - 340, icicles - 100 just in Russia, hot dogs - 70 kids, jellyfish - 40, dogs & ants - 30+, vending machines - 13, roller-coasters - 6, SHARKS - 5!! More people die eating shark (food poisoning / choking etc) than being eaten by one! NOT end of rant, but that'll do for now.
“Awesome dives, and great atmosphere”
We stayed at Big blue for 7 nights, in a bungalow on the beach for 600
bath when diving and 800 when not. We had 13 dives so the price pr dive
was 700 bath. The bungalow was simple and no hot water, but when you
are staying about 5 meters from crystal clear water, that was fine for
us. The diving at big blue was amazing, we had 8 dives with
divemaster Darren, he was very enthusiastic, right from the briefing to
end of dive. He also had a magic phone to call whalesharks, he was
awesome :) If you have the chance, take the fullday trip to dive site
sailrock, DO IT. We did it, saw a lot of bullsharks, and our divemaster
Daisy took some amazing pictures of us and the bullsharks. Another great thing is that, to 1 divemaster there’s maximum 4 divers. The restaurant is cheap and serves thai food, but also great pizza and pasta.
We stayed at Big blue for 7 nights, in a bungalow on the beach for 600
bath when diving and 800 when not. We had 13 dives so the price pr dive
was 700 bath. The bungalow was simple and no hot water, but when you
are staying about 5 meters from crystal clear water, that was fine for
us. The diving at big blue was amazing, we had 8 dives with
divemaster Darren, he was very enthusiastic, right from the briefing to
end of dive. He also had a magic phone to call whalesharks, he was
awesome :) If you have the chance, take the fullday trip to dive site
sailrock, DO IT. We did it, saw a lot of bullsharks, and our divemaster
Daisy took some amazing pictures of us and the bullsharks. Another great thing is that, to 1 divemaster there’s maximum 4 divers. The restaurant is cheap and serves thai food, but also great pizza and pasta. Thursday 18th October 2012-
When choosing your dive course, you can do it with many different dive organizations who all develop their own materials, standards and
certifications which their instructors use to conduct the courses but who all essentially teach the same thing! You will use
the same kind of equipment and see the same marine life under water. The quality of the courses strongly depends on your dive instructor and the dive school you train with. Here at Big Blue
Diving, our Instructors are able to offer you courses with the three biggest Dive
Organizations in the world; SSI (a German/ Australian organisation) and PADI (American) & BSAC (British). They all follow the diving standards set by the Governing body - RSTC (Recreational
Scuba Training Council) meaning that knowledge and skill requirements
are almost the same. In layman's terms, its like having an Australian Driving license or an
English driving license. We might have taken a different test but
driving the car is still the same! Certifications are interchangeable & recognised 100% throughout the world. We tend to favour SSI by about 90%. Why? Well SSI recognizes that every person has a different
learning method, and they allow their instructors to plan the course
with a lot of flexibility when it comes to theory, swimming pool
exercises or open water exercises. PADI is too inflexible in that they have a set
order in which to do the course & if you come across a skill you struggle with you can't go further until demonstrating mastery of that skill which for some can be a massive problem! Sometimes when struggling with one thing, the more one struggles the harder it gets! Given the opportunity to leave it & then come back to it later, it then becomes a breeze! In addition PADI costs more as you are forced to buy the manual which becomes an additional thing to squeeze in to your already bulging backpack & isn't terribly eco friendly. With both SSI & BSAC we lend you the manual & at the end of the course you give it back thereby saving you 800 Bt & a few more trees! Consequently over recent years the SSI certification has become increasingly more popular & therefore creating a demand for SSI Instructors! With the dramatic decline in PADI requests & the difficulty in finding work for PADI Instructors & Divemasters we believe it makes sense to do your SSI for both beginners & professionals alike. Don't you?
“Good, but don't be pressured into doing more qualifications”-
Great staff, boats and instruction although I did feel that there were a
lot of people being rushed through their qualifications. If you go and
do your open water, do it and then do fun dives to get experience. I met
so many people who had done their open water and then advanced open
water straight away but still couldn't even control their buoyancy. If
they turn up at another dive center with advanced open water, it will be
expected that they can look after themselves. This is more of an issue
with the Padi system than Big Blue.
Great staff, boats and instruction although I did feel that there were a
lot of people being rushed through their qualifications. If you go and
do your open water, do it and then do fun dives to get experience. I met
so many people who had done their open water and then advanced open
water straight away but still couldn't even control their buoyancy. If
they turn up at another dive center with advanced open water, it will be
expected that they can look after themselves. This is more of an issue
with the Padi system than Big Blue. Wednesday 17th October 2012-
And we're off to another flying start with another choc a bloc Instructor Training Course with SSI Instructor Trainer Simon Garrity, & staffed this time by BIg Blue Tech Instructors Donny & Rick. Our other SSI Instructor Trainer Paul Tosh Tanner is away at the moment in Koh Phi Phi doing an SSI Crossover for 3 different Diveshops there. What is going on? How come SSI seem to be taking over the world at the moment? Whats happened to PADI??? They seem to have completely disappeared from the mighty force they once were? Anything to do with the fact that SSI has more job opportunities? That SSI tho offerring exactly the same internationally recognised certification as PADI are considerably cheaper? Could it be that the Instructors prefer to teach SSI as it gives their students a far more 'real' definition of what Scuba Diving is all about? And that Instructors don't have to risk Decompression Sickness by doing the dreaded CESA? That Dive shops prefer to sell SSI over PADI as the profit margin is much greater? That there is more care & interaction between SSI & their members than with PADI? That more students are walking in the door asking for their SSI Course? Or that once certified you are issued your certification card straight away as opposed to having to wait 3 months for it to be sent out to you... sometimes! Its a no brainer. SSI are far more superior to PADI in every way, which is why we're teaching another full SSI Instructor Training Course & why we now have 2 SSI Instructor Trainers! and why 91% of our students choose to take their SSI Open Water Course, a statistic quoted to us by PADI, funnily enough! Wow! Looks like even PADI are recommending SSI!
“Amazing diving with Big Blue”
I stumbled across Big Blue when I was in Koh Tao looking for a
volunteering position on the island and was immediately attracted to the
dive school due to the marine conservation side it had to it. A couple
of days later I decided to do an eco internship with them for 6 weeks –
which was absolutely phenomenal. The internship was a completely
flexible course, and could be tailored to anyone’s time frame - making
it a very enjoyable course to do. Not only was I diving every
day, but was doing so with one of the divemasters – Jamcam - who was a
Marine Biologist himself and so I was inundated with marine facts after
every dive. Jen, who runs Big Blue Conservation was incredibly welcoming
and she too was a fountain of knowledge! Anything you came across under
water, either herself or Jamcam would be able to explain what it was
and its function in the sea. It was an incredible experience to be able
to go from the classroom, where we learning things like topography and
different niches in the sea – to actually being able to see it in front
of you under water. I cannot recommend Big Blue highly enough to
anyone. Not only is it the only school on the island with a
conservation side to it, but the divemasters that run the place are
truly amazing and really help make everyone feel as comfortable as
possible. If you’re looking for a divemaster for a fun dive, I
would definitely recommend Jamcam to lead you as he will point things
out that you’d never necessarily see otherwise, and will be able to put
it into a marine context back on board. If you’re looking for an
instructor – then Jen is the one! Her relaxed demeanour and lovely sense
of humor would put anyone at ease. So without a doubt, if you get the
chance, dive at Big Blue!
I stumbled across Big Blue when I was in Koh Tao looking for a
volunteering position on the island and was immediately attracted to the
dive school due to the marine conservation side it had to it. A couple
of days later I decided to do an eco internship with them for 6 weeks –
which was absolutely phenomenal. The internship was a completely
flexible course, and could be tailored to anyone’s time frame - making
it a very enjoyable course to do. Not only was I diving every
day, but was doing so with one of the divemasters – Jamcam - who was a
Marine Biologist himself and so I was inundated with marine facts after
every dive. Jen, who runs Big Blue Conservation was incredibly welcoming
and she too was a fountain of knowledge! Anything you came across under
water, either herself or Jamcam would be able to explain what it was
and its function in the sea. It was an incredible experience to be able
to go from the classroom, where we learning things like topography and
different niches in the sea – to actually being able to see it in front
of you under water. I cannot recommend Big Blue highly enough to
anyone. Not only is it the only school on the island with a
conservation side to it, but the divemasters that run the place are
truly amazing and really help make everyone feel as comfortable as
possible. If you’re looking for a divemaster for a fun dive, I
would definitely recommend Jamcam to lead you as he will point things
out that you’d never necessarily see otherwise, and will be able to put
it into a marine context back on board. If you’re looking for an
instructor – then Jen is the one! Her relaxed demeanour and lovely sense
of humor would put anyone at ease. So without a doubt, if you get the
chance, dive at Big Blue!
Just sent Aow Muong Boat off for her yearly touch up. A lick of paint here, a bit of spit & polish there. Some elbow grease, wax on, wax off & we should have her back in about 4 weeks time! Then we'll be sending our Mother ship, Banzai, off for her yearly spit & polish & then just before Christmas it'll be time to send off Big Blue Tech Boat off to get Captain Dams annual laundry run taken care of! Oh the joys of monsoon!
Monday 15th October 2012- 
Went out for another very successful Full Day Trip to Sail Rock on Saturday & saw enough Bull Sharks to warrant taking another Full Day trip to Sail Rock again this morning! Absolutely fabulous conditions. Mill pond flat, crystal clear waters & more sharks than you can shake a stick at! Only blemish on an otherwise amazing trip is that there is a big fishing net draped over the south east side of the site which although has now been removed has caused a lot of damage including a few fish fatalities, thankfully though, no sharks! 
“Super Fun: Fun Dive with Big Blue”
Great days in Koh Tao during Oct 3~8! We were 2 rookie divers. We just
walked in, and immediately we decided to dive with Big Blue. We were not
so confident about our diving experience, so we did refresher, and then
fun dives. During the next 4 days, huge thanks to our DMs, Steven,
Ant and Reece, also our DMT Mark, who made our trip extraordinarily fun
and safe at same time. We loved Steven. We met Steven on the first
day and he introduced to us about dive plans. Then we had Steven as our
DM for refresher and 2 fun dives. Highly professional and interesting,
Steven showed his expertise each and every time in briefing, detailing,
signaling, logging, etc etc. We were always impressed by his passion for
diving. All in all, awesome days with Big Blue!
Great days in Koh Tao during Oct 3~8! We were 2 rookie divers. We just
walked in, and immediately we decided to dive with Big Blue. We were not
so confident about our diving experience, so we did refresher, and then
fun dives. During the next 4 days, huge thanks to our DMs, Steven,
Ant and Reece, also our DMT Mark, who made our trip extraordinarily fun
and safe at same time. We loved Steven. We met Steven on the first
day and he introduced to us about dive plans. Then we had Steven as our
DM for refresher and 2 fun dives. Highly professional and interesting,
Steven showed his expertise each and every time in briefing, detailing,
signaling, logging, etc etc. We were always impressed by his passion for
diving. All in all, awesome days with Big Blue! Saturday 13th October 2012-
Sail Rock! A solitary rock/ pinnacle that ascends from a depth of 40 meters up to about 15 meters above the surface. Standing alone Sail Rock lies about 30 kilometers south of Koh Tao & about 15 kms' north of Koh Phangan and acts as a cleaning station, a food court & a pit stop for many travelling pelagics such as the Whaleshark, barracudas, mackerel & trevally & over recent months has become a magnet for divers as there appears to be a small group of sharks hanging out there. Bull sharks. Better go out there today & check them out!
“Great Experience thanks to awesome instructors!”-
- I just returned from an amazing trip to Koh Tao. With my fellow Bangkok
exchange students we made a 5 day trip to Koh Tao to get our SSI open
water diving certification and a friend of us recommended us Big Blue
Diving. This was for a reason. The accommodation was great, the price was
good and the experience was unforgettable, because we we're with a big
group (9), we're split up in two small groups to get the personal
attention you deserve. But because we're friends of each other it worked
out as a big group with two instructors during the activities this was
possible. And gladly for us the two instructors were awesome, so twice as
much fun! I can recommend Billy and Serena to everyone. They're
profesional, easy going and extremely fun. It is just a matter of time
before I will go back for mine Advanced course and I hope I will be in
their group again!
- I just returned from an amazing trip to Koh Tao. With my fellow Bangkok
exchange students we made a 5 day trip to Koh Tao to get our SSI open
water diving certification and a friend of us recommended us Big Blue
Diving. This was for a reason. The accommodation was great, the price was
good and the experience was unforgettable, because we we're with a big
group (9), we're split up in two small groups to get the personal
attention you deserve. But because we're friends of each other it worked
out as a big group with two instructors during the activities this was
possible. And gladly for us the two instructors were awesome, so twice as
much fun! I can recommend Billy and Serena to everyone. They're
profesional, easy going and extremely fun. It is just a matter of time
before I will go back for mine Advanced course and I hope I will be in
their group again!
Coral specialist & Ex Big Blue Conservationist Dr. Bert W. Hoeksema of Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, The Netherlands, recently published the description of a new coral species that lives on the ceilings of caves in Indo-Pacific coral reefs. It differs from its closest relatives by its small polyp size and by the absence of symbiotic algae, so-called zooxanthellae. Its distribution range overlaps with the Coral Triangle, an area that is famous for its high marine species richness. Marine zoologists of Naturalis visit this area frequently to explore its marine biodiversity. Reef corals in shallow tropical seas normally need the symbiotic algae for their survival and growth. Without these algae, many coral reefs would not exist. During periods of elevated seawater temperature, most reef corals lose their algae, which is visible as a dramatic whitening of the reefs, a coral disease known as bleaching. Most reef corals generally do not occur over 40 m depth, a twilight zone where sunlight is not bright anymore, but some species of the genus Leptoseris are exceptional and may even occur much deeper. At greater depths, seawater is generally colder and corals here may be less susceptible to bleaching than those at shallower depths. Despite the lack of zooxanthellae and its small size, the skeleton structures of the new species indicate that it is closely related to these Leptoseris corals, although it has not been found deeper than 35 m so far. The species is named Leptoseris troglodyta. The word troglodyta is derived from ancient Greek and means "one who dwells in holes," a cave dweller. The discovery sheds new light on the relation of reef corals with symbiotic algae. The new species has adapted to a life without them. Consequently, it may not grow fast, which would be convenient because space is limited on cave ceilings. The species description is published in the open access journal ZooKeys.
Friday 12th October 2012-
Congratulations to 5 of our brand new Open Water Divers from Burma! & all employees of Big Blue! & special thanks to Nick who just took 4 days unpaid leave to teach them! Absolutely awesome & on their last dive today they were joined by our one legged Captain of Banzai P'Piak who by the way is a certified PADI Divemaster in case you weren't aware! It appears all the boys are absolute fish & cruised through the diving side of things as well as the academics scoring a minimum score of 48 out of 50! Not bad at all! Congratulations boys! & our friends at ACE Marine are also giving them a free video of their dive today which will be aired tonight at 7.30 in the bar if anyone reckons they can make it here in time! Thanks again Nick! Awesome job!
“Experience of a life time!”
I had planned to stay for 3 nights to try diving for the first time and
finally tore myself away with both Open Water and Advanced diving
certificates. I was travelling alone but soon made friends with my group
and we carried on getting our advanced cert together. Everyone was
friendly and our instructor was the best! Keep your deadlines open for
leaving this island as exciting oppurtunities arise each day to lure you
to stay (eg. Bull Shark Diving). Accomadation is basic but free while
diving. If you are considering diving take my advice and try Big Blue
and make sure to request Rich as your instructor, he'll take care of you
above and below water and makes you feel invincible! You won't regret
it, actually there's a strong possibility you won't leave the island,
ever!
I had planned to stay for 3 nights to try diving for the first time and
finally tore myself away with both Open Water and Advanced diving
certificates. I was travelling alone but soon made friends with my group
and we carried on getting our advanced cert together. Everyone was
friendly and our instructor was the best! Keep your deadlines open for
leaving this island as exciting oppurtunities arise each day to lure you
to stay (eg. Bull Shark Diving). Accomadation is basic but free while
diving. If you are considering diving take my advice and try Big Blue
and make sure to request Rich as your instructor, he'll take care of you
above and below water and makes you feel invincible! You won't regret
it, actually there's a strong possibility you won't leave the island,
ever! Thursday 11th October 2012-
“Was a great experience” - I
was there in September 2012. After asking around for a day Big Blue
seemed to be highly recommended. There were a few places offering
cheaper courses (under 9000 baht) but I had heard not so good things
about them. When I arrived i was offered free accommodation in either an
a/c dorm or a fan room with a cold shower. Also had the option of
other rooms at a discount. I opted for the fan room. Hot shower would
have been nice as it was cloudy and rainy while I was there, but I knew
what I signed up for. Rooms were cleaned regularly. Gave us the option
of doing SSI or PADI, no pressure either way. Instructors were great.
Did my open water with Ami and Tosh. Had a class of 5, so we got plenty
of attention. Decided to stick around and do my advanced course with
them as well. Had Ami and Nick as instructors with a class size of 6.
All the instructors were very helpful and easy to approach. Had great
senses of humour and created a very laid back, but still professional
environment. Snacks and drinks were provided on the boat. Aside from
some funky tacos that made me feel sick the food at the resort was good
and reasonably priced. Have since done some dives in other places with
other organizations and none have exceeded the experience I had with
Big Blue. Highly recommended in my opinion.
I
was there in September 2012. After asking around for a day Big Blue
seemed to be highly recommended. There were a few places offering
cheaper courses (under 9000 baht) but I had heard not so good things
about them. When I arrived i was offered free accommodation in either an
a/c dorm or a fan room with a cold shower. Also had the option of
other rooms at a discount. I opted for the fan room. Hot shower would
have been nice as it was cloudy and rainy while I was there, but I knew
what I signed up for. Rooms were cleaned regularly. Gave us the option
of doing SSI or PADI, no pressure either way. Instructors were great.
Did my open water with Ami and Tosh. Had a class of 5, so we got plenty
of attention. Decided to stick around and do my advanced course with
them as well. Had Ami and Nick as instructors with a class size of 6.
All the instructors were very helpful and easy to approach. Had great
senses of humour and created a very laid back, but still professional
environment. Snacks and drinks were provided on the boat. Aside from
some funky tacos that made me feel sick the food at the resort was good
and reasonably priced. Have since done some dives in other places with
other organizations and none have exceeded the experience I had with
Big Blue. Highly recommended in my opinion. Wednesday 10th October 2012-
“A Safe, Fun Dive with Rich and Rae – Guaranteed!”
- For one week in September/October of 2012, we stayed and dived at Big
Blue Diving. Our instructor Rich and instructor-in-training Rae both
deserve FIVE GOLD STARS. We were a group of four beginners and all of us
aimed for getting certified in the SSI Open Water Course, but two of us
went all out and ended up getting specialty certifications (a
Wreck/Nitro combo); we had to seize the opportunity. Our whole group had
an amazing dive experience. We were in constant awe of the endless
beauty that lives in the ocean, and were itching to get back in the
water when we were on land. It’s impossible to say what the best part of
the experience was, but highlights include swimming with bull sharks
and seeing a huge hawksbill turtle on a night dive. Rich is incredibly
fun, exceptionally responsible, remarkably patient, and extremely
accommodating. Our schedule was tight and at one point, we were
indecisive about what we wanted to do, but in the end, Rich made it work
for us. Safety is a number one concern for any first diver, and we
always felt 100 percent safe and comfortable in the water with Rich. He
has a knack for spotting sea creatures (he never misses a thing),
navigating the dive, and keeping a cautious eye on the group – all at
the same time. It is no wonder he was last month’s employee-of-the-month
(Kudos, Rich!). He has the utmost appreciation for marine life (he
picked up litter a few times underwater) and a real passion for the
sport – and it rubs off! Before you know it, he’ll have you diving (and
laughing) in the big blue sea. Rae is also fantastic! Both instructors
took great care of us: keeping us calm, thoroughly answering all of our
questions, and consistently checking on us underwater (and above water).
There are about 50 dive schools on the island, but you won’t find
better instructors than the ones at Big Blue; they all love working at
this particular school, which says something about the way this place
operates. I would highly recommend Big Blue to friends, and without a
doubt, you MUST ask for Rich or Rae – just not when I’m planning my next
trip there!!!
- For one week in September/October of 2012, we stayed and dived at Big
Blue Diving. Our instructor Rich and instructor-in-training Rae both
deserve FIVE GOLD STARS. We were a group of four beginners and all of us
aimed for getting certified in the SSI Open Water Course, but two of us
went all out and ended up getting specialty certifications (a
Wreck/Nitro combo); we had to seize the opportunity. Our whole group had
an amazing dive experience. We were in constant awe of the endless
beauty that lives in the ocean, and were itching to get back in the
water when we were on land. It’s impossible to say what the best part of
the experience was, but highlights include swimming with bull sharks
and seeing a huge hawksbill turtle on a night dive. Rich is incredibly
fun, exceptionally responsible, remarkably patient, and extremely
accommodating. Our schedule was tight and at one point, we were
indecisive about what we wanted to do, but in the end, Rich made it work
for us. Safety is a number one concern for any first diver, and we
always felt 100 percent safe and comfortable in the water with Rich. He
has a knack for spotting sea creatures (he never misses a thing),
navigating the dive, and keeping a cautious eye on the group – all at
the same time. It is no wonder he was last month’s employee-of-the-month
(Kudos, Rich!). He has the utmost appreciation for marine life (he
picked up litter a few times underwater) and a real passion for the
sport – and it rubs off! Before you know it, he’ll have you diving (and
laughing) in the big blue sea. Rae is also fantastic! Both instructors
took great care of us: keeping us calm, thoroughly answering all of our
questions, and consistently checking on us underwater (and above water).
There are about 50 dive schools on the island, but you won’t find
better instructors than the ones at Big Blue; they all love working at
this particular school, which says something about the way this place
operates. I would highly recommend Big Blue to friends, and without a
doubt, you MUST ask for Rich or Rae – just not when I’m planning my next
trip there!!!Tuesday 9th October 2012-
PADI, the worlds largest & most reknowned diving organisation have focused this months Diver magazine on Thailand Dive sites & recently posted a question on Facebook asking people where their favourite divesites in Thailand were. Of course the big names popped up as they deservedly should which are the Similans, & Richeleieu Rock, Hin Daeng & Hin Muang but what has come as a very enjoyable surprise is to see that more than half those who commented are mentioning our very own Divesites like Chumphon Pinnacle & Sail Rock. With special mentions to the frequency of Whale shark visits & the close proximity you can get to Bull Sharks! Brilliant! Thanks very much everyone for finally giving us the recognition we deserve for being some of Thailands very best Divesites!
“Great Diving Resort”
My friend and I researched this place while in Bangkok, found the price
of doing the Open-water SSI course to be 9000baht (cheapest around as
far as we could find). The low price however, does not mean a lowered
quality is to be expected. We arrived with free accommodation for the
duration of our visit. Went and participated in 4 days of diving with
our insanely cool,calm and collected instructor (Donnny McFadden). He
took us through everything with expert precision and ensuring we were
comfortable with everything at all times. He especially paid great
attention to calming myself down as I was rather reluctant to put my
head under water with implicit trust in just a mask and regulator. But,
he endured, played a game of rock, paper, scissors to take my mind off
it and wham bham, we were diving (only in the pool at first). But even
if we had not had Donny, from the feel feel of the place, I gathered I'd
have been more than content with having any instructor take us through
our paces. The whole feeling of the place is uplifting as everyone there
trades back and forth in their previous dives or give valuable
experience/knowledge for your own upcoming dives.
My friend and I researched this place while in Bangkok, found the price
of doing the Open-water SSI course to be 9000baht (cheapest around as
far as we could find). The low price however, does not mean a lowered
quality is to be expected. We arrived with free accommodation for the
duration of our visit. Went and participated in 4 days of diving with
our insanely cool,calm and collected instructor (Donnny McFadden). He
took us through everything with expert precision and ensuring we were
comfortable with everything at all times. He especially paid great
attention to calming myself down as I was rather reluctant to put my
head under water with implicit trust in just a mask and regulator. But,
he endured, played a game of rock, paper, scissors to take my mind off
it and wham bham, we were diving (only in the pool at first). But even
if we had not had Donny, from the feel feel of the place, I gathered I'd
have been more than content with having any instructor take us through
our paces. The whole feeling of the place is uplifting as everyone there
trades back and forth in their previous dives or give valuable
experience/knowledge for your own upcoming dives.
Dear Intercontinental Hotel Bangkok, It has been brought to our attention and upon closer inspection verified that you have been openly involved in the trade of Shark Fins in Thailand / Asia. Currently sharks are facing immense pressure from over fishing, finning and by catch. So much so that some species have declined by as much as 90%. As top predators, sharks help to manage healthy ocean ecosystems and as the number of sharks declines, the oceans will suffer unpredictable and devastating consequences. Sharks help maintain the health of ocean ecosystems, including seagrass beds and coral reefs. Their decline in our ocean has already set of whole chains of negative events that have lead to environmental destruction within our oceans. Due to sharks maturing slowly and taking several years to reach breeding age their species simply cannot survive this rate of fishing. We must remove the demand for them to have any chance of their survival. As INTERCONTINENTAL HOTELS & RESORTS are responsible for fuelling this trade we would ask you to kindly reconsider your policy in trading in this unsustainable commodity and work with us to stop the extinction of these very important creatures. Countries and States that have banned either Shark Fins or Shark Trade in general include,Hawaii, California, Oregon and Washington State, Republic of Palau. Stores and Hotels that have already agreed to stop trading in Shark Products include: Fairprice Supermarkets, Carrefour Super Markets, Shangri La Hotel Chain, Hilton Hotel Chain, Peninsular Hotel Chain & many more. We respectively ask you to reconsider and to stop trading in Shark Products and remove Sharkfin from your menus. Thank You for your kind consideration. Big Blue Conservation, Koh Tao. www.bigblueconservation.com
Monday 8th October 2012-
There must be a better way to catch fish other than using nets! So sad to see at Shark Island over rhte weekend a net draped over the majority of the dive site & just so many sad dead & dying fishies including unfortunately a little reef shark that we were there just a little too late to save. Depressing to say the least but a great job done by Koh Tao's finest in freeing many fish while doing minimal damage to the corals. But yeah fishing without nets, hooks, dynamite or cyanide? Anyone got any idea's? I reckon the bears catching the salmon as they swim upstream in Alaska might want to start patenting their technique!
“Always dive big blue!!!”
I'm an divemaster and ive done a few courses and fun dives with big blue
over the years and have found them to be one of the best dive
operations ive dived with!! The instructors I had were Irish G, Laura
and skui all of which have been very professional and very sociable and
seem to be constantly available for questions and advice. They have
plenty of dives to offer normally 2 dives early to make the most of
empty sites and 2 afternoon dives if you dont want to get up!! they also
run night dives and full day trips. The full day trips offer great
value with breakfast, lunch and drinks included!! The rooms are
basic with fans and cold showers but they always have done me a good
deal and if you are doing a course then the rooms included in the price. The food in the restaurant is always good and at a reasonable price.
Friday 5th October 2012-
I'm an divemaster and ive done a few courses and fun dives with big blue
over the years and have found them to be one of the best dive
operations ive dived with!! The instructors I had were Irish G, Laura
and skui all of which have been very professional and very sociable and
seem to be constantly available for questions and advice. They have
plenty of dives to offer normally 2 dives early to make the most of
empty sites and 2 afternoon dives if you dont want to get up!! they also
run night dives and full day trips. The full day trips offer great
value with breakfast, lunch and drinks included!! The rooms are
basic with fans and cold showers but they always have done me a good
deal and if you are doing a course then the rooms included in the price. The food in the restaurant is always good and at a reasonable price. 
Only 30 days left & then its Liveaboard season! & of course your favourite Thailand Diving Center has gone up in the world & have a brand new sexy Liveaboard to promote! First commissioned in 2002 as the Viking of the Orient the MV
Hallelujah has been refitted and is under new and experienced ownership.
This year we will be operating the MV Hallelujah! 35 meters of pure sexiness! Large dive deck, plenty of storage space, air con saloon/ dining area with entertainment & sound system,
indoor or open-air dining areas. A huge sun deck which spans the length of the boat and is equipped
with chairs and loungers. All air-conditioned guest cabins are spacious and have private
en-suite bathrooms and sea views & doors that open on
to the outside of the boat for a cooling breeze. So luxury boat, 4 days 4 nights, Similans & Surin Islands, 14 dives & food & drinks covered! Trips start from the 1st November. Book now for your holiday of a lifetime!
“Professional and fun”
We stayed at Big Blue in July of 2012. We originally came to get our
open water certificate but liked it so much we stayed and took the
advanced course. With so many dive schools on the island its hard to
choose, but we have no doubts that we made the right choice and don't
wonder about other schools maybe being better. Big Blue is a very
friendly and fun place, so we usually ended up at the bar with everyone
from the dive in the evening. The classes were very professional and by
the time we finished we both felt competent, comfortable and safe in the
water. Our instructor was a skilled teacher and took lots of extra time
to answer questions and make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. The
equipment was fine and if we ever had trouble with anything our
instructor fixed it immediately. We stayed for over a week, went on a
bunch of great dives and were sorry we had to go. Looking forward to
returning sometime soon. Also wanted to give a special shout to Curtis, our instructor. The whole group seems really great but we felt lucky to have him.
We stayed at Big Blue in July of 2012. We originally came to get our
open water certificate but liked it so much we stayed and took the
advanced course. With so many dive schools on the island its hard to
choose, but we have no doubts that we made the right choice and don't
wonder about other schools maybe being better. Big Blue is a very
friendly and fun place, so we usually ended up at the bar with everyone
from the dive in the evening. The classes were very professional and by
the time we finished we both felt competent, comfortable and safe in the
water. Our instructor was a skilled teacher and took lots of extra time
to answer questions and make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. The
equipment was fine and if we ever had trouble with anything our
instructor fixed it immediately. We stayed for over a week, went on a
bunch of great dives and were sorry we had to go. Looking forward to
returning sometime soon. Also wanted to give a special shout to Curtis, our instructor. The whole group seems really great but we felt lucky to have him.
Congratulations to Becky, Reece & Andre for completing their SSI Instructor Training Course & congratulations again for passing your SSI Instrctor Exam! Thats another 100% pass rate for our Big Blue Instructor Trainers Simon Garrity & Paul Tanner aswell! That makes approximately 3 more feathers to put in our Big Blue Instructor Training Cap!And all 3 are taking the Internship programme as well so looks like these guys are really going to be getting value for money! & jobs after aswell no doubt. The SSI Instructor Course- Probably the best way to get yourself a job in the Scuba Diving Industry!
Tuesday 2nd October 2012-
Another day another Whaleshark... well 2 actually. That was yesterday! Today we've just got the one! Well one that we know of but there might be two.. we just don't know that! So 1 Whaleshark at Chumphon Pinnacle & another one (maybe) at Southwest Pinnacle! Pretty much the last chance you're going to get to see a Whaleshark for the rest of the year aswell as we expect this time next month to be in the full throes of monsoon! So if you want to dive with a Whaleshark.. or 2... then come along & sign up in the shop now! Last one in is a ponce!
