Saturday 30th January 2016
We
had a crazy few days when a tropical storm passed through the Gulf of
Thailand last week. The waves were big, we had lots of rain and the
ferries were cancelled from the main land. The tide was so high that it
was all the way up in the restaurant. Then after 2 days it was all flat
again and sunny as if nothing ever happened. Got to love Koh Tao. The diving was still good though despite the waves and rain.
We
had rescue students doing an amazing job in some challenging conditions
with waves and currents, once back on land they were physically and
mentally exhausted but over a few we earned cold beers said that it was
the funniest and hardest and most rewarding course they have ever done.
Well done to all the rescue divers who finished in these conditions, not
everywhere in the world is flat and easy when you dive. The ocean is
strong and needs to be respected, but once you appreciate that it will
also show you how spectacular it is and once under the waves the life
aquatic is way better than on land. No fish shooting or bombing each
other just nature at its finest.
Full
Moon has been busy and all of our fabulous Instructors and Divemasters
have been out every day, be sure to book your courses and accommodation
online in advance (and please not the night before) to secure a spot. We
start courses everyday but we do not have unlimited beds for sleeping
in.... So book early to avoid disappointment. Remember as well, depending
were you are in the world there may be a time difference and all of our
staff need their beauty sleep, some of them a lot more than others, In
fact some are constantly sleeping but are still just as ugly....we will
respond to your requests as soon as we possibly can.
Friday 22nd January
We
have been having some amazing diving conditions for this time of the
year. Usually monsoon season means that the visibility drops and the
water temperature goes down a few degrees, but not this year. This
morning at Southwest Pinnacle we had over 30 metre visibility, the
divers jumped in and could see all the way to the bottom. The water is
lovely and flat which is perfect for everybody. When it's like this we
are usually lucky enough to see Whalesharks so we all have our fingers
and toes crossed for some big fish. Whalesharks seem to love the
conditions over Full Moon and we get lots of sightings. So don’t bother
the messy party in Koh Phangan and just stay and enjoy the diving and
Koh Tao.
Our
boat Big Blue is now back from its New Year paint and refurbishment
which means the Tech boys can head out to their deep sites and wrecks
and the free divers can go and play at depth, without the use of a tank
and just holding their breath.
Speaking
of free divers a very good friend of mine has recently published a book
One Breath- about the crazy world of competitive freediving- a sport
built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath—testing the
limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on earth. The
unique and eclectic breed of individuals who freedive at the highest
level regularly dive hundreds of feet below the ocean’s surface,
reaching such depths that their organs compress, light disappears, and
one mistake could be lethal. Adam Skolnick has visited 45 countries and
authored or co-authored over 25 Lonely Planet guidebooks as well as
written for New York Times, Playboy, Outside, ESPN.com, BBC.com,
Salon.com, Men’s Health, Wired, and Travel + Leisure, among others. Big
Blue Freediving teaches you how to dive safely up to 20m at Level 1 and
all the way down to 40m at Level 3. Our Freediving staff have been doing
this for 8 years and have national records for Brazil and Spain. If you
want to do something different than just scuba diving this is a must.
Contact out team at info@bigbluefreediving.com for more information.
Friday 15th January 2016
The
New Year has come and with it came new sets of equipment, new TVs for
our new classroom and new dorm rooms. Santa saw how good we were last
year and has given us some stunning visibility for this time of year
which has meant we have been able to go out on our full day trips to
Sail Rock, which is the very best dive site we have in the Gulf of
Thailand.
Big Blue Diving is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this
year. 25 years ago a young Swedish boy called Michael came to Koh Tao
and what he did has now changed our lives forever. That’s 25 years of
certifying divers, 25 years of showing divers their first Whaleshark. 25
years of changing lives and seeing marriages and babies, 25 years of
the Big Blue Staff coming and going and then coming back again for more.
25 years of Big Blue t-shirt designs that our now collector’s items for
the guests who have been over the years. 25 years of boats including
Banzai, Phalap, Big Blue, Navakid, Aow Mong, Poponawa, Waverunner and
Enzo. 25 years of thai beers being consumed in Deck Bar, Blue Bar and
Higher Ground. 25 years of helping ginger instructors feel wanted. 25
years of riding to work on a scooter in bear feet in the sun passing
coconut trees. 25 years of sunsets on Sairee. 25 years of the best dogs
including Ugly, Yurie, BBD, Leo, Rocko, Schnitzel (RIP) Sausage, Moomoo,
Panda, Piglet, Ernie. 25 years of being in the best job in the world
and being surrounded by some of the best people you could ever dream of
meeting (except some of the gingers)
I could go one but they would
start to get a bit silly… to celebrate this huge birthday Robyn down at
Drift has made some limited edition t shirts to celebrate this huge
milestone. They will be on sale soon, so it’s time to book your holidays
back to Koh Tao so you can get yourself one to add to your collection,
and celebrate what already looks to be an awesome year.
Apart from the deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman which just sucks!
