July 2010 Daily Diary

Saturday 31st July 2010-

How exciting! We are proud to announce 3 more choices of accommodation to go alongside our other multitudinous choices of accommodation already listed on our website in the form of 2 brand spanking new luxurious 1 bedroom Air conditioned units with hot water shower, TV, tea & coffee making facilities & a balcony overlooking Sairee Jungle on 1 side a semi private swimmng pool on the other. And an extremely beautiful Thai style luxurious self contained villa with outdoor lounge, outdoor Bar B Q, own private kitchen, AC & hot water throughout, TV & indoor dining table overlooking the very same semi private swimming pool, hence the term " semi private". An excellent addition to our portfolio of rooms an absolute bargain at less than 2000 Bt per night for the AC units & less than 3000 Bt per night for the villa. Great timing too, bearing in mind there's bugger all accommodation elsewhere at this time of year so if you haven't booked anything yet & are coming soon then I can highly recommend these places. Say hello to the owners from me. I hear they are an absolutely lovely couple!

Cheers to Jenny & her team of underwater cleaners & fish huggers who are out again this morning ridding the ocean of plastic debris & other discarded what nots that us humans are destroying our planet with. Unbelievable amount of trash we find every time we organise these beach & underwater clean ups. Thanks to all who turned up today. Free Big Blue Eco Bag & beer for you all!

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of SSI Instructor Duncan Tyler from his TDI Semi Closed Rebreather course conducted over 2 days with 4 dives. The TDI Drager Dolphin SCR course certifies the student with the ability to purchase this rebreather and dive on it independently. Enjoy the silent world that Cousteau talked about, dive without the noise of your exhaust bubbles in your ears. Get closer to the fish. Breathe warm moist air - no more dry mouth! No matter how deep you go you consume the same amount of gas - no more lugging 15 litre tanks around for longer dives! This course is designed to give you an insight into rebreather diving. During the course you will learn about the history of rebreathers, how they work and most importantly, as your life depends on it, the maintenance and care of the unit before and after dives. Once you’ve tried this you won’t want to go back to open circuit scuba! A useful stepping stone for tec divers looking at closed circuit rebreathers. This was also a great opportunity to test out the new closed circuit rebreather which needed some trim and buoyancy adjustment along with bubble checks. & who makes a better guinea pig than our own Duncan!

Thursday 29th July 2010-

The Samui ring road, July 31st, 10am-12pm, Koh Samui. Please spread the word to protest the lack of control on oil drilling in the Gulf of Thailand! This month there will be a protest on Samui in light of the problems happening around the world associated with oil drilling and gas exploration. In the last 40 years, over 5,000 wells have been drilled in the Gulf of Thailand. The companies involved have been Chevron, Pearl Oil, Salamander Energy, and NuCoastal. Many long-term residents of the three islands have been complaining for years about decreased visibility and water quality, which is a factor of both activities on land and those in the sea. After the broken well heads in Australia, and more recently in the Gulf of Mexico, it is obvious that wide spread destruction of coastal ecosystems and collapse of tourism industries are a very real threat of oil drilling operations. Recently, the Government of Thailand has conceded a new area for exploration that is only 42km SE of Koh Samui (and not much further to Ang Tong), the closest active drills to Koh Tao are only 65km to the NE. Drilling is coming closer and closer, what does this mean for our overall water quality and visibility when tons of silt and sediment are released from the 5,000 drills? What will happen to our reefs and beaches if there is an oil leak? Will tourists continue to come after hearing about a spill? Who is going to help when things go bad? We only need to look at what is happening in the US to get the answers for these questions, and they are not optimistic answers. Earlier this month, representatives from our island and Samui met with the office of the Prime Minister to voice our opposition to the drilling concessions that are occurring closer and closer to our islands. On July 31st many will join together, all along the ring road on Samui, to show their unity in opposition to what’s currently happening. If you can’t make it to Samui, join us on Koh Tao for the Land and Underwater clean-up, which will be in done on the same day and in support of the protests. The Underwater clean-up will be in Hin Wong and Lighthouse (the area facing the closest drill), and the land clean-up will be along the beach/road starting from Sairee and ending in Mae Haad. If you can’t make it to the islands, share this information, post it on your websites, or write a letter to the Thai Government or the Tourism Authority of Thailand letting them know how you feel as a foreigner/tourist about this issue. Thanks for your support!

Saturday 24th July 2010-

At last our Big Blue Conservation bags have arrived! In our attempt to rid the island of plastic bags we are proud to introduce you to the wonderful world of the bag! Turtles and other marine life eat the plastic bags which they mistake for jellyfish which leads to them starve to death. Made from recycled materials the bags are perfect for going to the beach with or shopping, making it ideal for your travels and presents for people back home. At only 100 Bt per bag of which 50bt goes back into Koh Tao conservation projects don't it make you want to put your hand in pocket & buy one! Its made eco Jenny feel so environmentally friendly & generous she's even taken to stripping down & wearing nothing but her bag! 100 Bt! Makes you feel good to be Green... and naked!

The last call of duty for 25 Chinese-made tanks will not be as killing machines but to provide a breeding ground for marine life here in the Gulf of Thailand.The T69-2 tanks have been handed over to the Department of Fisheries and will form artificial reefs. They will be dropped into the Gulf of Thailand off Narathiwat and Pattani south of Koh Tao. The tanks will serve as artificial reefs to provide breeding grounds for marine life.The delivery of the tanks was in response to Her Majesty the Queen's artificial coral project initiated to improve marine ecosystems and increase fish stocks in the sea off Thailand, particularly in the southern provinces of Narathiwat and Pattani . The tanks were placed in service for the 16th Tank Battalion in 1987 and decommissioned in 2004. The army purchased them from China in 1987 bought at a 50% discount. But problems arose when the Chinese army stopped manufacturing the tanks and parts became scarce. The Thai army could not afford to repair the tanks.Maintenance works for the tanks stopped six years ago because there were no more parts available, the source said. "What a shame" said Canada with a grin across his face!

SO the weather has gone a bit crap but don't worry it won't last. Its just a little wind & a spot of rain. It will all blow over in a wee while! It better. We've gone from jam packed to dead as door nails! Mind you I'm not entirely surprised. If I'd been sitting on a ferry over to Koh Tao hurling last nights dinner up in a see through plastic bag I might not sign up for diving right away either. Weird that eh! Fingers crossed it won't last. I'll give it 2 days tops! Maybe 4. It'll all be over by Full Moon. 5 days! No more!

Friday 23rd July 2010-

Check out the new underwater sea scooter called BladeFish - one of the smallest and lightest sea scooters in the world: The top of the range in Diver propulsion vehicles. Able to withstand deep dive durations of a maximum 120 minutes at variable cruising speeds to a maximum depth of 40 metres you too can look like James Bond. Available for rent as part of a fundive or if you fancy you can really get to know how to use these toys by renting them as part of your Advanced Course. Lighter, longer lasting, more durable, easier to recharge & looks cool! If this doesn't impress the ladies then you must be wearing speedos!

It looks like finally the message is getting across & the people of China are actively reducing their consumption of Shark Fin Soup! The soup is considered a delicacy and, because of its priciness, a status symbol in many parts of Asia. But environmentalists have criticized consumption, saying that soaring demand for the fins, mainly from China, has caused a sharp decline in shark populations over the last two decades. Environmental advocates in Hong Kong say that opposition has gathered steam this year amid rising awareness of how many sharks are being killed — 100 million a year — and of how their prized fins are harvested. Usually the fins are cut off a living fish that is then thrown back into the water to die.
Citibank’s Hong Kong branch recently learned about this growing sensitivity. This month it ran a special promotion offering Citibank credit card holders 15 percent off a ‘‘shark’s fin and garoupa’’ dinner at Maxim’s Chinese Cuisine outlets. ‘‘An ample quantity of shark’s fin is given,’’ a July 11 newspaper ad assured readers. The promotion drew swift condemnation, with a lively discussion group created on Facebook and an e-mail campaign aimed at Citibank’s marketing manager. And last week, Citibank Hong Kong withdrew the promotion, which was to have run until the end of the month, in response to feedback. Good! Cos as we all know only softcocks eat shark fin soup!

So its peak season coming up in Koh Tao this week. The July Full Moon Party in Koh Phangan is usually the marker for our low season to sudden peak season shifts & with the Full Moon Party coming up on the 28th we're sure we are about to get rammed & we can kind of tell this already by the fact we're pretty much full to bursting already! So if you are on your way over in the next few days & weeks we seriously recommend booking before you get here. Contact us on info@bigbluediving.com for a damn good time! Speak to you soon.

Thursday 22nd July 2010-

A breaching whale has crash-landed on a sailboat in Table Bay, narrowly missing the vessel's occupants and leaving in its wake bits of blubber and thick skin. This picture shows the southern right whale seconds before its massive body landed on the coach roof of the boat, flattening the steel mast and bringing down the rigging before sliding back into the water and disappearing into the distance. "It was quite scary," said Paloma Werner, who had been out sailing with her boyfriend and business partner, Ralph Mothes, of the Cape Town Sailing Academy. "We thought the whale was going to go under the boat and come up on the other side. We thought it would see us." But the boat had its engine turned off. Meredith Thornton, scientist and manager of the Cape Town Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, said: "Whales don't see much by way of their eyes but by sound in the water." Between the whale's poor eyesight and low visibility in the water, Thornton said the whale, which she believed to be young, probably did not know the boat was in its way. The couple first saw the whale when it was about 100m away. It breached once and, before they knew it, the whale was a mere 10m from their yacht. "There was hardly any wind, so we couldn't get out of the way," said Werner. "We didn't have time to take any evasive action." The yacht, a 10m training boat called Intrepid, is made of steel and did not suffer any structural damage. The whale made of blubber & bone suffered from a belly flop & extreme embarrassment!

Ever thought of becoming an Underwater Paleontologist? Well you should do. There appears there might just be an opening for you if it grabs your fancy! Scientists have examined fossilised remains of a tiny, extinct monkey that were retrieved from an underwater cave in the Dominican Republic. The researchers believe the fossil to be around 3,000 years old, but say the species itself could be very ancient. They also suggests that many ecologically valuable treasures could be discovered by the unusual field of "underwater palaeontology". Dr Alfred Rosenberger from Brooklyn College in New York, US, who led the examination of the creature's bones, explained that the bones, which included a skull that was almost complete, were found by a team of scuba divers who were exploring an underwater cave in the area. "It's miraculous that they even saw it, when they discovered it, they were fearful the bones were exposed, so they moved the material to a little nook to protect it." Having sought official permission to remove the fossil from the cave, Dr Rosenberger returned to with the scuba divers to retrieve it in October of last year. The divers packed the skeleton into tupperware boxes in order to bring it safely to the surface. Underwater archeaology in snack sized box!

Rob Stewart the man behind Shark Water has his girlfriend diving with us at the moment & she was amazed to learn that we actually show Shark Water the Movie to pretty much every Open Water Course after they have completed their course so they know all about how threatened our oceans are. In fact so impressed was she that we are so eco conscious here at Big Blue she has promised to tell Rob how cool & groovy we are & see if he can't come out & say hi. & if he times it right he can be here for Dan & Kymmies wedding which Paul Watson from Sea Shephard said he'd be over for. A celebrity wedding plus Dan & Kymmie!

Thursday 15th July 2010-

"Hi Jim, The Dutch magazine mentioned 'BioNieuws" is intended for professional biologists. The article features Dutch biologists doing fieldwork at exotic destinations. I was one of them and was interviewed by e-mail about my experience at Koh Tao. Hence the article. Do not worry about its contents since it refers to Big Blue Conservation in a positive way. I had a very good time at Big Blue, thanks to Jennifer, who is very dedicated to her job and very professional. There is one negative point that I should mention: I am missing the diving at Koh Tao and the crowds on the boats. I am not used to so many buddies around me. Best wishes, Bert' Cheers Bert glad you had such a good time & well done Jen for doing such a great job.


A FEARLESS singer performed his latest number under the sea — to a SHARK. Environmentalist Andy Brandy Casagrande wrote the ditty to raise awareness of great white shark conservation. He decided the best way to promote it would be to sing it directly to one of the fearsome underwater beasts — without using a cage. Now a video of Andy serenading the shark has been screened at film festivals around the world and gained a cult following. Brave Andy donned his scuba gear and grabbed his acoustic guitar before diving into shark-infested waters to play his tune, aptly named The Great White Shark Song. The quirky lyrics begin with the line: "If I was a great white I wouldn't bite you, but I'd swim right next to you." It adds: "It's my ocean too so please keep it clean, 'cause I can be f****** mean." The footage was recorded off Guadeloupe Island, Mexico, an area infested by great white sharks. Andy said he produced the song to show sharks aren't as fearsome as people think. He said: "It's a very, very exhilarating wait. "When you first see that first white shark approach the boat, it's a feeling you'll never forget. You'll never forget that image for the rest of your life: this big, giant smile coming straight at you. And you realise you're not afraid of that animal at all. It's just beautiful, majestic, come swimming, gliding by. People's perceptions of sharks is based on what you see at movies and on television. And it's really not the case. They're majestic. They're beautiful, they're quiet.People think I was mad to jump in the water holding only my guitar, but I proved my point. I am still here." Personally I think you are still mad Andy, but its for another reason than diving with a shark!

Tonight is the night when the boys from one of the largest dive retail stores in Koh Tao is coming over to little old Big Blue to teach our staff how to give useful & practical advice to our customers when selling equipment. & there I was thinking phrases like "buy this pair of fins it matches your eyes", & "don't buy that mask it makes your bum look big" where all part & parcel of the retail sales pitch! Guess we're all going to learn something new tonight! We better! We're missing out on Happy hour at the bar! Two for the price of 1! How's that for a sales pitch! But 1 fin get the other one for free!

Monday 12th July 2010-

Well after a whole month of watching a bunch of grown men kick around a ball in the hope of getting it in the back of the net its all finally over & now we all know who are the undefeated champions of World Football - New Zealand! The only team to not lose a single match in the whole tournament! Congratulations boys! & to celebrate we're offerring a free dive to the whole of the New Zealand football team! What the hell! I'll offer the Spanish, Dutch & German players free diving too! England, French & Italian players will have to pay double!

So Big Blue Tech have now bought themselves a rather large flatscreen TV that they can play guitar hero on all day! What happened Canada & Ash & their vigorous daily exercise routines? What happened to break of dawn runs up & down the beach, the mid morning swims, the pumping iron down the gym. The chin ups, squat thrusts & burpees? All gone! to be replaced by a computer game! What has happened to the youth of today? I think we need Andy Cav back! Andy where the devil are you?

There's just no stopping our Big Blue Gals Helen & Yvonne who have now croosed over to become BSAC instructors as well as PADI, SSI, TDI & Tech Instructors! They have now got to be two of the most qualified members of the diving community in South East Asia! No wonder they both won an award at the beginning of the year! Congratulations ladies. Now go out there & kick some PADISSIBSACTDI butty!

Saturday 10th July 2010-

Paul the octopus, a psychic cephalopod at an aquarium in Germany, has become a World Cup phenomenon after correctly predicting the winners in all six of the German national team's matches. Now staff at Sea Life in Oberhausen, western Germany are preparing for Paul's prediction for Sunday's final between The Netherlands and Spain -- Germany's conquerors. British high street bookmaker William Hill was so impressed by Paul's predictive powers that it has offered even odds that he will pick the winner of the final between Spain and The Netherlands. "Punters are keen to keep on the right side of Paul's tips, so we are giving them the chance to bet that he'll pick the winner before they even know which side he has opted for," William Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe told CNN. At least one punter was kicking himself for not paying attention to Paul. A man who staked a record €500,000 ($629,430) on Germany winning last night lost his wager -- the largest World Cup bet ever, according to William Hill.

In our first week of operation Jenny has managed to get ourselves published in some Dutch magazine. No idea what it says but I'm sure its extremely flattering & very complimentary. If its not would someone mind emailing us so we can remove from the front page of our website! It says... ‘Ik was keynote speaker op het tweede Asia Pacific Coral Reef Symposium in Thailand.
Toen besloot ik hier veldwerk aan te koppelen, wat goed past in mijn onderzoeksplanning’,
e-mailt Hoeksema. ‘Thaise duikresorts investeren tegenwoordig in onderzoek naar duurzaam gebruik van de riffen. Dat mag ook wel, want de duikdruk is erg hoog. Daar komt nu de coral bleaching bij. Het laatste lijkt erg, maar de sterfte valt nog wel mee’, schrijft Hoeksema. Hij wil met het veldwerk vooral een indicatie van de soortenrijkdom verkrijgen, daarvoor doethij metingen aan paddenstoelkoralen. Dit om de grenzen van de koraaldriehoek – het centrum
van mariene soortenrijkdom – vast te stellen. In november gaat Hoeksema op expeditie naar
Oost-Sabah. ‘Voor zover ik weet is er daar nog geen bleaching. We gaan kijken of de duikdrukte
gespreid kan worden door te zoeken naar alternatieve duikstekken. Voor onszelf een mogelijkheidom Oost-Sabah te vergelijken met nabijgelegen gebieden in de koraaldriehoek. Ontberingen: Niet echt. Ik verbleef in een niet al te luxe duikresort. Onmisbaar: Onderwatercamera met groothoeklens. www.bigblueconservation.com ’

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Dean Jenkins from his TDI Intro to Tech course conducted over 3 days by TDI Instructor Ash Dunn off the coast of Thailand on Koh Tao Island. The TDI Intro to Tech course is the perfect course for divers who have heard about technical diving and want to find out more about this exciting branch of advanced recreational diving. This course walks students through the special techniques, planning procedures and skills that set technical diving apart from traditional sport diving. It will show them how to improve their dive planning methods, in-water skills and streamline their existing gear configuration, in a non-threatening and fun learning environment. TDI’s Intro to Tech course is a useful stand-alone course for the diver who wants to become a more skilled, more proficient diver regardless of if he intends to move on to technical diving. The course may also be used as an introduction to the TDI Advanced Nitrox course and the TDI Decompression Procedures course. And finally, it is also a good refresher for certified technical divers who may want to refresh their skills or have them re-evaluated by a TDI technical instructor.

Thursday 8th July 2010-

Such a beautiful creature but such a sad way to die! The sea was wild, the sky still dark and the fishermen on their small boat were too scared to free the 16-feet-long whale shark caught in their nets 15 kilometres from the shore in Pakistan. "We were afraid our launch would have overturned and we would have drowned," they said. By the time they did manage to wrest it out of the net it was already too late. But the fishermen tied a rope around it and slowly dragged it to the shore, even though they do not think the whale shark is important in terms of profit. “The only use of the fish is its liver,” Nazar, another fishermen,said. “So we took out its liver and will use its oil to rub on our boats.” I am glad to hear the whale sharks are released due to their lack in value (in the Pakistan area at least). Yet, too many sharks are close to extinction due to shark finning brought on by the high demand by Asians for their coveted shark fin soup. It’s a senseless and selfish act, really! Unfortunately most people do not understand how intertwined we are and how much our survival depends on other life forms. Without these predatory animals our marine ecosystem will be thrown out of balance and the oceans will die. It’s already happening now! We must protect these creatures and thus ourselves, through education, advocacy and law. It’s never too late to say no to shark fin soup!

In this day of eco mindedness our very own tree hugger Eco mentalist Jenny & her trusty steed Lynn have created http://bigblueconservation.com/ to keep you updated with news about Big Blue Conservation and our ongoing projects. Join in and support sustaining our wonderful divesites! The main objective of Big Blue Conservation is to do as much as we can to ensure that the island remains undisturbed by the growing tourism and that the marine life is here in Koh Tao for future generations to enjoy. As well as working closely with the Save Koh Tao Group on larger projects such as Buoyancy World and Bio Rock, we are implementing a range of smaller projects such as coral nurseries and a constructed wetland to help clean the islands grey water. Big Blue is focused on conserving the astonishing abundance of life Koh Tao's reefs have to offer, as well as contributing to global research studying the impact of climate change on this beautiful environment. There is hope for the oceans but we must act now. The hope lies in the dedication of people like us at Big Blue to make a difference and give something back to the world we know and love. So come and join in! www.bigblueconservation.com

It's been one month since Project AWARE launched the "Give Sharks a Fighting Chance" petition to demand international protection for critical shark species on the brink. In just a few short weeks nearly 25,000 divers and shark advocates like you have voiced their concern.
Are you in? If you've not yet taken action - your help is needed today. Sign the petition to give threatened sharks species like hammerheads, oceanic whitetip and spiny dogfish a chance to survive.

Tuesday 6th July 2010-

Well now, as predicted the busy season has well and truly kicked off!! Well, it has for Norwegian customers at least with 2 families comprising of twelve divers all signing up with Multioctolingual Hal for their open water course together!! So it’s all blond hair, blue eyes... looting & pillaging!

The Big Blue Technical diving team are again endeavoring to offer our customers even more in the world of tech!! A greater choice of specialty courses, more cavern trips to Khao Sok { which is awesome and well worth a look see} and lately having procured top secret coordinates for possible shipwreck sites there will be a search mission under way to discover them! If that’s not terribly exciting then I don’t know what is! For those of you who don’t already know, if successful it won’t be the first Big Blue discovered wreck and certainly won’t be the last, it’s always nice to be able to offer something to our customers that other dive schools cannot!

Speaking of Tech…. James “Canada” Thornton Allan is our resident tech guru and as such likes to keep fully trained and on top of his game, so when it was recently discovered that his girlfriend {long term big blue instructor Yvonne Fries} could do more pull ups than him he did what any self respecting man would do…..he signed up for yoga classes! Also solely keeping Speedo sales through the roof in Thailand he really is showing the world that Technical Diving and metrosexuality do walk hand in hand!

At last the temperature of the water is finally beginning to fall! Hooray! This means better conditions for coral restoration and growth and worse conditions for algae which leads to the one thing that we as divers all love….Great visibility! So yes ladies, you may be a little nippier on your dives, and gentleman you may not feel as impressive in the water but hey, what can you do? Bring on the good vis!!

Monday 5th July 2010-

Well its just a couple of days now before the Peak Season gets truely underway. July & August are the 2 busiest months of the year in Koh Tao succeeding May & June which are the 2 quietest times of the year so we're all anxiously awaiting the oncoming surge of happy holiday makers all looking to take part in some underwater antics. Good job most of rested Instructors are either back now or on their way back. It could start getting a little busy in the next few days. Hope you are ready for it Team! Hope you've booked your accommodation guests!

There's still hope for Ugly & Sausage! Meet Boniface - A brand new recruit with a Russian diving team. The maritime mutt took the plunge with his owner in a specially built wetsuit and breathing mask. Boniface the dachshund was fitted with the suit by his professional diver owner Sergei Gorbunov. He claims whenever he used to go diving without Boniface, the dog would become very upset so he decided to solve the problem by taking him too. A South Korean company agreed to make a purpose-built suit perfect for doggy paddle and now the intrepid divers spend hours under the waves near Vladivostok, Russia. Complete with air tank and plexi-glass mask Boniface has so far worn the suit in a series of trials in deep water pools — with a little encouragement in the form of sausages. "We think the experiment has been a great success, Boniface felt comfortable under the water but maybe or maybe not because we fed him sausages before and after." Boniface will soon be ready to dive in open water with the team at depths of up to 45m! There's hope for Ugly dog yet!

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Ash Dunn, Rachel Linnart and Jasmin Kollinger from their BSAC Aqualung Equipment Technician Course conducted by BSAC Instructor James Foleher during a 2 day hands on workshop on Koh Tao Island off the east coast of Thailand. The BSAC Equipment Technician Course covers the repair, maintenance and service of all aqualung brand regulators from balanced, un-balanced and environmentally sealed to BCD’s and accessories like high pressure gauges and inflation hoses. The 2 day course gives the students hands on practice and experience using the tools and equipment necessary for servicing these regulators. This certification gives the students the ability to conduct warranty repair, service and authorized access to Aqualung service kits, tools and schematics.

Saturday 3rd July 2010-

Well its been a hell of a week which is partly why there hasn't been much activity on the Blog these past few days but its all over now & things are returning to normal. Thanks to all for the gazillions of text messages, phone calls, emails, support, thoughts, tears & well wishes. Its been an incredibly emotional week & one which neither myself, my wife nor our unborn baby girl care to ever have to go through again. Special thanks to Roz for stoically holding the fort. To Sonia & Yvonne, Gary & Donna for being best mates. To Canada for sorting the crap out & To Michael for his know how & his ability to speak fluent Thai & most of all to the boys at Fizz. I had no idea New Zealands departure from the World Cup would have this much affect on us all! Shocking!

Last week, scientists cheered the discovery of one of the largest groups of whale sharks ever sighted in the northern Gulf of Mexico -- about 100 animals feeding on the surface over a deepwater feature off Louisiana called the Ewing Bank. This week: Three whale sharks have been seen swimming in heavy oil four miles from the gushing Deepwater Horizon wellhead. "Our worst fears are realized. They are not avoiding the spill area," said Eric Hoffmayer, the University of Southern Mississippi scientist who found the large aggregation last week. "Those animals are going to succumb. Taking mouthfuls of oil is not good. It is not the toxicity that will kill them. It's that oil is going to be sticking to their gills and everything else. Based on all the information I'm getting, they are doing the normal things regardless of the oil. The idea that sharks have these evolved senses that will protect them, well, they haven't evolved to detect oil. Last year we had two sighted off Florida and Alabama that were from Honduras and Belize, that means these oil impacts are not only for the Gulf population, but for the Caribbean and maybe even further. Conditions this year are similar to those that drew the sharks to the area last summer. That's a serious concern. These guys are surface feeders. They swim at the surface with their mouths open. Will they be ingesting oil? Like all sharks, whale sharks do not float to the surface when they die. They are dense animals, they don't have a swim bladder. They have this liver. When they succumb, they are going to sink to the bottom. These animals are in peril.

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Chris Shaw from his BSAC Dive Leader course conducted over 3 weeks by BSAC Instructor Ash Dunn on Koh Tao Island off the coast of Thailand. The BSAC Dive Leader provides a professional diving certification and ability to work in the diving industry to experienced divers who are looking to improve their personal diving skills and learn more in-depth training and methods. We offer several professional internship courses including the PADI Divemaster Course, SSI DiveCon Course, TDI Technical Divemaster Course and SDI Divemaster Course. The BSAC one is unlike any other professional diving level in many ways, which is what made it an attractive option for Chris. The course focused on Chris’s diving skills and ability with one on one guidance from his instructor. This was essential since the BSAC Dive Leader course includes decompression diving, certification to 50m and oxygen administration. In addition Chris had to perform in limited visibility, at night, on a drift, from a boat and marshaling in combination with mock helicopter rescue drills. The BSAC Dive Leader course is catered to train British divers to supervise diving activities in England but the training and confidence taught through the program in less demanding conditions meant Chris could complete the course in 3 weeks1 month and not 6 months. During the BSAC Dive Leader Course Koh Tao had a few days of rough weather, high seas and wind giving Chris a taste of British diving conditions as he performed the last of his training dives at our deeper dive sites on a twin set. Congratulations Chris. Big Blue's first ever BSAC Dive Leader!

June 2010 Daily Diary

Sunday 20th June 2010-

Environmental activists from the Sea Shepherd group say they have "liberated" some 800 bluefin tuna. They say the fish had been caught by what they described as poachers and were being towed by two fishing vessels off the coast of Libya. Five scuba divers on Thursday cut open a circular holding net filled with fish below legal weight and caught after the fishing season closed, Sea Shepherd said in a media release on Friday. The operation was carried out 68 kilometres off the coast of north Africa in waters claimed by Libya. The net was being towed by two boats, the Italian vessel Cesare Rustico and the Libyan vessel Tagreft, it said. "Sea Shepherd is convinced that this catch was caught after June 14 and they hold the position that this operation by these two vessels was illegal," the statement said. Activists on the Sea Shepherd vessel Steve Irwin rejected claims by the captain of the Libyan vessel that the fish had been caught three days earlier. Bluefin tuna have become a major source of controversy. Highly prized in Japan for consumption in sushi, their numbers have fallen dangerously low in the Mediterranean and east Atlantic, say green groups... & anyone with even an ounce of common sense!

As we draw ever closer to the end of low season & the beginning of what is the Koh Tao peak season from July till the end of September, I think its about time we used the recall system & summon up all our fellow friends & work colleagues who are all off in countries far & wide to return to work. Its like sending out the bat signal. Come on Simon, Jodie, Barry, Deano, Erik, Beccy, Heather, Dan, Kymmie, & Duncan. Come to Daddy! We got work to do!

Its another exciting night of soccer! Tonight the Mighty All Whites from New Zealand take on the minnows of the northern hemisphere & the reigning World Cup Holders Italy. After so many calamitous matches from the European countries its about time a country like New Zealand stepped forward & really showed the world how to play soccer properly! Pick it up & run with it boys!

Friday 18th June 2010-

Governments ignored scientific evidence and advice in favor of short-term economic interests at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), March 2010. They failed to give eight threatened shark species the trade protections they deserve. Each year, tens of millions of sharks are killed by Earth’s most dangerous predators – humans. Too many of them fall victim to the cruel and wasteful practice of shark finning – the act of removing shark fins and discarding the often still alive shark overboard. Despite set-backs, sharks have received recent, historical national protections in Europe, Maldives and Palau. Together, we will make a difference for these critical species. Sign the petition, express your outrage at the recent CITES failures. Your signature, together with thousands of divers and advocates worldwide, will demand government parties to CITES heed science and protect fragile ocean ecosystems. Thanks to your support, together we’re giving sharks a fighting chance.

Happy Birthday Helen! Helen turns 45 today! & is celebrating by having a day at the Koh Tao Spa & then we're all meeting her for leisurely drinks at Choppers to watch the Germany game followed by dinner at Whitening & then back to Choppers to watch the England game at silly o'clock in the morning! Should be a great night. Most of us have got her the usual consortium of goodies for her Birthday but this year Dan really went to town & in his absence has organised a massive showing of his movie which you can see here on You Tube 28 Slices Later at the Big Screen Cinema. What a guy. Good on you Dan. Cheers for that. Great acting by the way. You make Vinnie Jones look like a right amateur! Happy Birthday Hells!

Missing! 1 Frenchman. Looks a little like he just stepped out of a Harry Potter Movie wearing a French Football shirt, a beret, a basket of baguettes, a red crevatte and a squeaky black bicycle. Answers to the name of Dobby! Last seen crying at the bar watching the telly at 4am this morning. If found please return to Big Blue Diving. We're all dieing to take the pissoir out of him!

Thursday 17th June 2010-

Picture a harpoon ship cutting through the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Suddenly, the harpooner spots a mother whale and her calf. The ocean quiet is shattered by the blasts of exploding-tip harpoons hitting the whales. The whale pair struggles to free themselves from the harpoon lines, but a gunman fires down from the deck, finally ending their suffering. It can take as “little” as 20 minutes to a couple of hours of agony for these magnificent creatures to die. If countries like Japan, Norway and Iceland -- now supported by the USA -- get their way at the next International Whaling Commission meeting, this horrific scene will see itself played out over and over again. For 35 years, Greenpeace has been the whales' greatest defender. They will not allow this newest threat to their existence to come to pass. The international ban on commercial whaling must not be overturned but they cannot ensure this without your support. Greenpeace is gearing up for one of the biggest battles the war against whaling has ever seen. Please make your most generous donation today to help Greenpeace in our fight for the whales. This is an "all hands on deck" moment!

Fancy an Introduction to Technical Diving? Many divers find all the adventure they need in recreational dives to 40 meters or less. Or maybe you linger at the top of the wall, looking down into the inky abyss? Does the idea of penetrating a wreck, with only your lights and a guideline to lead you give you goose bumps? Do you think you’ll never be happy unless you’re flying past a pinnacle at 10 knots on a scooter? Technical diving is about having fun, just like any other pastime. But, like anything worth doing, it requires perseverance and hard work. The Intro to Technical diving is designed for the diver eager to learn some basic technical diving skills which can help improve their recreational diving ability. Intro to Tech isn’t about flexing your muscles or pulling the birds! Its showcasing your latest equipment, & working to develop skills that will improve your dive, and thus propel you into a world of exploration. If this sounds like your cup of tea & you fancy spending some seriously close time with a rotund Canadian then please feel free to contact us on info@bigbluediving.com

Well its a dramatic change in the weather today. I guess its about time really. Up untill now the weather has been fantastic. We have still been having the same kind of weather we expect to get in April. But as of this morning its an about face & today we are embracing the rain we have been expecting since May! Not a moment too soon. There's an awful lot of dried up plants around Koh Tao right now who could do with a good drink. And after last nights shocking performance there's a few Spaniards looking like they could do with a drink or two too!

Wednesday 16th June 2010-

Not that we are living in a fascist state or anything like that but the staff were all summoned to Choppers bar last night to watch New Zealand's first game in the World Cup football for the first time in 28 years under threat of instant dismissal! The threat of instant termination obviously worked as 30 Instructors, Divemasters & DMT's all turned up to watch the Mighty whites surprise the world by scoring a draw in the dying seconds of the game! How cool was that? How unexpected? & how excited did Jim get? Find out this Sunday when the kiwis do even better against the existing World Cup holders!

Canada is organising another jolly! This time he's rustled up just over a dozen people for a couple of nights of fun & games camping & diving over at the Angthong Marine Park. The actual aim of the mission is to seek out new holes & crevasses to explore & penetrate & to go boldly go where no man has gone before. Canada & Dive Medic Matt will be leading the troops & then Helen & Ash will be in charge of cooking & Captain Dam is in charge of entertainments! Sound like a blast? You bet your ass! We're off on Sunday! Sign up in the shop now or drop me a line on email if you want to be a part of the Big Blue Expeditionary Force to the world famous Angthong Marine Park!

Despite the fact its low season, & despite the trouble the Red Shirts caused, & the fact there's been an economic crisis the world over, & that the Thai Baht is now pretty strong compared to the Euro & the US Dollar, & that there is a World Cup on & most people are staying where they are untill their teams have been knocked out, & at least one of our boats seems to be on the blink at any one time, & that we only have a handful of Instructors here as most are away on holiday its really been a very pleasant & relatively busy low season! What a delightful surprise. Bit like NZ football!

Saturday 12th June 2010-

Legendary underwater explorer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born 100 years ago, on June 11, 1910. To mark the centenary of his birth, National Geographic Books is publishing a memoir by his eldest son, Jean-Michel, the noted French environmentalist, educator and film producer, who has spent most of his adult life nurturing the work of his famous father. In My Father, The Captain, Jean-Michel Cousteau takes an open and intimate look at the life he shared with his father, and the legend he has taken it upon himself to carry. In so doing, he hopes to shed new and meaningful light on the life and work of a man who inspired millions to reconsider our relationship with the sea and its creatures-and, in the process, to understand a little more about himself and his family as well. "Captain Cousteau was a complicated man," the younger Cousteau writes. "He was a man of many different personalities, many different moods. But this is how it is with all great men, yes? We know the public mask, but it is the private face that reveals a man's true character. It is the man we know when the cameras are not filming." My Father, The Captain is shot-through with new material and fresh insights into the life and mind of a man who helped to jump-start a global conservation effort that continues to flourish. Jean-Michel Cousteau and his collaborator, New York Times best-selling author Daniel Paisner, offer an intimate reappraisal of the many touchstone moments Jean-Michel shared with his father, as well as the seminal moments from his father's life that
have become part of the Cousteau family lore and legend.

"Hi there, I never got chance to say thankyou to everyone at big blue for a great week, and a special thank you to the lady with the pink hair she was great - visiting me, getting some things and helping me pack etc also please can you apologise to Greg for me as I did not turn up to meet him on Thursday morning." Not surprising Sarah. We heard you got really sick. I think Greg will find it in his heart to forgive you! And Joy the pink haired lady sends her love. Do hope you are feeling better & will come back & see us again soon.

Just a few comments from our very successful Sunset Dive at Chumphon followed by chocolate cake then a night dive at Green Rock followed by a Singha beer-
" Doesn't get much better than this! Sign me up for the next one" Lisa S. " Great sunset & night dive. First one & certainly not the last. Awesome time. Thanks fellas" Jeff. "Awesome you should do that at least every second day." Lukas. "What a great bunch of blokes you are for organising cake & beer & making diving perfect at last!. I loved it!" Shannon. & heaps more comments Cheers guys. Glad you liked it. When should we do the next one?

Saturday 11th June 2010-

How about this for a publicity stunt! Skinny dippers left passers-by goggle-eyed after stripping off for the world record attempt - at nude snorkelling. Swimmers bared their beach bums on Australia's Nelly Bay, on Magnetic Island, near the Great Barrier Reef. Designed to celebrate World Oceans Day organisers had expected 100 people to take part but the attempt only attracted 23 people. Sounds like a pretty easy record to break next year people! Better start working those butt muscles ladies! Big Blue is going butt naked snorkelling next year & you are all invited to join us! Save the seas! Snorkel naked!

Well after a blustery few days of strong winds a bit of rain & some rather unpleasant surface conditions, the weather has turned again. Today is a beautiful day. Bright & sunny, flat & calm, blue & clear! In fact looks like a wonderful day to learn how to dive! Just wish everyone else thought so too. Tis very quiet on ol' Koh Tao!

In case you hadn't realised the World Cup kicks off today & all the staff from all their different countries are sporting their national colours of pride! Well Pierre is at least, & Dennis has laid his towel out in front of the telly (guess which country he's from!). Its going to be a very exciting month & if this year is anything like last time then its probably going to be a fairly quiet month as well on the work front. Still has their knickers in a twist & we're all really looking forward to seeing how well New Zealand will do this time after an absence of 28 years! Go the Blacks! Pick up the ball & drive!

Tuesday 8th June 2010-

WHALE sharks are being slaughtered and sold in a back-street Hong Kong shark fin market. The fins of the gentle giants are sold for $300 each and used as window displays in shark fin shops in Hong Kong's Sheung Wan market district. Hong Kong's Sharkfin and Marine Products Association secretary Charlie Lim said Australians sent Aboriginal people's heads to museums and therefore the Chinese should be allowed to have whale shark fins on display in shops. Hunting the animals is legal in much of Asia. Whale shark expert Brad Norman said he was "shocked" by the number of fins on display. The founder of marine research charity Ecocean said his investigations had also revealed that up to 1000 whale sharks were killed each year in China. To think these gentle beings are mutilated and left in agony to drown in their own blood, just to end up in a window display in Hong Kong, tears out my heart." On Hong Kong Island's Des Voeux Rd - known to locals as "dried seafood street" - tens of thousands of dried shark fins, used in shark fin soup that is sold for up to $40 a bowl. Dozens of giant whale shark fins, some more than 1m in length and distinguishable by their pattern of dots, were also mounted in windows or packaged for sale. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Government's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said selling whale shark fins was not illegal and fin shops were doing nothing wrong! What the FARK!

Not massively busy here in Koh Tao right now which means its the perfect time to organise a little something special for all our existing divers. So tomorrow our DM's have organised a sunset & night dive interspersed with lashings of chocolate cake! Dusk dive will be at Chumphon Pinnacle. Our night dive will be at Green Rock. & our chocolate cake will be served in the surface interval followed by a lovely warm cup of tea served by our very own Tea's maid Mr Foxy in a pinaforte! Now if that doesn't sell the trip nothing will!

Big Blue Tech intern James Foleher successfully completed his BSAC Open Water Instructor Crossover Course yesterday after a completing a 4 day work shop with academic and water presentations and additional skills not included in other instructor courses. The BSAC instructor cross-over course includes oxygen administration (which is standard at the Dive Leader level) and decompression diving theory. Since James is already a technical diver and an oxygen provider instructor he didn’t need to attend those workshops. James started the crossover as an experienced PADI IDC Staff Instructor who’s majority of teaching and experience comes from working in England. The course concluded with a skill circuit in the swimming pool which was used to test James’s skills and give him the chance to demonstrate his teaching quality. In addition to his graduation, BSAC National Instructor Les Skelton awarded James with Merit which means performance above the passing grade! Good job James!

Friday 4th June 2010-

Oh...My...God - Conservationists fear a falling shark population is prompting Asian chefs to look for manta and devil rays to help meet the voracious demand for shark fin soup. The growing demand for the manta ray is turning ray fishing into an export operation. Mantas and mobulas are being used as shark fin soup filler, The cartilage was being mixed with low-grade shark fins in cheap versions of the soup. With a life span thought to be well over 50 years, the fish reach sexual maturity only in their teens, at which time they produce one pup every one to three years. While the rays, which are distantly related to sharks, are ending up in Hong Kong’s restaurants, their gills are also being used in traditional Chinese medicines. They are dried, ground to a powder and used in traditional Asian medicines. Reaching sizes of up to 7m from wing tip to wing tip, the manta’s branchial gill plates, which filter plankton from seawater, constitute a tiny portion of a body that can weigh up to 2½ tonnes. The plates can fetch up to £200 on the street in China. Practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine claim that gill rakers — called peng yu sai — reduce toxins in the body by purifying the blood. A world without Manta's! What is the world coming to?

Big Blue Tech have released new designs to our existing online shop of technical diving clothing. One popular addition has been the “Team Chick” shirt which has been designed specifically for female technical divers. Designed by Helen Artal and Yvonne Fries who are not only female, we think, they are also female SSI Technical Diving Instructors. The new shirt features our famous twin set design with a pink theme, flowers and the slogan “We Go Down”, which of course conjures up a very beautiful image! I just can't look at Helen & Yvonne in the same light again! Or from the same angle!

Another Full Moon party has been & gone meaning we got really busy really quickly & then got really quiet straight after! & of course with the impeccable timing that you come to expect from years of living in Thailand Banzai broke down & we had to take it to the mainland for a few days to get the propeller fixed. Everything should be alright & back to normal again in a few days just when our busy rush is over! You see, its all about.... timing!

May 2010 Diary

Sunday 30th May 2010-

I just couldn't let this slide!

"Located on the west facing side of the island of Koh Tao Big Blue Diving is the ideal spot to base yourself for one of the most enjoyable & relaxing dive holidays you can have anywhere in the world and at an extremely affordable price. With 3 dive boats at their disposal & operating a choice of up to 13 divesites daily this is one of the best run operations in Thailand & in 2009 deservedly won the prestigious SSI Award for Most Successful Dive Center in Asia. Pretty easy to see why as well. They have a beach side bar & Restaurant advertising the greatest sunsets on the island while eating the greatest pizza on the island! They have over 40 rooms offering Free air conditioned dormitory style accommodation to students doing their Open Water Courses, or private fan rooms with ensuite for just 200 bt per night. Or they can offer you bungalows on the beach starting at just 400 Bt per night increasing to prices over 4000 Bt per night!
Environmentally aware, Big Blue organise frequent beach & divesite clean ups as well Whale shark & Turtle data collaboration & local land conservation projects & in 2008 & 2009 won PADI’s Project Aware Award for Environmental Achievement as well as the SSI Award in 2009 for Most Environmentally Active Dive Center in Asia.
Big Blue Diving is one of Thailand’s largest & well respected Diver Education center’s & in 2009 was awarded with 2 of the most sought after awards issued by SSI Thailand with Instuctor Trainer Simon Garrity being awarded with the Highest Instructor Certifications in 2009 & Yvonne Fries was awarded the Highest Student Certifications in Thailand.
Recently Big Blue has also become a well recognised Technical Diving Center & was awarded the Highest Technical Diving certifications in Thailand by TDI. They offer all forms of Technical Diving, Rebreather diving & also organise monthly Cave Diving trips to Khao Sok National Park & in the past year found a wreck lying in 40 meters depth just off Koh Tao, making it the most accessible wreck dive from Koh Tao.
Offerring all PADI, SSI , BSAC, SDI & TDI courses from beginner to Instructor it is easy to see why Big Blue Diving Koh Tao has become one of the most recognised & well respected Dive centers in the Asia Pacific Region.
For more information please feel free to contact info@bigbluediving.com or see for yourself on www.bigbluediving.com"

Well said Rough Guide!

Saturday 29th May 2010-

"Hello! I stayed at your resort and went on a couple diving excursions a few weeks ago. While there, I had the french toast with honey & peanuts and now that I have returned to the United States, I'm craving it! Is there anyway I could get the recipe or at least a list of ingredients? I don't cook much so hard for me to figure out on my own and that was good stuff. Also, Sonia was extremely helpful and great to work with while I was there so I wanted to pass along that feedback! Thanks again, Sonia! Kristi Miller" mmm. I think it was bread fried in 2 eggs served then pour on honey & sprinkle on some chopped peanuts! & Bobs your uncle, Fanny's your aunt!

You may have read about an intrepid couple from Sweden who are on their way to stay with us here in Koh Tao having skated their way here all the way from Chiang Mai to Singapore & back! Jim is skating on a longboard (skateboard) and Maria on rollerblades. They started in the middle of January and reached Singapore on the 16th of May. Right now they are on Koh Samui but are coming to Koh Tao for a well deserved holiday before flying back home from Bangkok. They have around 8000 people on their Facebook Group from all over the world who are following their trip. They have also been in a lot of newspapers, radio and tv back home in Sweden. Two newspapers here in Thailand, one in Bangkok (http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=se&news_id=5945) and one in Phuket (http://www.phuketgazette.net/news/detail.asp?id=8350&Search=longboard)
(http://www.phuketgazette.net (news/detail.asp?id=8625) and two in Malaysia
(http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2010/2/6/lifeliving/5483428&sec=lifeliving) and a chinese newspaper in Penang so maybe you have read about them already. So alot of people knows about them & one of Swedens biggest newspaper has promised to do an article when they get back home so a lot of Swedes will read about them. They are doing this in benefit for childhood cancer foundation and their goal is to raise 50 000:- SEK and have raised around 22 500:- so far. Cool guys! Welcome to Koh Tao!

Still running our very popular Full Day trips to Sail Rock right now, & why wouldn't we? After all we have nearly 20 people all desperately keen to pay a visit to the legendary dive site reported to be the best dive site in the Gulf of Thailand so of course we want to take our divers there. After all we are officially the the Best Dive Center in Thailand so we want to offer the best Dive site to the best customers with the best Dive staff & not forgetting the best Massaman Curry in Thailand! Dive with the best! Blow raspberries at the rest!

Thursday 28th May 2010-

The phrase "Deader than a dodo" springs to mind! So quiet you can hear a mouse fart! It's quieter than Bjork saying it's oh so quiet, quiet! & that's not just here either. Unfortunately it appears to be all over Thailand. Tourist arrivals are down 30%, Bangkok Hotels occupancy rate is at an all time low of just 10%. Never has there been a better time to come to Thailand & get that absolute bargain. Things are at such bargain prices right now cos people are desperate to make some money & because its so quiet with such a lack of tourists they're even cheaper than a bargain! So if you are looking for a cheap holiday destination then you know exactly where to come! Right here right now!.... please.

"When a Blue Whale tagged with a web-cam as part of a television nature program broadcasts a brutal murder at sea, an FBI agent with a fear of water finds herself in a deadly race to reach the animal before an unknown killer can destroy the digital evidence it carries. For Special Agent Tara Shores, the many possible suspects each present obstacles as unique and perilous as the sea itself. Is the murderer one of the web viewers vying for the controversial reality show’s million-dollar prizes? The extremist environmental group threatening violence unless the whale is liberated from its high-tech tracking device? The wealthy Hollywood power-couple who own the show? Or the troubled, young inventor of the whale-cam? And just who was the beautiful woman slaughtered live on the web? Navigating an ocean of manipulation and deceit, the detective’s best hope for a solid piece of evidence is the original murder video, still attached to the back of the 100-ton creature which roams the Pacific tethered to its electronic leash. But when the tag’s GPS locator mysteriously fails, it seems that finding the beast will prove impossible. As the Special Agent dives deeper into the case, what she initially dismisses as a publicity stunt for the glitzy reality series soon sweeps her out to sea in a riptide of greed, sex, and high-tech crime." Sounds like a book worth reading! Wired Kingdom by Rick Chesler out now!

The wind has picked up quite a bit. Quite a lot actually! & with the rising winds comes the rising waves so if you are one of the few coming over in the next few days then I would highly recommend a seasickness pill to quell that rising breakfast! Also consider taking one of the ferries as opposed to the catamarans. My top tip is the Seatran or the Songserm. They are a little easier on the waves than the Catamaran & if you do have to hurl they offer you non see through bags in which to hurl up in! Isn't that thoughtful!

Monday 24th May 2010-

"Hi Jim! The saddest scene is unveiling on my own balcony in the center of Phnom Pehn :) My diving equipment is painfully sweating the last drops of water I logged back from Koh Tao! :)) This means that...well, this wonderful week at Big Blue is behind..and yes, will remain in my mind as a very agreeable one. Nice place you have there. And super nice staff. Please, give my best regards to Steven, Tom, Yvonne and Rachel whom I have been diving with the most. Nice humour, relaxed enough, yet with no compromise on security. There...Big Blue has just made my mind up in considering going professional...and "dive" into the dive master program. Let's see... Here is one pic for Steven... Would you forward it to him? Merci! It was great. And until soon! I am working on the few friends I have that have not yet joined the divers club. If I succeed, I'll bring them to you guys! Catherine."

This years Save Koh Tao project is going to be a wreck! About time too! We are going to raise enough money to build a big underwater ship that we can swim through over & around. & today is the first of our raising money for the project days so Jenny is organising another beach & underwater clean up & Kymmie has organised a sports day with tug of war competitions, egg & spoon & 3 legged race & Dave at Vibe is dishing out another legendary Barbie on the beach. Should be fun so come one come all & bring some cash. All donations will be put towards the new Koh Tao wreck 2010!

Still bright sunny hot & sweaty. That's enough about me! How are you? Ha! No the weather I'm talking about. The sea aint bad either. Great visibility, fish everywhere, warm tropical temperatures, & reasonably calm surface conditions, absolutely ideal if you were thinking of coming on a tropical island holiday! Its pretty quiet too so it really is the perfect time to see Koh Tao without the usual swarms of revellers! So... See you next weekend then?

Sunday 23rd May 2010-

Our very own Green Queen Jennifer "massive" Matthews took Jim, SSImon & Duncan & a whole bunch of very enthusiastic DMT eco warriors for a lecture & a dive at Bio Rock yesterday! We all went armed with bits of wire & broken fragments of live coral which we then proceeded to tie together on to the 4 or 5 electrically charged Bio Domes. With the 12 volts of charge these domes have surging through them it is understood that the coral will now grow upto 5 times faster than it would under normal circumstances. Just like Viagra!

There's SSImply no stopping our SSImon these days. Having already recieved the maSSIvely prestigious "Most Instructor Certifications Award" in 2009 SSImon is now being honoured with one of the highest ranks on the SSI ladder- which is that of Instructor Certifier, making him one of a very select number of people who can actually fail you on your Instructor exam. Thats like an SSI Knighthood! So not only does SSImon teach you how to become an SSI Instructor he might also be the one that examines you. So better pull your trousers up gents & your tops down ladies. SSImon's getting SSIrius now! Congratulations SSImon.

Seems to be that time of the year when all our members of staff desert us for their annual trip home to see Mum & Dad & get the laundry done... properly! Emily went home a couple of weeks ago already. She is now in Brummyville. Then Erik left to go to Sverge for the best part of 2 months to be joined later by Beccy no doubt. Then Rick & Fanette & came & went & now holidaying in Gaye Paris with Takeshi & Naomi no less. Then Deano flew home to be with his one true love Lara, & Barry went off last week to watch the World Cup in England. & then this week Dan & Kymmie are off to a wedding or 2 back in Europe & SSImon & Jodie are heading back for Blightey for a month aswell. Then Jim & his Missus are supposedly off to Germany for a last sojourn before their baby is born. Meanwhile Canada is cruising around Thailand diving the many wrecks & Caves we have here, Roz is off to Bangers with her Red shirt & Kelly is stuck in Malaysia on a visa run. Good job its not busy in May & June isn't it!

Thursday 20th May 2010-

My word! This whole Bangkok thing... what a nightmare. I have sooooo much to say about what I feel about the current situation but out of respect for the people of Thailand I will keep my opinions as an outsider to myself. But wow, who could have imagined that such nice friendly happy heart warming people had so much rage in them. I'm really quite shocked! No idea how things will develop from here on in but I will say that so far all these problems are a geographical issue & are only affecting the areas north of Bangkok so south of Bangkok is completely unaffected. So with that in mind if you are on your way or thinking of coming over then jump on the next plane to Koh Samui with www.bangkokair.com & we'll see you in Koh Tao. Its lovely, sunny & not a red shirt or a burning tyre to be seen anywhere!

Congratulations to Dan who has successfully managed to pass his Tech Diver Course without even wearing a pair of speedos! Rumour has it speedo wearing is part of the Tech diver uniform. We've all seen Canada, Cav & Duncan in their beige yellow numbers, & our female TXR Instructors wear their speedos in the bar so its nice to finally have a proper Tech Diver sporting a serious Tech Diver look. Congrats Dan & congrats Helen & Yvonne who have now conducted their first Tech Diver Course.

"Hi Jim, First I would like to inform you that I am now a SSI Diver Stress and Rescue certified diver. Hal and DMT Fabian are great instructors in preparing my mind and body for the worst possible scenarios, including my mask being ripped from my face in an underwater panic scenario. The fun part of that was we were trying to find my mask for what seemed like minutes which was behind me wrapped around the first stage the entire time :) Good observation Fabian \m/(^__^)\m/ On the final day of my rescue course Hal was able to convince my mate Gemma to take a Discovery Scuba session the next day. Gemma's instructor was Becky. At first there was some anxiousness/nervousness on Gemma's part right when we got on the boat to the Japanese Gardens. Becky made her feel at ease and gave Gemma positive feedback during the entire session. I've been trying my hardest to convince Gemma to try scuba diving since we started out southeast Asia trip. I can honestly say that she is 'hooked', no pun intended, and she intends to take her open water course at the end of the year. Hopefully with Becky and also when it's the cooler months. Gemma's quote, "Becky is fantastic. Her instruction made me feel at ease, it was fun and easy!!! I can see why people like to dive." Unfortunately my schedule did not allow me to do some fun dives but that's ok. I'll be making my way back down to Singapore and make it a point to go back to Big Blue for some fun diving in between. Again big thanks to you, Hal, Fabian, Becky and the rest of the staff at Big Blue. I'll be back soon. Safe travels and fun dives, Jose."

Wednesday 19th May 2010-

The number 1 question coming in on the emails right now is if its safe to travel to Thailand? And the answer is... Fark yeah! Bangkok is an enormous city. & the area where all the Red Shirts are is tiny. It's the equivalent of having the Reds hold up Oxford Street in London, or Times Square in New York or George street in Sydney. Its obviously going to have a lot of impact but its not like the rest of the city would be underseige! Everything is fine! This time next week it will all be over & Bkk will be back to normal. & if you want some seriously accurate reporting on the situation rather than the diplomatically flowery reporting of the BBC or CNN then check out www.bangkokpost.com They give it to you straight! The Reds are a bunch of...

How cool is this? Designer Adam Wendel has come up with a futuristic device named the “Immersed Senses” that changes the way the diver sees, hears, and breathes underwater, allowing them to become a part of their surrounding environment. Immersed Senses is the future of underwater diving and exploration. Featuring a LED flashlight to let the diver to observe the dark depths of the ocean, the mask also includes a large OLED glass display to offer a panoramic view of the surroundings, and GPS maps, therefore allowing the diver to navigate efficiently throughout the ocean’s landscapes. The OLED enclosed helmet also allows the extracted oxygen to flow freely throughout the helmet, as if you are breathing on land without any breathing apparatus. The OLED also offers software that can identify all species of fish, coral and other ocean dwelling creatures that diver is currently viewing. In addition, the OLED screen depicts important info such as oxygen toxicity, nitrogen levels and even body heat to keep the diver well informed and safe. Water leakage is eliminated with the use of a silicone lining that seals the helmet to the skin. The silicone’s flexibility affords the diver to explore with comfortable movements. The orange side panels assist in internal circulation of the extracted oxygen. The rear of the helmet contains an electrolysis reactor that extracts oxygen from saltwater. The breathable oxygen is circulated throughout the helmet, creating a revolutionary underwater breathing experience. Immersed Senses operates by a battery that utilizes a centrifuge mechanism to pull oxygen from seawater that begins the electrolysis reaction. Saltwater is extracted into the bottom reservoir that reacts with hydrogen gas. The saltwater is then charged by a positive and negative anode/cathode that generates breathable oxygen. Two internal devices help to circulate the oxygen to the diver’s mouth and nose. The diver then breathes in the oxygen and out carbon dioxide, which exits the helmet. The battery and stored hydrogen can keep a diver submersed for up to 8 hours. The Immersed Senses revolutionizes how a human can breathe underwater, as well as interact with the OLED display offering a panoramic view of the deep sea.
Its soooo cool, I think I just wet my pants!

Monday 17th May 2010-

Well it might be chaos in Bangkok but we're actually doing quite nicely thank you very much! Our rooms are pretty much full. At least 2 out of our 3 boats are running out every morning & afternoon. All our Instructors are working. We've got all the DM team working their fingers to the bone! The Techies seem to be permanantly busy. We've got oodles of DM's in Training. The Full Day Trip to Sail Rock is full. We've needed to rent equipment because we ran out the other day. We're practically out of T-shirts & Big Blue water Coolers. The kayaks are out all day every day. The restaurant is chocker! The stools at the bar are permanently occupied & the deck chairs on the beach have always got people sitting on them. We should be on the brink of civil war more often!

After 4 attempts it appears that Nick has finally managed to leave Koh Tao & go on his visa run, though I am still kind of half expecting him to walk back in and make up some other lame excuse as to why he has either managed to miss his boat, sleep in, got lucky, feign illness, motorbike wouldn't start or dog ate his homework. And as he still hasn't walked in since I began writing this paragraph I guess we can all gather that yes Nick has finally managed to get himself on his visa run! Who's a clever boy!

Sir Richard Branson is at it again!—whether it’s luxurious trips to outer space or stylish underwater adventuring, the Virgin tycoon wants to be the first to market it. Virgin Limited Edition announced today it will be going underwater with its new Necker Nymph aero submarine. The Virgin Nymph (sounds like a contradiction in terms) a Deep Flight three-person underwater aircraft. Virgin’s new Nymph sub will fit nicely into the company’s other luxuriously designed Necker-named properties and transports like the Necker Belle—a 105 foot catamaran—and Necker Island. Sir Richard plans to lend the Nymph out to visitors of his high-class hideaway, Necker Island. The Necker Nymph can glide through the ocean doing full 360 degree turns while carrying its pilot and two visitors on a two-hour trip. The Nymph is available to hire for $25,000 a week, or 1000 Bt if you do it as part of your Advanced Course!

Sunday 16th May 2010-

The mystery of why thresher sharks have such huge tails has been solved.For years, biologists have been unsure why thresher sharks uniquely sport tails that can grow as long as the shark's body. Now video footage has confirmed their true function: thresher sharks use their huge tails to swat and stun much smaller prey fish. The discovery explains why thresher sharks are often caught by their tails by baited long-line fishing gear. There has been no documentary evidence proving what the sharks use their tails for until marine biologists decided to film thresher sharks feeding in the wild. Researchers towed a submersible video camera behind a research boat. In front of the camera, they towed two baited lines, hoping to lure in common thresher sharks, which commonly feed on dense schools of anchovy and sardine. They filmed 33 common thresher sharks swimming near or approaching the bait. The sharks struck with their tails in two distinct ways: either they waggled their body and surged forward, creating a wave down their body that ended in a tail flick, or they positioned their body alongside the bait fish, before making a sideways strike with their tail. These observations confirm that common thresher sharks use their long caudal fins to pursue and stun their prey, which are then easy to catch.

For the first time in what has felt like months, if not years, we had a spot of rain yesterday! Thanks god. The island has been out of water for at least a month already. The island is brown as opposed to green, the trees & plants are all withered & dying & the wells are so low that the shower water turned brown about a week ago. But not anymore! THanks to the good lord & the heavenly father it absolutely pissed down last night & everything looks all lively & healthy again! Long live the Rain!

Our Divemaster Mentor team consisting of SSImon, SSSonia, Danny Boy, Hells Bells, & kNickers are all treating the DM Team & the DM's in Training to a night at the Koh Tao Bowling Alley & Minigolf Course & Driving Range. There'll be a free Bar B Cue for everyone & as many lagers as your money can handle! Of course with 3 sets of groups playing to win the bowling the golf & the French Boules competition should be rife! We want a clean fight people. No poking, prodding, eye gouging, or molotov cocktails! Flowery shirt & a weekend away in Hawaii for the winners. Red shirt & a weekend in Bangkok for the losers!

Saturday 15th May 2010-

And apart from diving what else is there to do in Koh Tao? Well what has really become popular in recent years is kayaking over to Nang Yuan Island for a spot of bikini watching, or snorkelling. If you are feeling really virile then a trip all around Koh Tao can be quite fun too. Take your sun cream, camera's, your snorkels & your bikini's. & a bit of cash so you can stop somewhere park up on one of Koh Tao's many beachside restaurants & grab a bite to eat as well. All good clean fun & cheap too! This advert has been brought to you by Big Blue Kayaks! Probably the best place to rent your Kayaks on Koh Tao! ;)

Well it looks like I might have spoken a little too soon when I said the other day that an agreement between the Red Shirts & the Government had been reached. Whoops sorry about that! But don't worry as bad as it actually looks it really isn't. I mean don't get me wrong. Its not good either but its not a war zone & you can still fly in & out of Bangkok. So please don't put off your holiday. Arrive & catch the first flight out of Bangers for Samui. Have a look at www.bangkokair.com & then catch a ferry or catamaran to Koh Tao. We'll pick you up at the pier & bring you directly to our Resort for a nice refreshing Mango juice & a seat by the beach! War zone by boney butt!

So I had over 100 logged dives before I saw mine. Jacques Cousteau dived for 20 years before he saw his. Many people dive for a living & have never ever seen one. And those that have seen them reckon it was the most amazing experience of their lives. To dive with a Whaleshark! & Yvonne & Heather's Open Water Students were lucky enough to see their first one on their first Open Water Dives! How lucky were they? Well they were with South East Asia's Number 1 Instructor so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised! Congratulations divers on losing your cherry at such an early time in your diving careers!

Thursday 13th May 2010-

My apologies must go out to yesterdays Open Water Course who were unable to meet their Instructor because he was at the hair dressers! Our Scandanavian God of Thunder & lego, Soren, owner of Koh Tao's best pair of mens breasts, was unaware he would be required to start a Danish course yesterday afternoon so had already booked himself into the hair salon for a wash & colour! Unfortunatley half way thru he got the call to work so wasn't able to get a perm, but don't worry darling, you look absolutely fabulous!

Marine scientists have been closely watching massive coral bleaching in the Andaman Sea, believed to be the worst case in Thai waters for 20 years. Coral reefs in the Andaman Sea off Phangnga, Krabi and Phuket, including popular diving sites such as the Similan, Phi Phi and Surin islands, have been damaged by the phenomenon. Five percent of the coral reefs affected by the phenomenon have already died. More coral will be damaged if the sea temperature remains high. The phenomenon is also occurring in the Gulf of Thailand, where Scientists believe the main cause of coral bleaching is the warming of the oceans, which forces zooxantaellae, an algae which co-exists with the coral and gives it colour, to detach from the corals' shell. Strong sunlight can also kill the coral. The bleached coral reefs will take a long time to recover, Coral reefs in shallow waters at depths up to 10m will take three to four years to recover. Coral in deeper seas will take more time to recuperate.

Many thanks to DM Emma, who will be leaving us this week for pastures new. Well home I guess would be more appropriate. She has been a major cog in the Big Blue Engine & a big reason for the logistical success with which we operate 6-7 boats a day! Employed initiallly to open up Big Blue Yoga as well as run the boats & speak 5 languages she never had the time to get the Yoga thang off the ground- too busy with the dive thang! So with one less DM in our 4 person DM pool I wonder who's going to fill the gap? OOh exciting. Watch this space to see who becomes BB's newest member of the DM Team. Cheers Emma & good luck!

Wednesday 12th May 2010-

Just in case you were wondering... its a balmy 38 degrees. Its golden brown sunny, not a cloud in the sky, not a breath of wind! The smell of seawater fills the nostrils. The sea is mirror flat, & the visibility is 20 + meters from the surface looking down on the sea bed or 30+ meters looking horizontal. There's a banquet of fish at every divesite & the turtles have been making a steady comeback in recent months too. Occasionally we get to dive with passing Brydes Whales & whalesharks & even in confined we've seen eagle rays, as well as a plethora of pretty ladies in skimpy bikinis. After an amazing day in the office its time to top it all off with a nice ice cold stubby & a view of the setting sun behind the ocean. Majestic yellows, reds, pinks & oranges fade to purples, browns, ochres & greens before the sky is filled with a starry starry night & we all head off for a slap up Thai dinner for the same price of a pint of lager before bed time! Just in case you were wondering. ; )

Welcome back to Koh Tao our Big Blue Khao Lak Posse! This last week has seen the return of the Bazza, Takeshi & Naomi, Dan & Mayu, & today we were blessed with the arrival of Rick & Fanette. All coming back to a red carpet, confetti, cheerleaders & a resounding applause for all their hard work & the phenomenal success of our 2 daily speedboats & Liveaboard to the Similans & Surin Islands this last season. They have by far exceeded expectations & are well deserved of a rest after a gruelling 6 months before they head off for their month long vacations & then battling head first to re- enter the rush that is the Koh Tao high season starting in July. Gimme a W-E-L-C-O-M-E-B-A-C-K-K-L-A-K!

Today's global whale population is vulnerable like never before - gravely threatened by climate change, sea level and temperature variations, pollution, ship strikes, entanglement and food scarcity. The public agrees: commercial whaling should be stopped TODAY. Yet, White House officials have met behind closed doors with foreign representatives to lift the whaling ban. Why is President Obama entertaining actions that could lead to the slaughter of thousands of currently protected whales? In 2008, President Obama pledged to strengthen the international moratorium on whaling. Given recent developments, it's time for us to send him a reminder. We've joined forces with Greenpeace to ensure Obama won't forget that campaign promise, but we need your help to make a difference. Help us save 25 years of whale conservation - tell President Obama to maintain the whaling ban. Since championing passage of the international ban on commercial whaling in 1986, every American President has made a commitment to lead in the worldwide fight to protect the global whale population. Even George W. Bush managed to uphold the whaling ban. We can't let President Obama be the first president to fail his duty to protect whales from senseless slaughter. Write to the White House today and tell Obama: we won't endorse commercial whaling on our watch!

Tuesday 11th May 2010-

Canada & his team of Merry men are off tonight for a months trip around South East Asia checking out some of the best diving this region has to offer. First off its Khao Sok where they will be diving caves & the Sunken Village. Then its over to Khao Lak to dive the new wreck finds halfway between Tap Lamu & Thai Muang. Then pop into Phuket & dive the legendary Hin Daeng & Hin Muang. Then its Singapore bound to dive the 2 legendary Second World War wrecks- the Battleship HMS Repulse & the Dutch submarine K17. Then its more caves in Krabi & Trang in the Sra Keow Cave & the Song Hong Cave then a little exploratory dive near Songkla before finishing off with a few of the wrecks around Pattaya. What a happy ending! I wonder if they are all as jealous of me as I am of them? I have to go to the dentist's in Samui at some point this month!

We all had a very memorable night last night to celebrate Dan & Kymmies engagement to be married next year. The theme was going to be come in red the colour of passion but bearing in mind events in Bangkok it was decided to change the theme to come as the person you love. So the boys dressed as the girls & the girls dressed as Jim, and we all had a very fun & silly night! Congratulations Dan & Kymmie. We wish you both many happy years together.

Hairdressers, pet groomers and farmers worldwide are collecting hair and fur to help mop up the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The hair, stuffed into nylon tights, helps booms soak up thick oil spewing from the blown-out well off Louisiana.Some 204,000kg of hair and fur is said to being arriving each day. Hair is an extremely efficient material for taking in all kinds of oils including petroleum, each follicle has an enormous surface area, which the oil "sticks" to. Volunteers have been stuffing the nylons with hair at 15 warehouses close to the disaster zone, making huge "hairy sausages" or booms. The booms will be laid on beaches rather than out at sea, soaking up any oil that washes ashore. About 370,000 salons are taking part organising the massive "hair lift". ; )

Sunday 9th May 2010

Hot Dawg! Congratulations Big Blue on a number of fronts! First off I'd like everyone to put their hands together to congratulate SSImon for being officially recognized by SSI as the highest certifying Instructor Trainer in Asia, having certified more SSI Instructors this year than the whole of Asia put together last year! Secondly I think celebration is in order for Yvonne who was last night crowned the best SSI Instructor in Asia with the highest amount of certifications & the most amount of students who continued & took their Advanced Course with her! Wow. That's quite an award! Then Canada received a recognition award for his services towards Tech Diving. Top stuff! & Big Blue itself won 2 awards for the most environmentally active Dive Shop in Asia & ... drum roll please... the most successful Dive shop in Asia! & come November we compete with other nominated Dive centers from around the world for the Most Successful Dive Shop in the World! How about them apples! :)

Latest news regarding the political situation in Bangers! The Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has offered to dissolve parliament in September which is kind of what the Red shirts are asking for & so everything is looking peaceful & lovely again & finally foreign governments have lifted their visiting Thailand warning & are telling their citizens that its alright to travel to Thailand again! You bet your ass! I could have told you that weeks ago!

Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of our very own Inst Helen, Simone Reymenants and James Foleher from their TDI Advanced Wreck Diver course and Andy Cav from his TDI Advanced Wreck Instructor Course conducted over 3 days on 2 different wrecks off the coast of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand by TDI Instructor Trainer Ben Reymenants. The TDI Advanced Wreck course is the next step for any diver that has taken a wreck diver course. During the course, the students were taught the proper techniques for locating and planning a penetration dive. The advanced wreck course is commonly taught with other popular TDI course such as advanced nitrox, decompression procedures, extended range, closed circuit rebreather, and trimix. The TDI Advanced Wreck course is unique in that it trains divers to conduct extensive multi level penetration or entry of shipwrecks without the linear depth or light restriction. & looks really cool on your CV!

7th May 2010- Friday

Another great day in paradise! This morning our divers headed out to Chumphon Pinnacle, to find not just one Whale Shark, but two chilling out on the pinnacle. Such a great way to start the day that we thought it would be a great way to finish the day too, so our boats headed straight back out to Chumphon Pinnacle this afternoon. There have also been many recent turtle sightings. Emma was surprised on a night dive a couple of days ago by the biggest turtle she had ever seen! Good news for all as we see the return of the turtles to turtle Island (Koh Tao).

It’s been an interesting week and busy week for us all here at Big Blue, we had another of our famous Divemaster Challenges to celebrate Jade and Greg on becoming Dive Control Specialists, and Jen and Nina on becoming Dive Masters. In true Big Blue style we put them all through their paces with a cross dressing bind date themed Challenge and what a good looking ladyboy Greg was! Instead of “our Cilla and Graham ” we had new mentor Dan and birthday boy SSI Simon in the spot light. Before the final curtain SSI Simon graced us with a little sexy dance and impromptu strip-tease to celebrate his birthday, unfortunately for Simon it was laundry day, and lets just say he was not wearing his sexiest undies.

Yesterday saw rain clouds gather over Koh Tao for the first time in many months, the Island has been so low on water we have been getting shipments in from the main land. Its about time, even for those of us who left our home countries to get away from the bad weather. So yesterday we were all dancing in the rain, much to the bewilderment of our new guests. It didn’t last long though and today we’re back to clear blue skies and hot, hot, hot. Lovely.

To close, love is in the air tonight with a fancy dress ‘Come as the One You Love’ party to celebrate Dan and Kimmie’s engagement. So lots of love………..

Saturday 1st May 2010-

So some of our DMT's & past Divemasters, even some of our present DM's & a couple of our Instructors all went off for a jolly last week to Khao Lak for another trip to the Similan Islands onboard old Big Blue DMT's DM's & Instructors new Wicked Liveaboard. Poor guys had to spend so much of their time underwater with Manta Rays tho that they hardly got to see anything else. My sympathy knows no bounds you lucky lucky lucky lucky DMT's DM's & Instructors! I saw an ickle jellyfish!

Looks like it's all go for the boys at Big Blue Tech this week. Cav and Helen are taking the DMT's through their SDI Deep, Wreck and Nitrox courses, Canada is taking James and Chris through their TDI Extended Range Course, Ash having just taught the BSAC Compressor Operator Course and TDI Gas Blender course is now teaching TDI Nitrox and Ben is on his way for TDI Advanced Wreck in 2 days! No rest for the wicked!

How exciting! Over the next few days eensy weensy teeny weeny tiny little Jenny, Big Blue's very own Marine Biologist will be launching our brand new website aimed at conserving & preserving everything we can here in Koh Tao with www.bigblueconservation.com She will be offering anything & everything to do with eco studies, Marine management issues, bio waste, marine life, artificial reefs, waste management, recycling, water retention & ecological awareness. She's going to be huge! Well lets face it she couldn't be much smaller! Go eco! www.bigblueconservation.com

April Latest News

Friday 30th April 2010-

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!

Change your lifestyle, live in paradise, get paid to do something you love, become an SSI Scuba Diving Instructor and never look back! Already a DiveCon or DiveMaster? Become an SSI Instructor in 11 days for just 60500 baht, includes ALL materials, processing fees, dues and IE. Currently, demand for SSI Instructors outs...trips supply - there are jobs waiting for you! Training conducted at Big Blue Diving Resort on sunny Koh Tao, unlimited FREE fun diving once you sign up, the chance to assist our instructors on REAL courses, DISCOUNT in the resort bar and restaurant, & ... wait for it ... FREE T-Shirt!! Freelance work available at Big Blue for graduates of our Instructor Training Program, unlimited opportunities to team teach with our full-time Instructors to gain experience and certs. Instructor Training at Big Blue with SSI Instructor Trainer SSImon Garrity.

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!