It took just a short 3-hour flight from Kathmandu to Bangkok, an even shorter 1-hour flight on Bangkok Air to Ko Samui (a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand), and I had made it safely to Thailand! I spent an evening in Ko Samui, a very populated/touristy destination and by boat came to Ko Tao (A diving mecca in the Gulf of Thailand). Prior to this trip, I always had an interest in trying out scuba diving, but never seized the moment. On Ko Tao, it was going to be easy!!!
On Sunday through Wednesday, I participated in a 4-day PADI Open Water Dive Course that at the end would certify me to be able to dive at a depth of 18 meters. My course was through the Buddha View Dive Center and was quite easy! The first day, we had a class lecture and than put on scuba equipment for diving in the pool. This was my first exposure to be able to breath under water (COOL COOL COOL)! The second day, we had another morning class lecture and than took a dive at 6 meters in the Gulf of Thailand (GETTING BETTER........)! The third day, we took our exam in the morning and than two dives in the afternoon. Both dives were at around 10-12 meters in warm water and we saw trigger fish, angel fish, clown fish, barracuda, and grouper (ALL SMILES AFTER THIS.....). The fourth and last day, we had two dives in the morning at depths of 18 meters and 12 meters. On these dives, we saw many varieties of fish, but most spectacular was the sea turtle eating along the coral reef wall (I WAS SOLD ON DIVING and a Certified Open-Water Diver.....)!!!
Since I was pretty fired-up over the diving experience, I signed up to take the 2-day Advanced Open Water Course. This included five dives and some book reading.... The first day included two dives, the Deep Dive at 30 meters to test for Nitrogen Narcosis (effects of inhaling too much nitrogen) and the Navigational Dive at 12 meters to test using a compass under water. On the deep dive, I had no signs of the NN and we saw two gray-reef sharks, trigger fish, grouper, little nemo, and many more fun things under water. The second day consisted of three dives with the last dive being a Night Dive. The Night Dive was an amazing, adrenaline-pumping experience, where we carried a torch for light and descended to 18 meters....We saw many giant barracuda (even, a barracuda devouring another fish), two bay rays, porcupine fish, a sleeping trigger fish, and when we turned all the lights off, lots of phosphurescents.....THIS ROCKED THE HOUSE!!! and it's official the Gert Jonny is now a Certified Advanced Open-Water Diver....:)
It's been a good time over the last week in Ko Tao, but the environment here is way too easy!!! The guest houses on the beaches, the beautiful turquoise water, and many western tourists (this place is full of Brits) make it feel like a traditional one-week holiday to a not-so exotic place. The Thai food, ranging from Pad Thai to Coconut Soup to Giant Prawns, Snapper, Tuna to Basil Chicken to Banana Fritters, has been excellent!!! I am ready to depart this dive-mecca and head up north to Bangkok, Chang Mai, and than into Laos and Cambodia!
More to come soon......and try diving, it's a wonderful feeling to be able to be breathing under water and to see the many living creatures that make up this world!
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