Scuba Diving Thread - mini forum

[racha]

Racha if you could do dive sites in the Similans, Koh Lanta, the Rayas, and some of the other Andaman dive sites.

---

Hi Brink,

I will start out with a dive site that we now call the Rock located in between Raya Yai Island and Raya Noi Island its not one of the regular dives sites that people go to though,

 

After going on fishing trips with the local fisherman many times from there longtail boats, I got very curious what was on the bottom of the sea in the different areas where they where stopping in the middle of nowhere, They would arrive at a fishing site by lining up the mountains and hills from the far away islands,

 

They where catching Tuna's,rainbow runners,barracuda's, and many other types of pelagic fish,sting rays, grey reef sharks,black tip and white tip sharks as well, After pulling up nice pieces of colorful coral on many occasions from my fishing line, I finally decided these places had to be checked out and explored, So I got a group of the dive staff together one late afternoon and set out with a local fisherman to find the exact spots where these underwater reefs where located,

 

As it was the first time in a new place and all the diving instructors did not have to look after customers it was going to be an exciting fun dive for everyone not knowing what we would see, and not having to be looking after other people for a change, just keep an eye on your own buddy and have great fun and explore the unknown place.

 

We choose a time that the tide would be slack so the visibility would be the best and we could enter the water when the current would be not very strong as we knew it would be a deep dive and we would prefer to go back to our anchor line for the safety stop, If we got drifted away or did not find the anchor rope maybe the boat driver would not spot us to pick us up, we could be floating on the surface of the open sea in the middle of nowhere.

 

We all entered the water at the same time doing a backward roll from the longtail boat and then swam on the surface to the front of the boat to hold on to the anchor line, we then deflated our BCD's and made our descent quickly down the anchor line.

 

The current was not to strong as we descended but as we got down to 20 & then the 30+ meters point the current started to get very strong and we all decided to leave the rope and go with the current flow and explore as the current was impossible to swim against and we had to hold on to our masks with one hand so they would not get ripped off our faces so going with the currents flow was our only option, At the bottom of the line right near the anchor was 3 huge Guitar fish sleeping peacefully, they never even woke up with the anchor landing right next to them, so a good start so far as we had seen something down here already. The visibility was also surprisingly good for such a strong current.

 

The whole place down there was full of underwater granite rocks covered with soft corals all over them, In between the granite rock formations where giant fan corals and sea whips as big as I have every seen before, Sticking out of the rocks there where huge lobster tentacles everywhere and many of them starting to come out of there day hiding places to start to look for there dinner, everyone was excited to see so many things down here, Lots of sea anemones swaying in the current with so many different types of clown fish living in them where covering nearly every rock, huge moray eels with there heads poking out waiting for unsuspecting fish to swim nearby them, big snappers of many varieties where every where in really big numbers , I also spotted two clown trigger fish something I had never saw in our area before only at the Similan islands and on the Great Barrier reef, as we where drifting along at a really fast pace with the strong current, we where amazed at the abundance of fish in this area everything seemed to bigger than we normally see on the reefs where are diving everyday.

 

We soon came to the end of the rock formations and we could no longer see the bottom any more, We later found out it is 70+ meters deep in that area, As we where now drifting in the deep blue open sea we relied on our depth gauges to know our present depth, and on our compasses to know our direction of travel which made no different by the way as we where at the mercy of the current as to the direction we where headed,

I was not real happy to know that the direction happened to be some where nearby India if the boat driver did not see us as when we surfaced,

 

We where now at a depth of around 20 odd meters slowing ascending when a big school of trevallys came past us swimming very erratically as they where being chased by a school of grey reef sharks, the trevallys kept going but the sharks stayed nearby and took an interest in us,

They passed us very closely and everyone was excited to see this because as divers we know sharks are mostly harmless and they are always nice special things to see,

 

I was a bit nervous myself being in a strange place and because there where so many of them in this school and they seemed less shy than any sharks I had encountered before, They kept circling our group in a wide circle as they seem to be very interested in why we where in there area,at least that's what I thought, As I said I was a bit nervous and was trying not to show it to the others in our group, everyone was signaling they where ok and it was great, I could tell there was a few nervous faces amongst the divers though , As we where now getting to our 5 meter safety stop they got so close to us we had to kick them with our fins to let them know they where encroaching on our comfort zone and as we did that they would all speed off at lightning speed and then return again watching with there beady eyes as they swam around us,

 

When we finally surfaced, the boat was a few kilometers away and we inflated our safety condoms so the driver could see us, the boat driver had to now pull up his anchor while we waited and it took him what seemed like ages, I was waiting on the surface with my head in the water watching the sharks still swimming below us and I was feeling very vulnerable with my legs dangling below, as the boat came closer the sharks heard the sound of the motor and fled the scene,

 

We all got in the boat very quickly, then the stories started how everyone was not afraid and what a great place we had found, I mentioned to the one girl on the dive how she must of been worried as I could see the look in her eyes, she told me that she was not so scared her strange look was because I was squeezing her arm so tightly and painfully as I was pointing the sharks out to her, She had a black and blue bruise the size of my hand on her upper arm, I never realized I had done that.

 

These sharks acted in a strange way on this day and I have not encounter this again, I want to note to people reading this who are not divers or are worried about sharks that generally sharks will keep there distance from us humans while scuba diving, I think they where just a bit curious on this day for some reason and they never posed a threat to us but got our adrenalin going that's for sure, The sharks in this school where not so big either only around 2 meters long, Thailand has a couple of sharks that can be considered dangerous, One is the Bull shark and I have seen them on a couple of occasions very quickly as they swam out of the way more worried about us, The Tiger shark is the only shark if I saw while diving in Thai waters I would get everyone together and back in the boat just to be sure, Sharks have never known to kill a diver in Thailand and in the whole world there has been very few cases of sharks attacking or killing divers, Sharks will mainly attack swimmers and surfboarders and this is by mistake thinking it is a fish splashing around.

 

A Thai guy I know who goes spearfishing everyday with a snorkel and mask, Once had a Tiger shark that took a bite of his catch as he had live fish tied on his line, this is dangerous thing to do as its an easy catch for the shark and you make yourself a target for all types of larger fishing waiting a free meal from your catch, and get bitten by mistake. Out of thousands of times doing this he only encountered this once,

[limbo]

Hi Racha,

 

this sounds like a site I'ld like to dive one day.

Good report on what I imagine was a great dive.

 

Cheers,

Limbo

[PhordPhan]

Brink,

 

Yeah, I stopped immediately. I have a very good ENT here in LA who said it was a very minor perf. In fact, it had already begun to heal over when I saw him a few days after the event. He observed it for several months, until mid-November, then gave me the all-clear to dive. So, I find if I descend slowly and clear every meter, or so, I'm OK. There is speculation as to what caused it, but it happened the first time I wore a hood. Maybe that was the cause, maybe not.

 

It happened on a dive in Loreto, in Baja, at 25 feet. Reasonably good diving there, although it was a bit too early in the season for me. I'm a real candy-ass when it comes to cold water.

 

PhordPhan

:D

[PhordPhan]

Copied here by request...

 

 

Diving in Phuket, or My Trip to Das Vaterland Sud

 

 

I'd never been to Phuket, so I decided to spend four days there two weeks ago. Wanted to go diving two of those days. Booked the dives through a large, well-run dive company's web site. Site was all in good English, so I had no clue.

 

The first dive morning arrives, I eat breakfast and the pickup arrives EXACTLY on time. Hmmm. I board, we leave and begin the trip to the dive shop. I look out the side. Up ahead there's a signpost. It says "Now Entering The Deutschland Zone." (Apologies to Rod Serling)

 

It's a rather strange feeling to be the only American on a German dive boat. Sort of like the only raisin in a bowl of oatmeal. Interesting lot, though. If anybody can make the Thais run things in an orderly fashion, it's the Germans. Only dive boat I'd ever been on that ran on precision military time. The boat sailed at 8:15, not 8:20. You are to be in the water at 10:30, not 10:32. ::

 

Having never been on a GDB I figured customs were going to be a bit different and, as a guest, I'd just have to go along. I wondered, briefly, if we would sail to the dive site on the surface or submerged. It seemed a bit strange when everybody formed ranks and stood at attention during the pre-dive briefing, but I was adjusting nicely. When it came time to dive we all marched off the end of the boat, two by two, shouting Ein, Zwei, Drei, Gzuffa! (or something to that effect), before jumping in. I figured this was normal.

 

Apparently, it's a law in Germany that everyone must smoke, unless you have a special exemption from the government. And it seems there are no exemptions for divers. :: Obviously a lightweight, the only thing on my mind after sucking down dry air for the better part of an hour is a big drink. The first thing into the other divers' mouths, as soon as the reg comes out, is a cig. Wow! Reminded me of that guy in the movie XXX. Found out later that this particular boat was responsible, overall, for about 20% of the tobacco industry's annual net profit. Very impressive. ::

 

I had to draw the line, however, at Bratwurst mit kraut und kartoffel for lunch and opted, instead, for the squid curry over rice.

 

The second dive was much like the first. The only thing I though a bit out of the ordinary (and again, I've never been to Phuket before) was, on the trip home, the entire boat's complement sang selections from Tannhauser and Der Ring des Nibelungen.

 

Day two was pretty much the same. I was an old hand by now, except I could only manage one pack of smokes and three Bratwurst during the trip. Still a lightweight! One nice touch was, during the close of the evening sing-along, the very masculine female D/M lead everyone in a rousing rendition of Lili Marlene. ::

 

All in all, quite an adventure. Oh, and the diving was pretty good, too.

 

PhordPhan

:) :)

 

 

[nkped]

"Who did you dive with in Jomtien? Would you recommend them?"

 

It was Mermaid Dive--they have a site at www.mermaiddive.com. I'm a total newbie to scuba, but I would recommend them. In their introduction to scuba, a fairly thorough briefing on the boat and a drill on safety procedures in the water. One instructor leading and another bringing up the rear to make sure everyone stayed together. Seemed to be a competent outfit.

 

Went back a few days later and they recognized me as having been there before. Skipped the basics but they partnered me with an instructor who set up the gear and had a grip on my BCD the whole dive.

[racha]

Asia Dive Expo (ADEX) 2003

 

Every year there is an Asian dive expo in one of the Asian countries, and this year it is on at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center right here in Bangkok, Thailand,

 

Fri. The 9th of May till Sun the 11th of May

 

Fri. 9 May Trade Visitors Only,

 

Sat the 10th to Sun the 11th of May

All Visitors are welcome

10.00 hrs. - 18.00 hrs

 

If some of you guys that will be around Bangkok want to go and have a look there will be plenty of things to see there, If your interested in scuba diving,adventure travel or hotels and resorts around Thailand as well as all over Asia there will lots to see there, The booths there have lots of things to give away to the public and many prizes on offer of free holidays as well, you will be able to go for free scuba dives in a tank there to try out breathing under water also

 

The show is endorsed by The Dive Equipment & Marketing Association (DEMA) and hosted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)

 

When the dates get closer I will post more info for anyone interested,

[Guest]

Great thread, guys. I got my PADI in Oz but suffered from nosebleeds and an ear which was blocked for 3 weeks after the course, which has put me off any more diving. I'm in the Krabi area in Feb/March and want to do some snorkelling. Can anyone recommend where I can get mask, fins (size 12UK/47Eur) and snorkel, either down there or in Bangkok? Would they be cheaper than in UK? Thanks.

[limbo]

Hi sut_lor,

 

you can get all kind of snorkeling equipment in Thailand. Whilst in BKK, check out Planet Scuba, next to the Emporium on Sukhumvit.

I'm not shure where you're going in krabi, but if it's near the seaside, I expect that you'll be able to find it in Krabi as well.

I'm not sure about price differences since I haven't been in Europe for a while. My advice is to get a decent set of fins, mask and snorkel. They'll last longer than a possible cheap set and you'll get more out of it.

 

Although I'm not a doctor, your ears sound almost like a reverse block, that can happen when you equalise whilst ascending. This can lead to a blocked ear, also called a reverse block and can last for a bit. Early on in my dive career I had a reverse block, and had to see a doctor for it who described a healthy dose of antibiotics. If you only equalise whilst descending, you should be fine.

 

A minor nosebleed can sometimes happen when one og your veins in your nose breaks due to the pressure, possibly from equalisation. It doesn't happen a lot, but in general it looks scarier than it is.

 

Give it a go and try to dive again. Down in Krabi there's several dive shops and racha has a shop close to Phuket, which in turn isn't too far from krabi.

 

Good luck,

Limbo

[Guest]

Cheers for the info.

[limbo]

[Limbo if you could do Koh Tao and Samui as well as other Gulf diving]

 

Here's a trip to Sail Rock, one of the best dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand.

 

After everybody is geared up, our boat the MV Waverunner heads off to Sail Rock from Bang Rak pier in the north of Koh Samui. Today I?m diving with our boatmaster Dirk and one of our divemaster trainees, Yan.

It?s a very nice trip out to Sail Rock and after we had the welcome words and general boat briefing by the boatmaster, everybody heads of to the galley to enjoy breakfast. After about 45 minutes we start to pass by Koh Phangan which gives a very nice view with all of it?s beaches and sloping green and lush land covered by coconut trees.

 

Sail Rock is a wall dive and I consider it one of the best dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand. It?s located inbetween Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. On the surface you can only see the top of the rock, which looks rather small. Under the water however, the rock widens and has a spectacular growth of various species of plants on it and an intriguing marine life. The maximum depth on Sail Rock is approx 45 metres, however the average depth for certified divers is around 18 to 20 meters. You can spot schools of juvenile barracuda?s on almost every dive and some days you can spot schools of grown up barracudas, up to 30 or 40 in one school and about a meter in length. When you go deeper, to 30 meters, you can see real big groupers and some potato groupers are enormous, a meter and a half and very big wide bodies. Batfish are regular visitors as well, they tend to swim in schools as well although you can see them also in smaller groups together. Big schools of silver trevallys are always around, sometimes laced with tuna among them. There?s a few titan triggerfish as well. They can become agressive when they?re breeding, if you enter their territory, which is very small at the bottom but widens when you get shallower and then stays that way all the way up to the surface almost, like a reversed bottle, they may come after you. The trick is to disappear quickly out of their territory swimming sideways and they continue their daily bussiness as if nothing has happened. They can be great fun and having dived here a lot, I know where they hang out and can easily avoid them when I?m with students. Angel fish are sighted on almost every dive as well as butterfly fish, porcupine fish and sometimes even the odd blue spotted ray. If you?re really lucky you can see whalesharks here as well.

On the rock itself there?s plenty of things to see. Nudibranches in all their colourfull appearances, they almost look like snails. Various kinds of shrimps, murray eels, anemones with their anemonefish who live inside the it. There?s load of sea urchins around as well, the eye which you can see isn?t actually their eye, it?s their poophole!

 

Before we get to Sail Rock, all the divers set up their equipment and the divemasters and instructors give the dive site briefings. Excitement grows as we close Sail Rock and we check the watercolour to have an idea what kind of visibility we might expect. If the water is blue that normally means that the visibility will be good, the greener it looks on the surface, the less visibility we expect to have during the dive. Today it?s blue however,

 

The boat moores at the rock and the OK sign is given and divers start jumping in the water from the 4 exit places on the boat. We wait untill everybody is in the water and off we go. Yan is diving on Nitrox, for his certification, a gas mix were you can use up to 40% oxygen rather than the usual 21%. This extends your bottom time, since you?re breathing less nitrogen. In a different post I?ll explain more about Nitrox diving,

After checking our watches we start the descent, we deflate our BCD?s (bouyancy control devices) and slowly start to descent. We have chosen to do so above the chimney, a natural hole in the rock where you can easily descent with 2 divers in it, it?s that wide. It starts at about 6 meters, with an exit at 12 meters and finishes at 18 meters. Upon reaching the 18 meter exit, we headed for the Secret Pinnacle, a pinnacle not dived so much since it?s too deep for most divers. We slowly make our way over, navigating on our compasses. When we reach the pinnacle we go to a max depth of around 30 meters, you can easily go here to 38 meters if you want. The deeper you go the shorter your dive normally is, since you finish your air more quickly at depth. We saw a couple of really big groupers down there and loads of fans, corals and plants. Yan wasn?t as experienced as us, so after one round around the rock, we had to start the ascent since Yan?s airconsumption wasn?t as good as Dirk?s and mine.

We navigated back to Sail Rock again, this is only a few minutes, and slowly ascended on the familiar rockwall. We had great visibility, at least 20 meters and saw lots of interesting animals.

A triggerfish, some murray eels, batfish, trevally?s and on the rock we went to my favourite spot, where there?s always cleaner shrimps in a hole in the wall.

After we ended our 5 meter safety stop we went to the surface and swam back to the boat. Yan was very happy to have done his first dive on Nitrox, one more dive on Nitrox after lunch and he will be a certified Nitrox diver.

 

We arrived back at the boat and changed our tanks, so we would be ready for the second dive of the day at Sail Rock.

That?s when it was time for lunch.