Koh Tao 24th - 30th July

Having looked at various scuba diving options, I decided to try out an introductory day-class provided by a relatively small diving school, which limited the number of diving students. In the end, the class turned out to be a one-to-one session with a Norwegian instructor called Roar. The whole of the day-class took place in a swimming pool, and although enjoyable it was also very challenging. The weight of the oxygen cylinder and the tightness of the jacket/harness that holds it in place makes it difficult to walk and carry the load, something made worse by the awkwardness of walking wearing fins, but once immersed in the water, it is as if you become weightless. It's a very strange experience to breathe under water for the first time, but quite exhilirating all the same. There were quite a few technical exercises, like learning how to clear a flooded mask underwater, and how to raise and lower yourself in the water while remaining relatively streamlined through breathing control and subtle physical movements. All in all it had been a steep learning experience, and a good way to gain a sense of what it might be like to take the open water certificate in diving.

Part of the introductory course involved doing a couple of open water dives with another instructor, a very likeable fellow called Craig who stayed close by the whole time. We carried out two separate dives in different locations; a place called Japanese Gardens, and another called Twins. Its hard to explain the excitement of going underwater properly in open water, and that sense of sucking in air from a tank on your back, and going deeper and deeper towards the most stunning, multicoloured coral while around you there are fish of all shapes and sizes. It's a magical experience, particularly the area we covered in Japanese Gardens.

Preparing to dive

With Craig on the boat

I hadn't imagined that the coral itself, such as the Christmas worms that glow in the dark on the surface, would be more eye-catching than the fish. So after getting back on the boat, and weighing up the cost and length of time it would take to complete (four days in total), I decided that I would attempt the open water course after all. Ultimately it seemed too good an opportunity to ignore.

So at the end of the week, together with a couple from Denmark, the course started and ended the following week. Most of the day was spent in a classroom watching videos produced by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). These were mainly focused on safety issues, like what to do when things go wrong underwater, as well as technical stuff to do with density, pressure and how to make slow gradual ascents, and the importance of equalisation so you can avoid a build up of pressure in your ears.