Learning to Dive in Thailand

China kicked our butts.  And because Annette is a genius, we planned for total post-China exhaustion.  Our solution was to schedule a vacation from our "vacation" immediately following our month in China.  Annette knew even before we left Seattle that if we would ever need a break from our travels to re-energize and get our minds right, it would be after China.  We flew directly from Hong Kong to a small island called Koh Samui.  We slept at a pleasant beach-side resort on Samui for one night and caught a ferry the next morning for the smaller, beginning-diver mecca Koh Tao.  Samui and Tao are two of three islands in an idyllic string
just off Thailand's Eastern peninsular coast. Samui is the glitziest, most resorty island of the trifecta, while the

third, Koh Phagn Nagn, is famous for it's bohemian party scene and ultra-hedonistic full moon parties.  We

Too much scuba time in the pool!

skipped the more expensive (for Thailand) Samui and the party-tastic Nagn and headed straight for Tao, the smallest and most laid-back of the three.  We chose Koh Tao because it is known as one of the best places to get dive certified in the world.  We spent our first five days on the island learning to dive (four dives, hours of classroom time, several tests, and a practice run in a swimming pool all over the course of four days).

The combination of several good dive sights near by, low cost, and high quality and safety standards (due to the saturation of dive schools) has made Koh Tao a very popular stop for travelers and backpackers.  We met more than a few people who had learned to dive on Koh Tao five or six years ago, so the island really has made a name for itself.  We both enjoy snorkeling, and since we would be spending so much of the next few months in areas known for their excellent diving, we took this opportunity to strap on our wetsuits and give it a go!  The Great Barrier Reef, Malaysia (though we didn't know it yet), and Vietnam were all calling for us to come dive their tranquil and bountiful waters.  The first step to taking in underwater sights along our journey was to get what is called the Open Water Dive Certification from PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors).  The Open Water Certification allows a diver to dive up to 18 meters alone (though one would normally have a dive leader in new areas).

There was nothing particularly difficult about learning to dive on Koh Tao -- everything from choosing a shop to mastering the basic skills of operating the equipment and a few emergency skills was fairly easy.  As far as dive school selection goes, the choices ranged from large or small, closer to where we were staying or slightly further.  Since all the prices were the same for most schools, we went with size.  We wanted a larger, well-established shop where we would feel comfortable and figured safety would be a priority.  (Man, we are so not backpackers sometimes...!)  We went with a school called Crystal that has a good reputation, and reasonable class sizes even though it is one of the largest schools on the island.  Our instructor was a friendly Israeli with a quick tongue and good sense of humor named Liran.  Liran was patient, clear, and experienced.  Although he could have spent more one-on-one time with each student (not his fault since he had five ), Leron was a good instructor and we walked away from the class feeling pretty confident in our basic skills. 

Our favorite Liran-ism was, "Pump up the dolphin," which was his way of reminding us to pump air into our BCDs (buoyancy control device) when we entered the water.  His, apparently, made a sound like a dolphin when it was over-filled in the water.  Liran also had a really funny way of describing the underwater hand signals, though those are more difficult to describe in writing.  The one that struck us was his super-slow-mo explanation of telling your buddy you were out of air and needed to share air. "Budd-ee," he would say as he ran through the motions. "I. Am. Out. Of. Air. I. Need. To. Share. Your. Air."  We're not sure why, but the way Liran said and motioned this particular set of signals stuck with us vividly (and comically).  So cheers to him!

We also learned how to find our regulator if it should get pulled from our mouths, flood and clear our masks, remove and replace our masks, some basic navigation, and how not to die by surfacing too quickly (this one is pretty important, apparently).  Getting into the water for the first time and descending with all our gear was a trip.  There was something special about swimming side by side and eye to eye with the fish.  The first few dives lacked much aquatic life of interest, but they were neat since everything was brand new.  And it was super sweet to pause and think, "Hey, I'm freaking breathing underwater right now!" 

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We don't have many photos from our first five days on Tao, but some highlights were:

Splashing in the ocean a few ours after our arrival on Samui that first day.

Lounging on the beach of our very pretty resort (we use that term loosely here) - Charm Churee Villas.

Getting our dive certification after four days of hard work and the most time in a classroom either of us has had since 2007.

The fruit and other goodies at our pretty swell buffet Charm Churee breakfast.

Our own room complete with king bed and humongous balcony!!

Making friends with our fellow divers from our class - including a hilarious couple from Seattle (by way of Detroit ["They took our jobs!])."

(There was also a couple from Scotland and the gentleman, Ally, kept trying to show everyone photos of himself in a kilt. Yes!  And guess what?  They really wear nothing underneath!!)