We’ve both been teaching Reef Check, which is a 4 day course. 

Mornings have been spent in the classroom talking about the study of corals, what are they why are they important, optimal conditions for growth, health, threats, data collection so that we can see what state of health our reefs are in, and watching video clips and in the afternoons we’ve gone diving identifying corals and collecting data.  Not forgetting the all important exams ;-D

Reef check is probably one of the best courses we’ve been on.  After completing this course, it made us look at diving in a completely different way.  Before, I just wanted to see fish, the bigger the better, turtles and the likes, but now it’s like it’s opened a window to a different world, the symbiotic relationships, our dependancy and the importance coral reefs plays in the survival of the planet.   I hope I’m not going on, but it’s really interesting 😀  It’s just a shame that we don’t have more people signing up doing the course.  

Tomorrow we are having a day off and then the day after, we’re teaching Marine Resource Management, thats a 6 day course going into even more detail. We shall take some piccies for you.!

x

JD

On the 5th, we started the Advanced course. Academics in the morning and on the afternoon boat for a Navigation dive, Peak Performance Buoyancy and then out for a night dive. All the dives went swimmingly well. We couldn’t have asked for a better student.

Then, on the 6th we were up early and down at Crystal by 6.45am for the last 2 qualifying dives, Deep and Naturalist. Visibility was good, slightly cloudy at depth but all n all, two very chilled dives.

The 6^th was a sad day, it’ Simons Nan’s funeral and in memorial to her, our good friend James (carpenter) & Nathans son, Kailash, made us a unique memorial raft which we’ve decorated with beautiful flowers, candles and at the side, we’ve put a gorgeous picture of his Nan in a handmade bamboo frame which Si organised.

In the evening we went down to the beach and at the exact time as the memorial service in England we played the order of service released the raft into the sea at the end.

The tide, however was our enemy that night, and the raft came in eventually, so the next day, we took a dive boat, and launched it successfully into mid ocean….

R.I.P.

Up early, we packed our bags and headed down to Zest for breakfast.  I ordered while Simon shot down to the pier to confirm our tickets on the Lomprayah. The boat left at 10.15, so we had plenty of time to have breakfast, buy some essentials for our trip.

On board, I dozed whilst Si read his book.  Before long, we’d arrived at Chumphon.  Making our way down the rickety mile long pier, we were met by a Andaman representative who then shuffled us quickly into minibus.  As there were only 3 passengers we had ample space to stretch out.

Not long into the journey, I knew that there was no way that I could sleep, there were no seat belts and the drivers foot must have been made of lead.  Due to the speed that he was going I literally had to wedge my feet against the seat infront and hold on with either hand.  Overtaking on most bends, squeezing between lorries with cm’s to spare ..I was a nervous wreck.  At one point the other passenger paid him to slow down, not that that helped.  Finally after the 3 hour minbus journey from hell, we arrived at Ranong only to realise that we’d missed our departure date by 1 day, infact all of us had, so we then had to go back in the minibus and go to the immigration office to pay a 500baht fine, sign some paperwork and then hop back in the minibus for another 10 minute journey back to he ferry port.

Once over to Burma, passports stamped, it was time to head back.  I was so looking forward to the drive back  NOT!!!     After we all spoke to the driver, to SLOW DOWN he finally did and we arrived safely back in Chumphon at the Farang bar (English bar) around 7pm where we able to relax, eat and were taxi’d to the night ferry which left at 11.30pm.
The ferry was very simple, we each had a mattress half a meter wide with the smallest of pillows, not that I wanted to put my head on it but we were lucky, the boat wasn’t that full, so spread ourselves out.  The annoying thing was that I needed the toilet a few times and had to clamber over everyone in the dark, stooped, as you couldn’t stand, then navigate down a tiny staircase, over all the supplies of food and yet more people to finally reach the loo.    

We finally arrived back on Koh Tao just before 5.45am and headed straight home to bed.