I'm a diver

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March 13th 2006

Published: March 13th 2006

Right what have I been upto this last week, pretty diving, diving diving. I got up early on Monday and got the boat to Koh Toh to start my dive course. The place was just off the peir and right on the beach, I had a bungalow/beach hut just off the beach, near the pool, lovely views and not just of the ladies at the pool.
I chilled in the morning, well for an hour or 2 until the course started. The 1st day was pretty boring, mainly theory around scub, your equipment how your breathing effects you etc. It was like being in a science lesson at school again. That lasted until 5.30pm, I then had to go and be checked by a supposed doctor, but god knows what medical quailfications this guy had. I had to go as I have hay fever and if the reaction were to occur whilst I was diving it wouldn't be good. The guy at the medical centre didn't have a clue though, he ended up taking my blood pressure and looking in my ears, why I just don't know. Anyway all was ok so I was free to start the next day. I didn't do much that eve, just chilled at the bar of the dive center, spoke to some peope there had dinner and then early to bad as we were diving at about 8am.
The first diving or using the scuba gear was in the pool. We were 1st shown hoe to use the equipmeant and then taken in the pool to get used to breathing underwater, it was strange at 1st, but after a few mins I got used to it. It was the case for 2 of the people on the course, they both paniced and weren't able to carry on after the 1st day. I speant about 2 hrs in the pool getting used to breathing, getting my bouyancy, practising emergency procedures, which were to come in useful later. Really enjoyable, I couldn't wait to get into the sea the next day and dive, although I admit I was a little apprehensive, it's ok it you panic in the poo, you just surface, it's not the same 18m under the sea.
The afternoon we finished off our theory work, not terriably exciting, again. The eve was a little nore fun. I meet up with some guys I'd meet the nightr before and some other people and we went to a place call Sariee, it's the next beach along and had some cool beach bars to go to, very Ibizaesq, just better beach.
Speaking of Ibiza, 2 of the guys on my dive course were from Ibiza and both a effectively the managers at the VIP at Pacha and I now have invite there whenever I go. I can hang with Piddy Diddy.
Got up that morning a little worse for where, but luckily I wasn't diving until the afternnoonb, just had to do my PADI open water examine, which I passed no problem, of course. We were then told to get some lunch and meet back to do something before the dive. This something was a 200m swim and then tread water for 10mins. I'm not the greatest swimmer, but this normally would be no problem, normally I hadn't had a massive plate of fried rice and pork, I was nearly sick. Completed it though, so off diving.
That afternoon we'd be doing 2 dives, to no more then 18m. At each dive we'd be completing a series of task, like taking out mask off replacing, practicing sharing air supplies and various things like that. I got to dive to and saw some cool stuff, some really good corals, some interesting fish, rays, trigger fish, it was very cool. I dove for about 30-40 mins each time, but I use a loy of air so it shortened the time down there a bit.
Again that eve was pretty chilled, just hung out with my dive buddy (the person you pair with for dives incase stuff goes wrong) and as we had to be up before 7am, we were both gone to bed about 10.30ish, rock and roll.
On thurs I'd be doing my final 2 dives and complete my open water course, but I'd enjoyed it that much I was sure I'd do the advance too, which I did. We went out early in the morning and again completed 2 dives. They were similar to the day before, just in different places, we just had different task to do, like taking off and replacing our scuba gear and something called a CESA. This is a safety manouvere where if you run or are running out of air you ascend on 1 breath. The idea is you take 3 breaths, eachtime taking more air in until trhe last breath is the biggest and you fill you lungs. You then ascend slowly breathing out, making an "ahhhhhh" (not scream by the way) sound. I failed miserably 1st time. Not because I couldn't do it, but it's so hard to communicate under water. My instructer told what to do, we descend and he signals, but I wanted the count 1,2,3, go, but of course you can't so messed it up and had to do it again, luckily that time I was ok.
I'd enjoyed my 3rd and 4th dives so much I was sure I was going to do my advance. I was nervous about diving as I'm a little frightend of the sea, mainly because you can't see what's going on and can drown, but when you dive you can do both so it's no problem. Well takes a little getting used to, but it was cool.
I decided to leave it a day before the advance, to chill and because Simon (my dive buddy wanted a day off). We both went out that night, but didn't really party to hard, it was ok, but just didn't feel it, May have been all the diving from the last couple of days. The next day I just speant reading Angels and Demons (Dan Brown) a vewry good book and cooking by the pool, very relaxing.
On Sat I started my advance course, this basically consisted of 5 dives over the next 2 days, the dives weren't normal dives they had to be specialist, but we could choose which to do. I did navigation, where your taught to use a compass and how to navigate under water, naturalist where your given slated with fish on and you basically are left to your own devices to explore, a night dive, a dive at night in the dark, deep dive, this is where you dive to over 18m, up to 30m and finally a multi-level dive where you dive for different periods a different levels, the idea is that nitrogen in your body effects you differently a different levels so if you multi-level dive you need to take this into account.
The 1st 3 dives we did where navigation, naturalist and multi-level. The navigation went ok, kind of. When me and my buddy got back to where we should be we couldn't find the others, so surfaced, we surfaced by the boat, just the other side and as it had been murky we'd not been able to see the others only a few meters away. The 2nd was cool as we had a chance to plan ourseleves where we went and what we saw, someone was with us, but it was pretty much upto us to get from the boat, down, look around and back, which we managed to do. I did have one little adventure. As I mentioned I use a lot of air and nearly ran out, luckily my instructor had loads so we just swapped scuba tanks, very weird underwater, but it didn't scary at at, in fact I'm gald I didn't it as I know in future I'll be cool in thise situations.
After these 2 dives it was for some tea, then out for the night dive, well dusk to night. We started the dive at sundown an stayed down for 30mins, so it was dark when we got up. This dive I was most worried on. My torch wasn't very good and ask it got darker I felt more and more claustrophobic as a Icouldn't see, but I was ok though in the end, I'm ard!!!!!!
Not much done that eve, I was pretty tired from 3 dives and again starting early in the morning so not much was done that eve. The morning was again up before 7 as the boat left at 7.20am. The 1st dive was the deep dive. I was a little scared about this as at that depth you can suffer narcs, nitrogen narcosis due to the nitrogen in your body. It's not dangerous, but makes you feel pissed so you act strangley, which good freak you out and 30m is a long way up, it's also means you have to stop at 5m for 3 mins to help your body realese nitrogen so you don't wnt to panic down there.
It was probably the my fave dive, I suffered no narcs and although visibilty wasn't so great and there's not so much coral there's loads of fish big schools, we were been circled by a school of about 1500 barracudda, a very cool experience. The final dive we did was multi-level, this was pretty chilled out, we had to plan before what we'd dove and the how long we can stay at each level, what nitrogen we'll have in our bodys, but we new it was well withing the limits and the dive was pretty chilled, we saw some nice coral and fish and I didn't use all my air (yeah!).
So I'm know and Advanced diver, what next Dive Master, like a Jedi master, just no light saber, scube taks instead. That brings me pretty much up-to-date. After the dives I chilled at the pool, watched the footy and today I've come to Koh Phagan readying myself for the full moon party. So far it's been good, got a nice beach hut in Bann Tai, a little more chilled the Had Rin where the party is but not to far, got a scooter to explore a little, but don't worry I'll not drive to the full moon and back on it.
Hope your all good, until the next adventures of Spadey.

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