Aussies Amy and Jason plus newly-wed couple Hattem and Sarah from England joined us here on Koh Tao for their PADI Open Water course, and we enjoyed a fun few days together exploring the Koh Tao dive sites.
After getting the rudimentary paperwork out of the way and covering some important concepts in our theory workshops it was time to get wet!
We started out in shallow water, giving the group their first opportunity to get used to breathing underwater using a scuba unit. As the gang gained confidence, we practiced many skills including mask and regulator clearing, breathing from an alternate air source and learning to control our buoyancy using a BCD [Buoyancy Control Device] and our lung volume. The group quickly overcame a few early apprehension, and we were ready for the next step.
Over the following two days we made four proper open water dives, exploring the coral reefs and submerged pinnacles surrounding Koh Tao. Out first two dives took us to a maximum depth of 12M where we navigated round Koh Tao’s famous ‘Japanese Gardens’ dive site followed by White Rock. We practiced a few skills again to further develop the guys confidence, and got to make an underwater tour to check out the colorful corals and tropical aquatic life.
Finally we finished fof the course with two open water dives right down to a maximum depth of 18M, by the end of which I’m pleased to report the guys developed excellent buoyancy control and are shaping up to be competent divers.
Well done to Amy, Jason, Hattem and Sarah on qualifying as PADI Open Water Divers and we’ll hope to see you on Koh Tao again for some more diving adventures!
