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By Bradley Ransom from Ashford, Kent, UK

Prior to the Divemaster Internship

Before i got to Koh Tao i was finishing off my A-Levels at Sixth Form and was working in Tesco (the most soul destroying job ever!)

The diving around Koh Tao, Thailand?

Chumpon Pinnacles was my favorite dive site because it was so big, so deep and of course i saw my first whale shark there 🙂

My dad (whilst visiting Koh Tao) somehow managed to spend 15 minutes with one at arms length whilst every DMT was in a deco theory lecture! GREAT ha-ha!

Life on Koh Tao?

I’d rate Koh Tao 100 out of 10. It’s the most relaxing yet exciting places to stay and you could literally stay there forever – something new happens every day and you’re never bored because there’s always someone around!

I’d recommend coming alone – it’s a weird but incredible feeling being on your own the first day and then within an instant having best friends from all over the globe. I’ve met some amazing people and for sure will keep in contact with them for life. Although it’s no different in the experience side of things if you come with friends or whatever it will still be incredible. I can bet my life on it that it will be the best experience you will have!

Also remember mosi repellent ha-ha!

Your Divemaster course with Simple Life?

The first time I lead divers was an amazing experience, it was nerve racking at first knowing i had all these peoples lives in my hands basically, but after five minutes it was such a good feeling knowing that i was in charge and knew where to go and what to do so the customers were safe and had a good dive, the best part was when the divers said how much of a great dive it was after surfacing 🙂

The academic side of the Divemaster training was hard on some subjects and easy on others but with Jeff as our lecturer we had no problems ha-ha! I’d probably say physics was the hardest so its best to study for that one more than others.

I did my underwater equipment exchange with Joe and Tom, it was a pretty different underwater experience and was only told after that you don’t always have someone ripping off your mask and inflating your BCD, Jeff just thought it would be funny! 😛 Although it showed me that i could cope with pretty much anything whilst diving.

Assisting the new divers was a great feeling, knowing that you were teaching or helping to teach someone a skill that would last for life. I’ll never forget my first two OW students Joe and Lucy 🙂 Was also really nice that the students trusted you and could ask for help without hesitating.

Food & Nightlife on the Island?

Food in Koh Tao is amazing and so cheap too. Some restaurants are better than others – Steve will probably tell you that our favorite place was ‘Tiks’ and that was by far the best Thai restaurant. Vitoria always have wicked western food deals, & Lung Pae is great for goodbye meals, birthdays etc and the food is unbelievably good. If you want cheap, the restaurant opposite the cabaret show does amazing pad Thai for 50 baht.

Nightlife….where do i start. I think this is where i truly earned my manhood ha-ha. Always started off with the pre-drinks, then down to choppers for a couple of beers, over to Lotus, hit A/C bar or cave then you know you’ve done well! So safe as well – I never had any problems. Once I slept on the beach, literally drunk as hell and woke up in the morning fine (apart from the hangover)!

Went to the Koh Phangan Full Moon Party and it was the craziest time of my life. I had absolutely no idea what was going on for three days and by the final day we didn’t have time to check out and only when we were on the ferry home did i still realize i had the room key….WHOOPS!

Any funny stories to share?

To name a few… Joe and James’ drinking competition, (yanks i advise you never to drink with a Welshman!)….. Sitting in one room with twelve people watching South Park because it was raining….. Violently attacking Naomi with a sick mop, only to be paid back by Naomi and Jules covering mine and Joe’s bikes with sugar, olive oil, peanuts, fish juice and lentils!

What Next?

Taking the dive internship in Thailand has developed me in so many different ways all i can say is be open to do anything, be spontaneous and just enjoy it. Its made me even more confident especially in work and has shown me that i can teach somebody something from sctratch in a few days. As well as that having DM on my cv has interested every employer

At the minute i am working and earning money for my round the world trip that starts in January, I wish i was still in Koh Tao, its so boring here now and i do nothing but work and plan, was such an easier life on the rock i can tell you that!

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