Good morning world !!
Well that was an unfortunate side step away from bloging lol. Just a few years…. lost a lot of readers but lets try and get this going. First of all a little catch up. The diving has been incredible from the Northern island of Newfoundland Canada to the Southern Islands in Indonesia’s South Pacific the last few years have been quality. Getting to meet tons of new people and making friendships that will last a life time… these last few years had there share of up and downs but I would not give it away for anything.
I have been lucky enough to be apart of a different side of diving that most people just take for granted, that being the business side what it takes to get a business off the ground keep it up and running I have known too well for most of my life but to see people take this on in the diving industry is very eye opening to what help is truly needed. There was not one dive shop or resort owner that was not passionate about diving. However, there attempt at bringing this passion from the side of diving to the side of running it as a business was concerning. To that end I think you’ll see my blogging taking on a new element next year. One that will hopefully help and/or inspire business owners within the industry take there shops and resorts to the next level. If you know of any businesses that could use some ideas please let me know. This I hope helps build our community stronger and allows me to meet more new people and go more places in the years to come.
dave@divemastersintraining.com
BIG! exciting changes and a relaunch coming very soon and we mean BIG!!
This is going to be fun!
Thai Wreck Dive Koh Tao
Save Koh Tao with help from the Thai Navy is working to find the best location for the sinking this decommissioned Navy vessel. The vessel is currently in Bangkok where is is being prepared for it’s sinking. This process includes the removal of all pollutants and toxic substances to prevent any contamination of the Koh Tao’s reefs. Special attention is also be put towards removing entrapment and entanglement hazzards. The wreck is forecasted to be sunk the 18th of June.
This is going to provide Koh Tao with an alternative dive site to not only take some of the traffic off the main dive sites but also open up new training possibilities. The PADI Wreck specialty will now be much easier to teach logistically. Other courses like Advanced Wreck will also be put into place for technical divers wishing to broaden their knowledge, skills and techniques used in complex wreck navigation as well as restriction and guideline use. Our experienced staff of Technical Instructors, Instructor Trainers, Trimix Instructors, Technical Instructors and Cave Instructors will we working hard to ensure adequate training is received before complex navigation is taken up. Tech Diving Thailand
It is important that the diving community understand and is accepting to the fact that single tank recreational divers are not adequately equipped to be diving past the light zone in equipment without any redundancy. Wreck diving can be an extremely satisfying activity so long as safety and training are made a priority.
Through overhead environment training Cave Diving instructors and the NSS/CDS have been building a database of accidents involving death or serious injury in overhead environments. A simple recall phrase can be used to help remember the 5 rules of accident analysis to assist in preventing accidents in overhead.
Nearly Every Preventable Death in overhead can be contributed to not following these simple rules.
- Thank = Training – diving outside of training limitations or with no training
- Goodness = Guideline – Guideline leading to open water, proper complex navigational techniques utilized
- All = Air: Gas management – Rule of 1/3 or 1/4
- Divers = Depth – Maintaining appropriate depth limits
- Lived = Lights: Appropriate and properly maintained equipment (twinset with isolation manifold, redundant life support systems)
Thanks to all of those involved in this project, the benefits of alternate dive sites on Koh Tao have already been seen. The increasing level of training and experience available is also one of the benefits that every diving professional, technical diver and recreational diver can enjoy safely.
Craig Werger
Ban’s Technical Diving
Koh Tao
Thailand
How To Get Up Alone
Posted in Technical Diving Discussions by CraigW on May 3, 2011
Whats the minimum equipment necessary to get a solo diver to the surface from depth?
Equipment failure, lost buddy, solo diving and underwater videography are areas where divers may be subject to a greater likelihood of experiencing problems they are unable to handle.
Through the years I have spent working in the recreational and technical diving community we have always known and taught the principal of team diving. For the open water students from day 1 they know they need to dive with a buddy. I would like to discuss the reasons behind this procedure including the possible dangers of ignoring this concept.
Recreational diving equipment does not have any redundancy:
Does recreational equipment need redundancy? Well if all the rules are followed no. The equipment is designed for no decompression diving with a buddy in an environment familiar to that during training. However once divers start building confidence and developing new skills they may be inadvertently put into situations they are both unequipped and untrained to handle.
How many times have we seen equipment problems either on the boat or under water such as: tank o-ring burst, HP hose burst, LP hose burst, 2nd stage falling off, SPG Burst, corrosion from inside the tank plug the first stage? If you have never seen an equipment problem you probably haven’t been diving for long. I have even seen the A-clamp screw strip out allowing the first stage to pop off the tank! There is obviously no excuse for improper maintenance or neglecting the need for repairs. I am lucky my dive school has a professional team to ensure any reported problems are repaired immediately. The point is, if your working under water year after year you will at some point experience some sort of problem.
Whaleshark at Chumphon Koh Tao
The dive school I work for does not allow solo diving, we all say we don’t solo dive but how often do we see these rules broken? I commonly see situations where videographers, photographers, instructors and divemasters turn a blind eye, just that once, just for that one shot. Unfortunately eventually complacency usually overrules and this becomes a regular occurrence. It’s not that these divers are not good divers, they are just lacking the equipment and training to conduct these activities safely.
We are primarily concerned about two types of problems: those that will cause you to loose all your gas or those that will render you out of gas immediately. One of the worst case scenarios for any solo diver would be to have to make an emergency ascent while out of air.
There are several ‘bail out’ options on the market. Some of these can actually get you out of the water with a safety stop where other ‘Air Spare’ options don’t even have a capacity to get you up from 18M with a controlled ascent, never mind 30M! If we are going to back ourselves up we might as well do it with enough gas!
*All calculations based upon 20L/min breathing rate (likely breathing rate of stressed recreational diver)
Amount of gas in litres to make an emergency ascent from:
* 30M = 320L (230L with no safety stop)
* 18M = 222L (132L with no safety stop)
-Spare air model 300PKYEL
maximum capacity = 85L
-Spare air model 170PKYEL
maximum capacity = 48L
Why carry something that can’t get you to the surface while following a safe ascent rate? There are other options available, whether it be a 2L back mounted redundant air supply with its own reg or a stage cylinder side mounted, some sort of back up equipment must be used.
To properly understand the fundamentals of solo diving I would highly recommend the following program:
This course is designed to train divers about the proper procedures and hazards for solo diving, upon certification students may engage in planned solo diving activities. This course includes procedures for diving with a secondary air source capable of providing sufficient gas to safely abort a dive with an equipment failure or related gas supply emergency.
Redundant air supply use, understanding breathing gas requirements, independent equipment checks and advanced emergency procedures will be covered. Becoming one of the standards for independent diving practice, the solo diver program teaches experienced recreational divers how to safely dive independently of a dive buddy or strengthen your buddy team skills. The course stresses on:
- Proper dive planning
- Personal limitations
- Accident prevention
- Benefits, hazards, and proper procedures for diving solo
The student must:
- Be a minimum age of twenty one(21)
- Have a Minimum certification of Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent
- Minimum of one hundred (100) logged dives.
Songkran Festival Koh Tao 2011
The Songkran festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year’s Day from 13 to 15 April. Songkran has traditionally been celebrated as the New Year for many centuries, and is believed to have been adapted from an Indian festival. It is now observed nationwide, even in the far south. However, the most famous Songkran celebrations are still in the northern city of Chiang Mai, where it continues for six days and even longer. It has also become a party for foreigners and an additional reason for many to visit Thailand for immersion in another culture. Here on Koh Tao there’s no exception as the streets and beaches erupt in an all-day water fight. The festival only lasts one day here on the island but what a day! (Usually taking 2 more days just to recover)
Here at Bans we had one of the best parties on the island as we were visited by many other dive resorts during the day. The biggest group of visitors came from up the beach from Big Blue Diving Resort. A great day had by all. So next year if you don’t mind getting a little wet come for a visit!
Of all the feasts and festivals in Thailand, which are many, the Songkran Festival is the most striking, for it is widely observed not only in this country but also in Burma, Cambodia and the Lao State. Songkran is a Sanskrit word in Thai form which means the entry of the sun into any sign of the Zodiac.
The Songkran is in fact the celebration of the beginning of spring when the sun crosses the equator is now on the 21st of March which is due to the precession of the equinox. The Songkran Festival is in a certain sense like April fool’s Day just wetter.
Set Sail On A New Adventure with Naga and scuba sail
Ang Thong Marine Park
Ang Thong National Marine Park is a protected nature reserve consisting of over 40 islands. Visiting the unspoiled islands and beaches is like stepping back in time as they remain undeveloped and unihabited apart from a small population of sea gypsies.
The islands range in size from mere rocks to tiny paradise islands with pure white beaches and coconut trees. The movie ‘the Beach‘ starring Leonardo Di Caprio was inspired by and partially filmed at this location. Touring the Marine Park gives you the feeling of being an explorer discovering the far ends of the world. The water is clean, calm and inviting, creating the perfect conditions to explore the park’s hidden treasures.
The Naga will take you first to the north of the Marine Park, to Koh Wao. Koh Wao consists of three islands with a shallow, sheltered bay in between, making it well suited for snorkeling. The underwater life is not as abundant as the shores of Koh Tao, but it is refreshing to jump into the water and swim around the beautiful bay. You will spend one hour snorkeling on this site, where you will get a good glimpse of the Park’s marine life.
After that you will land on the beach at Talay Nai and begin an easy but impressive climb through dense rainforest and narrow ravines. This takes you to a spectacular viewpoint which looks out over the surrounding islands. Here you will have some time to enjoy the breathtaking view and take some pictures. A short stroll downhill will take you to the famous Emerald Lake, also known as the Blue Lagoon from the movie ‘the Beach’.
From here, all Ang Thong Marine Park tours go to the Park’s Visitor Center for picnic lunch and kayaking. The visitor center is frequented by many tour operators, making it very crowded. We choose instead to travel a little further on to eat lunch and kayak at Koh Paluay’s sea gypsy village.
On Koh Paluay you will enjoy a sumptuous Thai lunch in the fisherman’s village. After that, the speedboat will take you to the south of the island for an hour and a half of leisurely kayaking along the staggering cliff face interrupted only by the occasional spotless beach.
TRIP DETAILS
| Day 1: | ||
| 6:30 am | Departure Sairee Beach | |
| 7:30 am | Dive 1 Southwest Pinnacle | |
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 10:30 am | Dive 2 Koy Yippon | |
| 12:00 am | Lunch | |
| 14:00 pm | Dive 3 Koy Wao | |
| 15:00 pm | Ang Thong Marine park | |
| 20:00 pm | Dinner | |
| 22:00 pm | Overnight Ang Thong Marine park | |
| Day 2: | ||
| 5:00 am | Departure to Sail Rock | |
| 7:30 am | Dive 4 Sail Rock | |
| 8:30 am | Breakfast | |
| 10:30 am | Dive 5 Sail Rock | |
| 12:00 am | Lunch | |
| 14:00 pm | Dive 6 Samran Pinnacles | |
| 17:00 pm | Arrival Sairee Beach |
Price: 10.500 thb
Underwater Festival Koh Tao Floods
WOW… What a week here on our little island!! As we got ready for one of the most anticipated events of the year the Koh Tao Underwater Festival..and boy did the water ever come! Eventhough within the first few hours the event grounds were saturated and the fields became muddy mess, it didn’t really stop anything at all. As the first night went on everything still happened, the shows were fantastic (Ban’s show included) and everyone after a while seemed to ignore the rain.
Waking the next morning, from our hill-top bungalow overlooking the Gulf of Thailand, we were noticing that the rain had not stopped all night it started to become a concern and as I tried to make my way to work that morning I was met with a river that only the day before was the road I walked home on. From then on it rained and rained and RAINED some more. With no stop in sight we decided to get down to the village and pickup a few supplies. Which was lucky too because unknown to us there was some serious weather still to come. Keeping in touch with our friends on the island via cell phone we started to hear of power outages and water being cut off to a few places at first and then more and more as the day passed. Some people’s businesses were destroyed, some people lost the contents of their homes but all in all everyone seemed to be helping each other and if you needed a hand there was a hand near by. We even had the Thai Navy assisting us to rescue what we thought would be a few stranded tourists trying to make their flights in Bangkok, this quickly went from getting a few off the island to finding an aircraft carrier parked off the island with helicopters flying in and out from the island trying to get the 1,000 people who needed off the island back to the main land.
At the end of it all we counted ourselves as some of the lucky ones high enough on the mountain to stay dry, not to mention having our power on almost around the clock. We have received a lot of calls from friends and family back home wondering if we were all still ok or if we got washed away! My answer was always you’re talking to me on Facebook… how bad could it be ?! Anyway there was a lot of questions right up to the end on how we were making out.
It’s all over now and the Gulf is getting back to its’ pristine diving it was before this all started. Took a look around ‘You-Tube’ and noticed a lot of footage on the action over the last few days so I posted the links here.
PADI Sea the change
Sea the Change
People like you are doing things large and small to protect the underwater world you care about. That’s why PADI created a conservation contest to let you see and share what fellow ocean lovers are doing to help. Be part of the change. Submit a video. Vote on your favorite videos and send to your friends. Help ignite a viral conservation effort.
PADI Sea the Change Conservation Contest
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Do you love the underwater world? Would you like to see it better protected?
Put your conservation into action and you could be the $5,000 USD grand prize winner, plus PADI will donate an additional $5,000 USD on your behalf to Project AWARE Foundation.
Simply grab your video camera and upload a short clip about what sea life you love and what you’re doing to make a difference. Every little action counts. By sharing what you’re doing, you may inspire others to take action. Be part of the change and help ignite a viral conservation effort. Submit a video. Vote on your favorite videos and send to your friends.
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Yes, cash is nice and the public will vote for a grand prize winner. But, every video submitted spurs people to help our beloved aquatic life. That’s why you are permitted to upload as many video entries as you want. A beautiful ocean for generations to come is WAY better than cash, right? So, take a few minutes to submit a quick video—it doesn’t have to be a polished, professional looking clip. You’ll feel better knowing you did your part to help. Plus, you might see your video featured on the PADI blog at www.padi.com/blog where interesting conservation messages are shared often.
- March 08, 2011 @ 12:00 am (PST)
- December 15, 2011 @ 11:59 pm (PST)
- Read the Official Rules
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PADI: Professional Association of Diving Instructors Welcome to the World of Scuba Diving. PADI is the world’s leading scuba diving training organization. With more than forty years experience, over 133,500… [more
What should you make your video about?
We want to wake people up! We all know the ocean (and lakes, rivers, quarries) need our support. But exactly what type of support? How can one person affect change and actually see it happen? You have to combine what you’re passionate about with what you’re good at. Ask yourself these four questions:
1. What do YOU love about the underwater world?
2. What do YOU do to protect it?
3. How do YOU make a difference locally or otherwise.
4. If you’re a PADI Diver, how has scuba diving changed YOUR view of the environment?Remember, your message is most important. A handheld, quick video snippet is extremely compelling to spur people into action…so don’t worry about trying to make a slick, professional video. This is NOT a video contest. It’s a conservation movement! You can submit as many video entries as you wish.
Yes, cash is nice and the public will vote for a grand prize winner. But, every video submission spurs people to help our beloved aquatic life. A beautiful ocean for generations to come is WAY better than cash, right? So, take a few minutes to share what’s going on in your part of the world and see the change spread globally. Vote for a few videos you like. Share with friends. You’ll feel better knowing you did your part to help. Plus, you might see your video featured on the PADI blog where interesting conservation messages are shared often.Consider these ideas on how to help:
Have you ever:
– picked up trash while scuba diving?
– participated in a beach cleanup?
– taken part in a marine research project?
– completed a mission trip focused on aquatic conservation or protection?
– started a local conservation initiative in your community, school or business?
– helped a local Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop with caring for aquatic conservation?
– raised awareness with your local news channel about a marine animal initiative?
– launched a petition that successfully impacted underwater conservation?
– raised donations for Project AWARE Foundation or other non-profits affecting change for the sea?
– helped establish a protected marine park or preserve?
– helped run an eco-tour?
– helped clean-up pollution of our ocean, lakes, or rivers?
– published an article, book, website or video raising awareness about protecting aquatic life?
– shared beautiful underwater imagery to wake people up about “what’s down there”
– trained or certified divers who work together on an underwater conservation project?
– ignited a group of people to take action of any kind to better the aquatic world?What skills are you using to turn your passion into action to help the underwater environment become better protected? Are you into underwater photography? Are you a strong writer, organizer, influencer, doer or promoter? Of course there many ways you can do your part, so get creative. If you’re 13 years or older, then make a video and submit it. Anyone around the world can participate (from non-divers to scuba professionals), so start recording, sharing and voting!
Take action and share
Even if you’re not ready to submit a video today…if you just spread the word about this campaign, then you’re doing something good for the environment. Every little action counts towards change. Wake someone up. Tell them about this conservation effort:
– Share the links from these inspiring videos with your friends
– Comment about your favorite conservation efforts on the PADI blog
– Share the PADI blog with your friends on Facebook or Twitter
Prize Details
Contest Instructions
Contest Starts
Contest Ends
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About the Company
Enviromental Asia Pacific and Koh Tao
We seem to be answering a lot of questions in our Emails about dive site closures, not here on Koh Tao, but on the other coast and near the Burmese border. The closures are due to the severe Bleaching Event which occurred in April and May of last year. Our region was hit hard, with up to 78% bleacing of corals but has recovered very very well. (Corals pictured below have greatly recovered since these photos were taken)
This Bleaching Event has caused a few closures and of course with the help of the “trusty” media it seems that all of Thailand is closed for diving. Well here’s my distorted view (cause I’m right here on my little island). Divers can be a threat to the reef, but only if they are learning, have poor abilities, like buoyancy control, or do not use eco-friendly diving pratices. We can’t discount the amount of damage that is done by boat traffic and improper disposal of waste on marine vehicles which in any case can be linked directly to the diving community. However, what role do these things play in bleaching the reefs??? At what stage does a diver contribute to the overall warming of the oceans??? So divers are not a real cause of the bleaching and true enough if we keep the divers away from the reefs most affected as they recover, it will help them recover faster… (Maybe, ours are doing quite well and look great!) But why not point the finger to the real problem.
As we were told not to dive on certain sites (18 sites on the Andaman Coast of Thailand have been closed, (a very small percentage of reef area in MPA) and within weeks of these closures the Thai government holds meetings in Bangkok to allow Salamander Energies to begin a new oil drilling operation just 55km from Koh Tao’s reefs. If you happened to see the news last year about the environmental impacts of drilling in the gulf of Mexico you might want to think about the Gulf of Thailand next. It is favourable to note that in these meetings held in Bangkok, Koh Tao’s Environmental Group “Save Koh Tao” was favourably mentioned and acknowledged for their activities.
Koh Tao is on the Western gulf side
So what is Ban’s Diving Resort doing? And what is the rest of Koh Tao doing? This year we are getting involved in projects headed up by the ‘Save Koh Tao’ Group such as monitoring our waters, implementing restoration techniques, conducting visitor surveys, continuing with turtle and whale shark databases, conducting water quality tests around the island, conducting underwater, reef and beach clean ups, creating artificial reefs like biorock, monitoring, maintaining and installing mooring buoys, creating, monitoring and expanding giant clam nusery programs as well as coral nurseries, tree and grass planting for control erosion issues on the island.. and on and on.
So to recap, seasoned divers in coastal areas of the world are probably the most informed people in reef management and reef conservation. Not many divers would be diving if there was nothing to see. Take a look and ask questions of the real reasons and concerns affecting our reefs these days and how you can help. And in closing, keep your eyes peeled for PADI’s changes to their Project AWARE Program coming very very soon! (teaser 😉 I know). AND IF YOU’RE ANYWHERE AROUND KOH TAO MARC H 25th-26th DON’T MISS OUR SAVE KOH TAO UNDER WATER FESTIVAL! Will cover happenings in future blog.
other articles to check out….
http://www.projectaware.org/content/index.php?pid=79
http://projectaware.wordpress.com/2011/02/03/bans-eco-create-coral-nurseries/
PADI FORUM 2011 KOH TAO style
P
ADI rocked Koh Tao few weeks ago during their IDC Staff Instructor update and Member Forum. Tony and Colin were on the Rock that day updating Instructors and fielding questions, mainly on the new changes to the Divemaster Program that will be manditory as of July this year. It’s an exciting time for us here at Ban’s with one of the worlds largest Divemaster Programs with over 50 participants and already 15-20 certs for 2011.
The day started with an update lead by Colin Melrose from PADI’s Head Office for Asia Pacific. The update looked at the the Divemaster course as well as a lot of PADI’s new Online programs including Online DM and theory classes. This new online programming is a fantastic way for travelers to save their precious holiday time for the beach in a classroom and get alot of their theory accomplished before they even arrive.
Later that evening Tony, the Regional Manager for Asia-Pacific, opened the floor to all the members in the first members’ forum for 2011 here on Koh Tao. Our attendance was great with a lot of Ban’s DMT’s showing. This event may not have been as formal as forums from other places in the world but was done in true “Koh Tao Style”. Tony had lots to give and many questions were asked. One new event that PADI was looking at is creating a PADI PRO NIGHT! but that’s info for another day.
Divemastersintraining 