A Couple Days Under pressure

Friday, Halloween 2008
Feeding my urge for compressed air on Halloween, I hopped aboard MV Scuba Explorer for an inspection trip, and also completing Mehdi's Specialty Instructor Courses. Coming along for the trip were Chris Stout (DMT) & Brendan Lund (Sept08 Grad). I literally had to will the wind to stop the night before, which luckily it cooperated, allowing the boat to make it to Hin Muang / Hin Daeng in the open seas. The 2 rocks were not as spectacular as I had seen them in the past, could be due to the westerly wind still blowing up waves, stirring up the seas. Hin Muang has some coral damages, though it looked more like a natural problem rather than human cause. Still a good dive sites worth visiting...

Dive 109: Ko Ha Yai (number 5), the Cathedral
Max Depth: 30.4m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 110: Hin Muang (Purple Rock)
Max Depth: 29.2m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 111: Hin Daeng (Red Rock)
Max Depth: 21m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 112: Hin Daeng (Red Rock)
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Saturday, 1st November, 2008
Dive 113: Ko Bida Nok
Max Depth: 24.3m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 114: Ko Bida Nai
Max Depth: 16.7m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 115: Anemone Reef
Max Depth: 18.9m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5m

Comments: We overnighted in Phi Phi and dive the Bida islands on the second day. I haven't been out this way for awhile, so it was good to check up on the marine life, and also fine-tuning my search skills for those macro creatures. Found the black tigertail seahorse on the wall off Bida Nai & the usual leopard sharks chilling out in the sandy bottom.

OWSI Training, Back in Kata Beach

Dive 108: Kata Beach North Reef
Max Depth: 7.6m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 5-10m

comment: OWSI training dives with Ryan & Kaiming from Sunny Cove Singapore. Joined the dive were my DMT Chris Stout, and our current staff, Danny P. This is my first dive at Kata since april. Condition was outstanding, calm seas (very early for the Andaman Sea this season), and lots of small creatures waiting to be photographed.

IDC Training Dives in Cambodia

Excerpt from PADI Surface Interval Archive - Regional News:

POSITIVE RESULTS FROM THE FIRST-EVER IE CONDUCTED IN CAMBODIA
The Kingdom of Cambodia warmly welcomed PADI’s first-ever Instructor Examination held in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, from 2^nd to 4^th October 2008.

All seven competent candidates completed their IDC and IE in Cambodia, one of Asia Pacific’s fastest growing muck dive destinations. The programs were conducted under the direct supervision of Thien X. Do, PADI Course Director and PADI 5-Star Dive Centre, The Dive Shop, who supported the group’s logistics.

The international candidates included Shina Sakata, Mehdi Seridji, Lucy Plant, Ashley McKenty, Simon Herbert, and Paul Bremner. This celebrated event also graduated 2 new IDC Staff Instructors, David Polley and Birkan Tanis.

Additionally Bora Ran is recognised to be the first ever Cambodian Khmer (the main ethic group and language of Cambodia) to achieve the respected PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and EFR Instructor level. The successful completion of the EFR Instructor Course in Cambodia will now place eight new EFR Instructors to demonstrate their CPR/First Aid training skills in Sihanoukville.

Ko Tas (Snake Island), Sihanoukville
28th Sept 2008

Dive 106: the Pier
Max Depth: 5.7m ; Bottom time: 25 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 0-3m

Dive 107: the Pier
Max Depth: 5m ; Bottom time: 30 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 1-3m

Comment: A perfect location for control training during the IDC. Visibility started at 3m & reach zero beyond 5m. Condition challenges presented me with the great opportunity to elaborate and expand on "judgment call" for the new candidates, know when to make the change. Seven candidates attended the IDC, and successfully passed the IE on the weekend of 2-4 October. See our Photos album on Facebook.