27th November: Ko Doc Mai with Kristina, Clae & Andrea

Dive 130: Ko Doc Mai (Soft Coral wall & Garden)
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 48 min (32% EANx)
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Dive 131: Ko Doc Mai (Caves Side)
Max Depth: 17.9m ; Bottom time: 49 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m (32% EANx)

Comments: A quick 2 dives trip to Ko Doc Mai with Kristina, Clae & Andrea from NorCal. The ride out was a little bouncy, as the morning wind was still blowing. Current for the dive was heading North to South, about 2 knots. Visibility was less than usual due to the windy condition. The Soft Coral wall was spectacular as always, with school of thousands of bigeye snappers (lutjanus lutjanus) hanging out over the coral garden. Nudibranches were in abundance, especially the Glossodoris and Phyllidia species. Video clip of the Snappers are posted at my YouTube page. Click here to view.

Photos: Glossodoris atromarginata (right) & Phyllidia melanocera (left) (Also known as: Phyllidiella pustulosa)

15th - 16th November: RFA Dive Fest with Gillmanoids

Saturday, 15th: Raya Yai Island
Dive 124: Bay 3 to Staghorn Reef
Max Depth: 21m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20+m

Dive 125: Lucy's Reef to Bay 4
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 20+m

Dive 126: Homerun Reef
Max Depth: 17.3m ; Bottom time: 45 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Sunday, 16th: Phi Phi Islands
Dive 127: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 19.2m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10m

Dive 128: Ko Bida Nai
Max Depth: 14.6m ; Bottom time: 44 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 129: Lohsama Bay
Max Depth: 16.1m ; Bottom time: 57 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comments: Kata was invaded by our friendly Gillmanoids from KL over the weekend. The gang came in to finish a couple of students for the OW course and also brought along a bunch of troublemakers :-) to keep the whole festival lively. Elia & Abhi completed their OW course under the direct supervision of Sabrya & Ian. They encountered green turtle, leopard shark, and for Abhi, manta on his 3rd diving day... not too bad for a newly certified diver. RFA was joined by my buddy Dave Garrett (SF) the timid Elin (Sweden) who were completing their courses also, my brother Trung (SF) & his fiance Amee (BK) whose came along for the ride to Phi Phi Islands.

The fun players from Gillmanoids: Sharman, Ashima, Nick, Remar, Andrew, Alicia, Mogan & the "aquaGirl" Sophi.

From Rumble Fish, the players were: Danny, Chris, Peter & Moi! More photos are found at my Facebook albums.

8th - 10th November: IDC OW Practical Training

Saturday, 8th
Dive 122: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 5.4m ; Bottom time: 43 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Monday, 10th
Dive 123: Kata Beach Reef
Max Depth: 6.4m ; Bottom time: 83 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Comments: Felix & Maria were joined by our first 2 Japanese Candidates: Naoko & Keiko for the IDC training dives. GoPro Thailand Japanese program was conducted by Course Director Tom & IDC Staff Yumi.

2nd - 3rd November: Eve's Jr Advance Course

Comments: Eve & her friend Collette completed her Jr OW course with me in November 2006. Eve returned this year to continue on to her Jr Advance level, and was joined by Neng and Tu as our second instructor. We did the course over 6 dives, in two of the best dive destinations locally, Ko Bida Islands & the Raya Islands. Eve saw her first shark, a 1m Blacktip, yellow tiger-tailed seahorse, 5 different species of nudibranchs, green turtle, and she took some wonderful photos of a swimming reef octopus (see photo below) on her first day in the Bida islands.
Chris, our DM joined us on the second day as Neng dive buddy. Raya Noi rewarded us with 30+m viz, school of hundreds of yellowtailed baracudas, yellow-lip seakrate, and wonderful coral gardens in Banana Bay. Her last dive in Raya Yai was memorable, we found swimming bluespotted stingrays, 2 beautiful Ornate ghost pipefish, a nudibranch I'm still trying to identify, and the locally popular bent-stick pipefish. She's now a proud Jr advance diver at 14, just 1 more year and we can go deep, to check out her "narcosis tolerance :-)" View more photos at my Facebook album.

Sunday, 2nd: Phi Phi Islands

Dive 116: Ko Doc Mai
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 51 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 117: Ko Bida Nok
Max Depth: 15.8m ; Bottom time: 60 min
Water Temp: 30c; Visibility: 10-15m

Dive 118: Ko Bida Nai
Max Depth: 14.9m ; Bottom time: 55 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 5-10m

Monday, 3rd: Raya Noi & Yai Islands

Dive 119: Banana Bay, Raya Noi
Max Depth: 21.3m ; Bottom time: 53 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive 120: Raya Noi Bay
Max Depth: 14.9m ; Bottom time: 58 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 30-40m

Dive 121: Bay 2 to Staghorn Reef, Raya Yai
Max Depth: 17m ; Bottom time: 52 min
Water Temp: 29c; Visibility: 10-15m

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.