Last Day in Koh Tao (Nov. 16, 2014)

Today we did two more dives to complete our Advanced Open Water Training. They were a Deep Dive, and a Wreck Dive. They were both fantastic and I am sorry that they were the last two dives for this part of my trip. I think I might come back through here on my way back to Bangkok, later, before leaving for Canada. It is an awesome place and it’s funny how close you feel to people that you dive with for several days. They become your true buddy’s as they are the saving grace and life line for you when you’re diving. They become very special to you. First Will, and then Martin, plus of course, Jenny. We all got along really well and formed a bond while diving. It’s pretty special and very cool.

Martin, Jenny and me

Our first dive was to a site called No Name. The boat stopped and dropped us off, for the Deep Dive, then left us there to catch up to it later. We dived to 27.1 meters for 39 minutes, and saw some really cool stuff. We saw a lot of schools of fish, and it was really clear visibility. I saw a huge Trigger Fish, that started to come after me, so I just turned away and swam on, hoping it wasn’t going to bite my legs or fins. It didn’t, and turned back as well, when I did. I have to say, that I was a little freaked out by him, and was hoping that he didn’t find me a threat to come and bite. I saw his two, very white front teeth coming towards me very fast, when I turned away. I remained calm on the outside but was a little anxious on the inside. All was fine though, and we swam on. We saw a huge grouper fish, which must have been about a meter or more in length and very spotted. It was a great dive, and didn’t feel very much different at the deeper level, than it did at a more shallow level. I liked the fish I saw and the visibility was really great for watching things. There were a few different anemones and plant life at that depth which was kind of neat to see. We swam from No Name to Twin Peaks to catch up with the boat. Twin Peaks isn’t as deep as we needed for our certification, that’s why they dropped us off at No Name and we met back up with them at Twin Peaks. It was a really nice dive with lots to see at the deeper level, and even more to see at Twin Peaks. We ran into a huge school of fish at Twin Peaks that was so thick, you couldn’t see past them. I was right in the middle of them as they swam past, and there must have been thousands of them in the school.

More fish that I saw

We boarded the boat and went to our next site, which was a Wrecked Ship site called HTMS Sattukut. The navy sank this vessel for marine life enhancement as well as for diver discovery. It is a huge war ship with cannons on either end and lots of cool places to explore on the boat. You really feel weird when you see it, because you wonder what took place on this ship and what kind of combat did it see. There are lots of fish around this site and we swam through many parts of the wreck, exploring its condition, potential hazards, as well as points of interest. It’s always great to have some goals to meet on each dive as well as to look around at what is there. The wreck was awesome. 

We swam through two other dive sites on our way  back to the boat, and saw so many fish. I encountered a school of black and white striped fish, that didn’t even move when I swam through them. They acted like I was ok, and an honorary fish, not to be worried about. I felt magical and special that they treated me like that. At the wreck site, we dived to 26.5 meters to observe the ship, for 50 minutes. We have been lucky to have such long dives, as we all can consume the minimum amount of air, to extend our dive time. 

Then we came back to the resort, I finished my paperwork and knowledge reviews, and met up with Jenny after she returned from being the Surface Cover, which is the person who takes the role call of all the divers when the ship goes out. She returned around 4:30 and we met in the bar area to go over the knowledge reviews and ensure that she had done the paperwork necessary to certify my for the Advanced Open Water Training. Then we had some drinks in the bar and met up with Martin. It was a great day with lots of diving.

Me, Jenny and Martin signing AOW Advanced Open Water 

 I leave tomorrow for Bangkok on the 6 am ferry. I fly from Surat Thani Airport at 1:30, arriving in Bangkok at 2:30. It will be hard to say goodbye to the friends I have made here in Koh Tao, but feel I might come back on my way through at the end of my trip. I’d like to do some Fun Dives here before leaving. What a fantastic experience though. So happy I did it. I absolutely love diving and will do it more.

Flower outside my room

Bar tender holding this booze that you buy a shot from called Ti Dong or something.
Super powerful and the things floating around are pieces of wood or trees.

More tomorrow from Bangkok.