We arrived in Koh Tao absolutely shattered and with no idea where we were going to stay, all we knew is that we wanted to dive. We stumbled across Big Blue Dive Resort and with little convincing from "The Germanator" (German diving instructor, Yvonne!) decided to stay, probably the best decision we've made so far. We had planned to spend a relaxing day on the beach, recovering from our bus journey, only to be told that our diving course started at 4pm..great! After a few hours chilling on the beachfront, we went into the classroom, not knowing what to expect. There were 11 of us in total:

Representing Australia were Tom, Celeste and Renee. From Holland was Danielle. Kevin from America, Meghan from Canada and flying the British flag were us, Joe, Frosty and Luke from the UK.

After watching some rather interesting PADI videos we went out for dinner before coming back for study group to do our homework (yes, homework!)

The next day we began our diving experience. We were split into 2 group, girls with Rich and boys with Yvonne (although Meghan somehow got put in the boys group?!) We did theory in the morning before spending 3 hours underwater in the afternoon practicing skills and learning to breathe underwater (very strange!) That evening we did dinner and study group…again!

Next day was exam day, Rich being the wonderful instructor he is left us to it to sit the exam…surprisingly, we all got 100% In the afternoon we went on Bansai (Big Blues biggest boat) for our first real dive. Our first dive site was Japanese Gardens. We entered the water at 13.58, and dived to a depth of 9.8m. We were underwater for a total of 45 minutes. It was amazing being underwater properly for the first time…and being able to breathe and equalize! After surfacing, we chilled on the sundeck on top of the boat for just over an hour. Our next dive site was White Rock. We went into the water at 15.55 and dived to a depth of 11.9m, with a bottom time of 43 minutes. On returning to shore, we washed our gear (we did not pay 9800baht to wash our own gear!!!) and completed our log books before heading out to Princess, a little Thai Restaurant, for dinner with both groups.

We had an early start at 6.30am the next morning, our last day of diving. We all started off very excited at the thought of having two dives and being filmed. This excitement soon subsided as all but Clare were struck with seasickness! We arrived at our first dive site, Chumphon Pinnacle where Helen was the first to be sick over the side of the boat after attempting to combat the sickness by drinking re-hydration formula! We entered the water at 8.15am and were just about to descend when 3 of the group started being sick (thankfully neither of us, although it did take a lot for us to hold it together!) We went to a depth of 18 metres with a bottom time of 31 minutes (time enough for Helen to be sick in her regulator 4 times!) When we got out of the water we were all feeling a little queasy- our faces said it all and the other instructors were wondering what Rich had done to us! For the next hour and 12 minutes all but Clare sat with their heads hung over the side of the boat hoping the sea air would make them feel better…! We entered the water at Twin Rocks at 10am, diving to a depth of 12.8m for 41 minutes. Everyone but Helen felt better after re-entering the water and after settling into the dive we began to have fun- forward rolls, spins, matrix kung-fu fighting and the robot dance!

Back on the boat, the sea had turned calm and we were back up on the sundeck enjoying the sunshine and looking forward to the celebratory night out! Both groups met at Big Blue and headed to El Gringo's Mexican restaurant…where Clare's obsession with tacos was born! We then went to Choppers bar where Rich bought us jugs of Tiger Beer to pay off his beer fine. After this, we, Renee and Celeste, and Tom went to the Queens Cabaret Show, put simply, The Ladyboy Show. Kevin and Joe reluctantly came along, with the promise that Kevin could leave as soon as he finished his Cornetto- Joe followed shortly behind him! Tom however, embraced the experience with a lively rendition of YMCA on stage in a red dress and blue wig! At the end of the night we said our farewells to Renee and Celeste, vowing to meet them for a night out in Melbourne.

The next few days were spent chilling in and around Big Blue. Highlights included hiring quad bikes, Helen getting massaged, Clare getting sick, meeting Katie and Jess from Scotland, Kevin saving Tom's life underwater, fastest pancake maker in all of Thailand (see youtube!) and finally, dancing the night away in Lotus Bar on what should have been our last night on Koh Tao….However, an extra night was required due to Clare getting sick (again!) and paying an overnight visit to "Probably the best hospital…you can trust!" (very reassuring!) When we eventually left we were sad to say goodbye, and it is safe to say we both fell in love with Koh Tao…