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Tom C-B's Travels 2006
SUNDAY
Another day of diving lay in store for me but a relative lie-in until 9:30 meant that I wasn't as bleary-eyed as the previous day. In the morning we had our final exam to make sure we were all up to speed on the theory, and then it was into the no-nonsense diving for the afternoon.
We set sail from the resort at around 12:30 and moored up at Mango Bay on the northern end of the island for our dives. The first dive was just to get us accustomed to the whole diving malarkey, and we spent a decent 37 minutes exploring and adjusting to the underwater world. We climbed back on board the boat and chilled out with tea and biscuits before going in again for our second dive. This time we were tested on the skills we had learned in the pool the day before: emptying our masks underwater, buoyancy control, alternate breathing, and regulator recovery. It all sounds a bit technical but it's pretty simple really! We encountered some very colourful wildlife including a defensive 'trigger fish', which all added to the fun. The dive lasted 42 minutes, and we clambered onto the boat with a day's diving under our belt.
We made it back to the resort by 6:30ish, where I found Kim in the room and proceeded to tell her every little detail of the exciting day!
We went out for dinner after I had showered to a really nice restaurant called 'Whitening', which we had walked past on the first night (see previous entry). After a starter of Thai fishcakes, I had a very good 'Pad Thai' and Kim indulged in a grilled lamb and asparagus salad. To top it off I had a banana pancake with honey drizzled over the top and, with satisfied stomachs, we walked slowly back to our resort. I had an early start in the morning so we wasted no time in getting into bed.
MONDAY
Our last two dives were morning dives so I had to be up at 6:30 to get a shower and breakfast, before leaving the resort at 7:30, kitted up and ready to go. Our first dive site was at the Chumphon Pinnacles, and it was amazing... The visibility was better than the first day and because we were all a bit more relaxed in our surroundings, the dive felt more natural and smooth. We swam through a few underwater caves and also played up for the cameraman who was swimming around with us, so the time flew by and before we knew it, 45 minutes had passed and it was time to get back to the surface. Another surface interval with tea and biscuits was required before we could get back into the water, and we relocated to another dive site called the Nang Yuan Caves.
There we jumped in for our last dive of the course, and we were tested on the rest of the skills we had learned over the course of the four days. We practiced navigation using a compass, and practiced putting on, taking off, and clearing our masks underwater. With the technicalities over, we proceeded with the fun diving, swimming through more cave systems and adopting a fish who followed us around for the last part of the dive!
When we made it back to the surface the whole group was in high spirits and, once back on board the boat we stripped down our BCD's and regulators as though we were diving veterans. Then everyone gathered on the top deck for the final shots on camera, lying back to enjoy the late morning sun.
When we got back to the resort we rinsed our equipment with fresh water and were told to meet back at the reception at 1:30, to collect our log books and PADI qualification cards. After doing so I went for lunch with Kim and then we came to the internet café to book our accommodation in Koh Phangan and to update our journals.
That's all from me folks, the weather has finally perked up so I think we are going to hit the beach and make up for lost time...! Hope you enjoyed reading the entry...
Tom xx
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