Day Started at 9, well I was up early but Giel collected me from my budget accommodation and I rode bitch on Giel's scooter to Le'Meridien where Seafun have a dive shop in the hotel, had a quick tour met more interesting and colourful people who I will eventually try to remember all their names. Dive instructors at least the good ones always seem to be interesting, often entertaining they are not your average 9-5 office workers they do it for the pleasure, even if they bitch and moan like a pack of girls don't believe it for a minute!

Day started slow was supposed to watch the dive master video where I am sure subliminal messages from Padi will tell me to buy more gear, like I need encouragement... but this was not to be we searched for an hour in the hotel swimming pool looking for a lost wedding ring, unfortunately though we scoured the bottom and enlisted a bunch of kids to search the pool the ring was not to be found. I wonder how many wedding rings are lost on the honey moon? Not a bad omen I think, wouldn't read into this.

Next came intro to scuba in the hotel pool, a few kids were keen to try. Giel dragged them round one by one while they breathed their 1st breaths of tank air, perhaps its addictive and that's the real reason I love diving. They all seemed to have fun even the shiest kid eventually had a go they all left smiling.

Next <play ominous music here> there was a last minute booking for 13 people to do discover scuba, a short introduction and practice in the pool followed by a basic dive from the beach to give people a taste. Not sure why yet but it seems discover scuba is the most groaned about task for an instructor. No wonder keeping an eye on kids is trouble enough but 13 underwater, diving for the 1st time.

Helped setup and cart the gear around for all the would be DSD's no more easy going for James, I still don't know the drill but at least I can help with a lot of things, nothing better to do anyway. The instructors ran around checking everything, double checking sizes number or fins weight belts and more. Everything seemed to come together just in time for the arrival of the would be Jacque Couesteaus. Once they watched a short video we geared them up and headed for the pool jumped had a big group photo, 13 DSD's is not so common. Parents and Dive shop alike armed themselves with an arsenal of cameras from DSLR to Instamatic the event was not under-documented.

Next skills in the pool, I am just watching and helping if the need arises and someone more qualified is not waiting and ready. Mask Clearing partial and full, recovering your regulator and purging the water were the skills demonstrated and practiced. This followed by a short swim in the pool and basic instruction on the use of the BCD(Bouyancy control device).

New skills eager to be used headed with the kids to the beach with me and the instructors, my 91st dive and 1st time I dived from the beach! Pretty calm not like the beaches back home. The waves are a little hindrance getting in wouldn't really want to gear up in big surf. We paddled out to about 40meters till the water was deep enough for a descent, did a last check everyone OK and down we went.  A good place for beginners lost of sandy bottom to stop on. Giel took the lead for the 3 DSDs in our care and myself watching closely from behind in case anyone needed my help. Shortly in the dad of the two kids had a little trouble he started to flounder a bit and as I was close I quickly moved in to see what was upsetting him, broken mask strap! I quickly settled him on the bottom and super instructor was there in a flash to take over and provide a spare mask while I watched the other kids. Disaster averted and off we went.

*Note to self: take a spare mask when diving with beginners.

We headed off again and did a u-shape out left and then back towards the beach leaving us close to sure with a short swim back to the beach every one had a good time the kids were smiling, dad had his underwater emergency story to take back home and the conversation moved to sharks of the brown variety... <play jaws theme song here> a little gear packing certificate giving and hear I am typing my blog. Its my 1st ever so if I break with any blogging conventions too bad I like breaking the rules.

8-April 2012 the anniversary of my 36th year on earth and my 1st day as a DMT. I arrived in Phuket last night came out from the arrivals hall. As I passed out through immigration I kept my head down, turned right and ignore the 20 guys trying to usher me into there private cars. Save yourself some money there is a taxi stand at the end 450THB to Patong the rates are fixed and you don't have to be worried about paying too much.

The ride in the Taxi was amusing, 2minutes out from the airport the diver picked up is girl friend! She did not offer to pay half the fair, such is life. I would not mind but the nattered away to each other the whole way. When they finally stopped talking to breath the driver got a call on his mobile and started nattering away again! Lucky I am not easily bothered by stuff like this.

Tip for Taxi's in Thailand:Make sure you have the number of your hotel or they might have trouble getting you there my driver had to call three times to figure it out!

So anyway 1st day of my blog and I am already getting off topic! Cannot promise there will not be more Digression. So anyway back on track & lets get wet. Picked up from my budget hotel 650THB / night plan too stay a while have to find the boss and talk about a discount for long stay, let see what happens keep you posted. 7:30 am in the mini bus and Giel who is marked as my instructor starts singing Happy Birthday(didn't hear much applause just a gong half way though). Then we are off to the Pier. We are asked to remove our shoes as is the custom for a dive boat and are ushered aboard and greeted by the instructors. For me a whirlwind introduction around a bunch of the staff for the Dive company. I'm diving with Sea Fun Divers this trip, the boat is in pristine condition compared to others I have seen in past trips diving and the staff are as professional as I've see from 1st impressions.

A little rough on the way out to Phi Phi perhaps due to the stormy weather last night. One victim of the techni-colour yawn, a small girl. Feeling a bit queezy myself but somehow I am ok I have been in rougher conditions but I am still sometimes sick when the boat rocks, not nice but the diving makes up for it I am always fine once in the water.
The Dive sites are Koh Bida Nok and Maya Bay, Bida Nok is a beautiful site I have been there before. Its colourful and relatively unaffected by coral bleaching from high water temperature in other areas. Diving with Giel and two young girls doing there open water course. The younger a fore mentioned puke victim barely gets down from the surface before indicating that her ears are a problem, tired and sick just not in the mood maybe she goes back to the boat. Meanwhile I keep an eye on her friend for the instructor he is back in no time and we start the dive. Lots of life small things to see nudibranks and other life are abundant and the coral is beatiful. Instructor leads the way and I follow closely behind the student to keep an eye on things as instructed.

The second dive site Maya Bay is also lovely this time I follow Borris and another beginner with a camera, I'm a photographer myself haven't taken my hobby underwater but I can say some dive photographers are a menace, they can be inconsiderate and careless at times only focusing on the photo. Hope I'm not like that. This guy was not that bad just enthusiastic and a little unaware as beginners can be.

Met a nice couple from Hong kong an Israeli guys and his girlfriend, I think she was Spanish or of Latino descent. The Israeli was a character he told me about his invention a kind of camel pack so he can drink a little Diet Coke while he is diving! Quite funny, your mouth does get a little dry sometimes, not sure I will put it on my list of need to have gear.

The return Journey is uneventful and the ocean is as calm as I have seen, barely a ripple on the surface except for whats made by the boats and occasional flying fish skimming the surface. Maybe my favorite fish I love watching them glide inches above the surface of the ocean.

My training I can tell has not started in earnest yet, just a nice day diving to ease myself into the swing of things. Dead tired from the flight and my last week of work before coming hear I sleep early, log like ZZZzzzZZZzzz.