Off to the land down under :D: The Koh Tao Effect

It always seems that I start each blog entry with an apology for the time it takes for me to post a new entry. This is no different, although this time, my lack of updates is for different reasons. Koh Tao, the promise of a more relaxed and enjoyable side of Thailand. Although relaxed and pretty much all about diving, there is always madness in paradise. Thankfully nothing terrible seemed to happen to me, as with all the warnings I had from travellers who had previous been to thailand, I spent most of my time being cautious. With all things Thailand, you have to have your wits about ya.

So now I am a DiveMaster, woo hoo!! Now that was one tricky nut to crack. Past 5 weeks, have all been workshops, tests, training exercises leadership skill, etc...... Afterwards though, I have much more confidence in my diving and feel ready to start leading divers and training divers. With my DM, I can do some training, but non of the mainstream courses like open water or advanced, that will come when I become an instructor. One thing I regret though, is not taking more pictures of my time there. KT (Koh Tao) is a very pretty place, with the whole feel of a small fishing village. But with diving all the time, going out for food and drinks and spending time with Freya, getting the camera out never seemed to pop in to my mind. Master Divers, the dive school I was with, couldnt have been better. Unlike all the big dive resorts on KT, Master Divers is small and not based on giving students a fun time. They are there to teach divers, and teach the properly. Dont get me wrong, they were the nicest bunch of people I have ever met, but with them I feel as though I am more of a respectable diver than if I was with another dive resort. When searching for my dive school, time and time again, Master Divers came up as the highest quality with the highest rated testing scores of all the dive schools in Thailand. If I were asked to recommend a dive school, they would be my number 1 choice any day.

Whilst I was with Master Divers, I was not the only DMT (Dive Master Trainee) there, at one point there was infact 8 of us. This made it interesting, as to keep us keen on being better divers, the Dive Master with the highest scores wins a new mask and snorkel at the end. With 7 of us starting at pretty much the same time, this made it fun. By the way, my new mask and snorkel is very nice :D As with us all doing our course together, it meant we were a close group of friends, always going out together and looking out for each other.

KT is a cheap place to live, for £12 a day you can have a private double room with shared hot water showers, full english breakfast, a thai dinner and a beer or two at the end of the night. The problem with this, is that its all that more tempting to go out on a mad one, eat at fancy places, go on trips and do all these fun things. The thing is, although KT by day is quaint and chilled, by night it changes in to something completely different, its easy to get lost in the excitement. After a while, the party buzz wears off, and thats when things become more fun, spend more time at the beach, or in a restaurant with friends.

With all good holiday stories, they always involve a girl. Met Freya through one of my instructors, he brought her down to our bar, and thats where I went to say hello. Funnily enough, turns out she lived across the hallway from me, I just never bumped in to her. A great way to escape the madness of Koh Tao, is to spend your time at Freedom Beach with your girl. As Freya was due to leave Koh Tao but didnt know where to go next, she decided to come to Australia with me. Being a dive instructor herself, Cairns fits perfectly. She leaves KT in a few weeks.

Koh Tao has given me some of the best times in my life, its a place that changes you. I'd like to think that I would visit it again, but I feel it would just tarnish my memories of my time there. If you plan to visit KT, as with anywhere in Thailand, have your wits about you. Its a fun 'care free' place, filled with excitement and great people, but with all places be prepared, its a wild ride