Jill & George's trip: Sun, Sea, Storms and SCUBA

After a final farewell to Bangkok and all that goes with it Jill and I took a night train south to the port of Chumpon where we would get a boat out to Koh Tao, an Island in the Gulf of Thailand famous for it good diving.

The train journey was a far cry from the shambolic buses we had become used to. We sat in our facing seats watching the last glimpses of the darkening Bangkok flash past the window. Before long all we could see in the window was our own reflection and the faint hint of lights beyond. By 9 a uniformed man came round and turned our seats into bunk-beds with the skill and speed of someone who had done the job for far too long. And so we said goodnight and went to our beds with the train snaking towards our destination with purpose.

By 4am we were roused from our beds and loaded up with our bags, we hopped out onto the track of a small station that was dotted with tourists, dizzy with sleep drinking tea, coffee and hot chocolate while they waited for the transfer to the islands, we joined them in waiting. By 6am we were on the boat and pulling out into the sea with the threat of a storm in the skies above us. The journey was choppy and within 15 minutes the first person aboard gave in to the urge to be sick. Within another 15 minutes many more had fallen victim and were huddled by the toilets like ship wreck victims around a lifeboat. They looked pale, defeated and focuses on the job in hand. For many, the 3 hour journey must have felt like a lifetime but by mid morning we were back on dry land and excited to explore a new island.

We had decided to spend the first couple of days on the island at a relaxed and low key corner of Koh Tao to swim in the sea, relax on the beach, eat good food and snorkel. Unfortunately the storm that had threatened as we left Chumpon was now in full swing and with the sea thrashing at the shore we were forced to find other things to do. One of the main reasons for heading to Koh Tao was so that I could do my PADI open water qualification, my birthday present from Jill. So we waterproofed up and headed to Sairee beach where most of the dive centres were and lined up a 3 and a half day course. And so by day 3 on Koh Tao, with the storm clouds showing signs of relenting, I began my course in the classroom learning about lungs and pressure and what not to do when under water. I was then given homework to do over dinner.

The second day was more theory and then it was into the pool to see how we coped with the new and, on the surface at least, cumbersome equipment. We went through various scenarios, what would you do if your regulator came out? You ran out of air? Your mask came off? It was great as we began to get used to the feeling of being underwater and began to understand and trust the equipment.

By the 3^rd day we were all keen to get out into the open sea and experience diving for real. We took a boat out to the other side of the island and there we did 2 dives both to 12 metres. The feeling of descending into the clear deep blue sea was like nothing I had done before, I was nervous, more because I was unsure how I would deal with the situation, would I like the feeling? Would I panic? But it was incredible, the heavy, restricting equipment suddenly felt like a Saville Row suit, and I felt weightless. After the first dive which involved us simply getting used to things we went down again. This time, after a cruise around we sunk to the ocean floor and there we were instructed to take out our regulators and throw them over our shoulders. They are attached to your tank and won’t go more than a few feet, but you are trusting yourself to do everything you had been taught, “don’t hold your breath!” After that we did buddy breathing, if you are out of air and need to share with your ‘buddy’, it was great and reassuring to be so calm under water and so confident in what we were doing after only 2 and a half days of teaching. Back at the beach we all agreed that we couldn’t wait for tomorrow where we would be doing 2 dives at Shark Island to a depth of 18 metres.

I met Jill, full of tales to tell and excitement for what was to come and we walked along the beach and ate barbequed chicken skewers with the sea breaking at our feet. I woke at 5:30am on the final day and was at the equipment hut promptly at 6. The mosquitoes were also there and we loaded our bags and the van to the sound of slaps and claps as people tried to evade and swat the determined little buggers. We were on the water as the sun won its battle with the thin morning cloud and broke through and in the water before its heat could be felt. The first dive was as amazing and beautiful as the previous day, we swam through coral reefs and startled fish, we sunk down until we were looking up at the submerged mountains. I swam on my back watching the bubbles dance through the water from the deep blue where we swam to the almost white surface. It’s a rare thing to experience so many new feelings, sensations and sights in such a short space of time, and I wanted more!

The final dive was my favourite. We were told that we would be taking off our masks, switching them with our ‘buddy’ and then switching back before having to replace the now full of water mask and emptying it, all at 16 metres. I was interested to see how I would deal with this. I hadn’t enjoyed it in the pool although I had managed it fine, but at that depth, who knows? We went down slowly to about 10 metres, swimming out away from the boat, through the coral mountains and into the dark beyond. We went down further, and settled on the ocean floor. It was the turn of the first pair to switch mask before us and so we knelt in the sand, being pushed back and forth by the water. As the switch was taking place a school of long silver fish approached us, looking with interest at these unusual creatures. They began to slowly circle us, starting at my kneeling shoulder they circled to 2 metres above us, 4 fish deep and 20 high surrounded all 5 of us. I put out a hand and watched them swim around it like the Vietnamese scooters of Hanoi had done as we crossed the road all those weeks ago. It was a moment that I will remember for a long time, my first really jaw dropping moment while diving. We saw sting rays and parrot fish, trigger fish and butterfly fish and then, all too soon, it was over.

After the dive we had the formality of the exam and I was done. We celebrated with a couple of Singha, Jill relaxed and stretched after a 2 hour yoga session, and had meal on the beach. We saw Chinese lanterns being sent out to sea with a cheer, it was a great way to finish our time in Koh Tao. In the morning we had our bags packed for Koh Pha Ngan.