Scuba Diving in Phuket, Thailand
One of our big goals when we started on this trip was to get certified to scuba dive, especially because we had some amazing South-East Asian countries on our itinerary. We weren't exactly sure which destination we would complete our training in, but when we hit our first scuba-worthy destination, Phuket, Thailand, we were eager to get started.
After completing some research on dive centers in our area, we chose All 4 Diving to complete our training. Once we were signed up, we watched several hours of instructional PADI videos, and completed some testing on our own. On Sunday, February 10th, we moved into a hotel near the dive center, and started training the following day. The first half of Monday was spent in the classroom, and the second half in the pool. Our instructors, Julien and Hubert (pronounced U-Bear), were absolutely wonderful! They are both from France and were extremely competent, kind, and VERY French ;) ! Julien has been a scuba instructor for many years, and Hubert was completing his training to be an instructor. We were the only two people under their supervision, so we felt very comfortable knowing that they were keeping an eye on us! We completed many training exercises, such as removing and "losing" our air regulators under water, removing our masks and clearing them of water, "running out of air" and using our scuba "buddy's" alternative air source, and practicing our buoyancy. By the end of day one, we were both exhausted, but super excited for days two and three, in which we would be hitting the open ocean for additional training.
The shuttle from All 4 Diving picked us up at our hotel room on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and delivered us back safely each night. We completed six dives over the following two days (three dives each day). On Tuesday, we went to Racha Yai and Racha Noi, where we practiced the skills we learned in the pool the day before, and explored! On Wednesday, we went to the famous Phi Phi Islands, where we completed the last dive to get our PADI Open Water Diver Certifications, and had an additional two dives just for fun!
Here are some (many) pictures from our two excellent days at sea!
From above water:
And now... "Under the sea... Under the sea... Darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me!!!" :)
First, we did drills on each of the first four dives to practice our skills we learned in the pool. Here are the pictures from those drills:
Removing the mask, placing it back on, and clearing it of water:
Practicing an emergency ascent (used if you run out of air and your buddy is not close by):
Taking instruction under water:
"Losing" the air regulator under water:
Practicing our "safety stop" (at five meters, you must wait three minutes to avoid decompression sickness from ascending too quickly).
Navigating with a compass:
Now for the fun stuff :)
Bluespotted Stingray:
Three Colored Philladia:
Ghost Pipefish:
This one was about as big as Cole's thumbnail:
Eels:
Bandel Cleaner Shrimp:
Harlequin sweetlip:
Porcelaine Crab:
Clown Triggerfish:
Blue-Spotted Puffer:
School of Blue and Gold Fusilier:
Powderblue Surgeonfish:
Blue-spot Rock Lobster:
Devil Firefish (very poisonous):
Moorish Idol:
Sea Cucumber:
Barracuda:
Clownfish:
Despite my best efforts, I was not able to identify this guy! He may be a type of bream, but despite the fact that I'm not sure, he is beautiful, and was deserving of a place on the blog! :)
Copperband butterflyfish:
Blacktip Reef Shark:
This grumpy guy is a Scorpion Fish (he is poisonous):
Starfish:
Crown-of-thorns starfish:
Blue-spotted Puffer:
Black-blotched porcupinefish (you have to look closely to see him):
Bluespotted cornetfish:
Ringed chromodoris:
Sea Snake (one of the most poisonous snakes on the planet). Don't worry, they are extremely small, and can only really bite you in the webs of your fingers and toes because their mouths are so small. They are not aggressive, and will only bite if they feel threatened.
Hawksbill turtle! Notice that his shell is jagged on the back? That is from a shark!! This guy is tough!
More clownfish:
Another crown-of-throwns starfish:
Another bluespotted stingray:
Some relaxing following our dives:
If you've seen "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio, this should look familiar! This was the set of the filming at Maya Bay, Phi Phi Island!
Us with our wonderful instructors: Hubert (left) and Julien (Right)!
We are so incredibly grateful for this experience, and will remember it for the rest of our lives!
After completing some research on dive centers in our area, we chose All 4 Diving to complete our training. Once we were signed up, we watched several hours of instructional PADI videos, and completed some testing on our own. On Sunday, February 10th, we moved into a hotel near the dive center, and started training the following day. The first half of Monday was spent in the classroom, and the second half in the pool. Our instructors, Julien and Hubert (pronounced U-Bear), were absolutely wonderful! They are both from France and were extremely competent, kind, and VERY French ;) ! Julien has been a scuba instructor for many years, and Hubert was completing his training to be an instructor. We were the only two people under their supervision, so we felt very comfortable knowing that they were keeping an eye on us! We completed many training exercises, such as removing and "losing" our air regulators under water, removing our masks and clearing them of water, "running out of air" and using our scuba "buddy's" alternative air source, and practicing our buoyancy. By the end of day one, we were both exhausted, but super excited for days two and three, in which we would be hitting the open ocean for additional training.
The shuttle from All 4 Diving picked us up at our hotel room on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and delivered us back safely each night. We completed six dives over the following two days (three dives each day). On Tuesday, we went to Racha Yai and Racha Noi, where we practiced the skills we learned in the pool the day before, and explored! On Wednesday, we went to the famous Phi Phi Islands, where we completed the last dive to get our PADI Open Water Diver Certifications, and had an additional two dives just for fun!
Here are some (many) pictures from our two excellent days at sea!
From above water:
And now... "Under the sea... Under the sea... Darling it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me!!!" :)
First, we did drills on each of the first four dives to practice our skills we learned in the pool. Here are the pictures from those drills:
Removing the mask, placing it back on, and clearing it of water:
Practicing an emergency ascent (used if you run out of air and your buddy is not close by):
Taking instruction under water:
"Losing" the air regulator under water:
Practicing our "safety stop" (at five meters, you must wait three minutes to avoid decompression sickness from ascending too quickly).
Navigating with a compass:
Now for the fun stuff :)
Bluespotted Stingray:
Ghost Pipefish:
Baby Yellow Boxfish:
This one was about as big as Cole's thumbnail:
Eels:
Bandel Cleaner Shrimp:
Harlequin sweetlip:
Porcelaine Crab:
Clown Triggerfish:
Blue-Spotted Puffer:
School of Blue and Gold Fusilier:
My (Michelle's) FAVORITE fish!!! Mr. Cuttlefish:
Powderblue Surgeonfish:
Blue-spot Rock Lobster:
Devil Firefish (very poisonous):
Moorish Idol:
Sea Cucumber:
Barracuda:
Clownfish:
Despite my best efforts, I was not able to identify this guy! He may be a type of bream, but despite the fact that I'm not sure, he is beautiful, and was deserving of a place on the blog! :)
Copperband butterflyfish:
Blacktip Reef Shark:
Starfish:
Crown-of-thorns starfish:
Blue-spotted Puffer:
Black-blotched porcupinefish (you have to look closely to see him):
Bluespotted cornetfish:
Ringed chromodoris:
Sea Snake (one of the most poisonous snakes on the planet). Don't worry, they are extremely small, and can only really bite you in the webs of your fingers and toes because their mouths are so small. They are not aggressive, and will only bite if they feel threatened.
Hawksbill turtle! Notice that his shell is jagged on the back? That is from a shark!! This guy is tough!
More clownfish:
Another crown-of-throwns starfish:
Another bluespotted stingray:
Some relaxing following our dives:
If you've seen "The Beach" with Leonardo DiCaprio, this should look familiar! This was the set of the filming at Maya Bay, Phi Phi Island!
Us with our wonderful instructors: Hubert (left) and Julien (Right)!
We are so incredibly grateful for this experience, and will remember it for the rest of our lives!
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