We are planning a new project to see how coral grows on different surface materials and at what rate and types. We are planning on making two 1 meter squared boxes, one from iron and one from steel. Each surafce of the box will be different. we will sink the boxes in a set location on Kho Tao and then monitor them weekly for growth rate and coral types.
All customers are welcome to dive our very own DJL reef.
Keep logged on for further details.
DJL Diving (one of the first dive schools on Koh Tao) is introducing the new and revised Divemaster Course. The course is taught by our Master Instructor Simon and our Course Director Peter using the latest PADI materials and lesson guides.
For all the lectures we use our air conditioned IDC classroom with flatscreen TV to give you the best environment to study and our private swimming pool gives you a better way to practice skills instead of the ocean.
Most of the Divemaster Course will remain the same, however we will introduce more work shops like: “dive site set and control”, “scuba review”, “skin dive and snorkeling supervision”, “Discover Scuba Diving”, “taking out certified divers” and “how to use a Surface Marker Buoy” because we think that this will benefit you once you’re certified as a Divemaster.
We also teach more skin diving skills in our skills circuit because once you’re a Divemaster you can independently teach the PADI Skin Diver Course. If you don’t have your Deep and Search and Recovery Specialty we include workshops/dives for it in your Divemaster course so you have more experience in deep diving, navigation, liftbags and knot tying.
At the end of your course you will be a “Divemaster of the day” under direct supervision by our Divemaster/Instructor. You will organise the boat and conduct boat/dive briefings and lead certified divers around the dive site. So once you are a qualified Divemaster you already have plenty of experience.
Hello! Having worked at Davy Jones’ Locker on Koh Tao for nearly three years I have always found my job to be very enjoyable and rewarding. The bread and butter of a working instructor is the PADI Open Water Diver course. This entry level certification always poses different challenges and no two courses are the same. PADI talks alot about transforming lives which I know can come across to some people as a bit cheesy but I see it as transforming any negative diving situations into positive ones.
Not every student diver is perfect when they first get in the water and people can have problems. Our job is helping people get over these problems. A common example is clearing a mask of water. The problem with problems is that you see or here of some intructors who will ignore the problem or let the odd student fall by the wayside. I’m proud at DJL that we spend time with students who may have had some difficulties, and give them the attention they deserve.
A recent student called Katy springs to mind. I think some people can feel pressured when they are finding things difficult and the rest of the students are getting it straight away. I think it’s important in these situations to remove the pressure which invariably leads to stress. Katy was in the pool with myself and three other students and was performing the skills very well but struggled a bit with mask clearing. The three other students were clearing their masks at the first attempt and I think Katy unnecessarily felt she was holding the group back and started to work hereself up which caused stress and therefore elevated respiration. Breathing is everything in diving and elevated respiration (rapid breathing) usually results in a rush job, more mistakes, more stress, more rapid breathing, more rushing, more mistakes, more stress etc. you get the picture. I decided to give Katy a break and she and I went back into the pool the following morning just the two of us. This I feel removed the pressure and therefore the stress. Unsuprisingly Katy did herself proud and nailed the mask skills first time without a hitch. Watching this develovement was very rewarding for me and Katy was clearly elated. The big positive in all this was not only that Katy rose to the challenge, re-joined the other students and completed the Open Water course, she loved it so much that she went on and took the PADI Advanced Open Water course. Katy is now an accomplished, confident, and happy diver. Power to her.
On a related topic we can also look at the importance of equipment. I spent time with Katy finding a mask that she was happy with. I’m sure most musicians will agree that nothing compares to the feel of playing your own guitar, violin, or whatever your instrument of choice may be. This is much the same in diving. There’s nothing like diving in the comfort of your own gear. The mask I would consider to be the most important bit of kit. They’re cheap, small, light and can make every dive that bit more enjoyable.
To sum up, at DJL Diving we guarantee to spend all the time necessary to see that all your needs are met.
Indian Walkman
I was recently out diving at Twins, the weather was great with clear skies and rays of sun shining down on the dive boat. The visibility was brilliant, around 25 m. We went down and about 20 minutes into the dive, after the group had just finished performing a set of skills whilst kneeling in the sand, I just happened to notice something in the sand near to our position. On closer inspection it appeared to be an Indian Walkman. It is quite uncommon to spot these so naturally I was very pleased and the whole group had a good look at it. Assiting me on the dive was another instructor and upon surfacing a debate began. He thought what we had seen was a Flying Gunard. This debate went on for some time however after some research and chatting to other divers we established it was infact an Indian Walkman. On appearence they do have many similarities, they both inhabit the sand and boast interesting pectoral fins. The distribution of these prehistoric looking fish is what can really help determine which is which. Flying Gunards are mostly spotted around Florida Bahammas, Carribean, The Gulf of Mexico, north to Massachusetts, Bermuda, south to Argentina and eastern Atlantic. The Indian Walkman typically have smaller pectoral fins and a tendancy to stay in their position if spooked, where they will flair out their fins to warn off any threats and use their venomus spines for proctection. If they do move on, they only crawl along the sand. Flying Gunards will also flair out their fins, which are common to have a vibrant blue colour featured on them. Differently these fish will swim off if disturbed. They can be mistaken as the Gunard will forage in the sand in the same way the Indian walkman will, it will have its fins folded away and crawl around using vertical pelvic fins looking for crustaceans. The Indian walkman crawls using the four lower rays (two on each side) of its pectoral fins as legs. So remember keep a look out when diving around Twins, you may just get to see this interesting fish.
Flying Gunard
For more on “meeting with inimicus filamentosus”, check out http://www.balzarova.cz/en/articles.php?i=19
Davy Jones Locker Diving is now running day trips to 2 of South East Asia’s top dive sites… Sail Rock & South West Pinnacle.
This special offer includes 3 dives – a double dive at Sail Rock and then a 3rd dive at South West Pinnacle.
Price includes equipment, divemaster and lunch/refreshments on board.
DJL is offering this day trip for only 3,000 baht per person.. available to Advanced divers or above.
For more information, or to book this trip email ollie@davyjoneslocker.asia
