Archive for November, 2011

Sun Sun Sun and Whale Sharks…

By , 30 November, 2011, No Comment

4m Whaleshark Spotted at Chumpon Pinnacle

This November has seen a huge increase in the number of whale shark sightings around Koh Tao and we are wondering if this has been due to the lack of rain we were expecting. Maybe the whale sharks have always been around in November but because of the usual monsoon season we have been unable to see them. This month we have been extremely fortunate with the amazing sharks being seen on many of our open water courses and on more than one occasion, two sharks on one course or even dive. This is because the huge fish (they can grow up to 14 meters in length) have been spotted around our shallow dive sites that we use for our courses, such as Twins, White Rock and Hin Pee Wee. I was fortunate to teach an open water course last week where on dive 3, we went to an old World War ship wreck and found out that we were not the only one interested that day. We were accompanied for most of the dive by a 5-6 meter whale shark which of course the students loved. On dive 4 about an hour later we were on a second dive site, White Rock and as we were hanging around a really cool hawksbill turtle, it suddenly went dark and the shark was back for another half an hour with us. So forget what the weather report says, Koh Tao is scorching hot and the diving is as good as ever so hopefully we’ll see you soon!

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Another batch of graduating divemasters

By , 23 November, 2011, No Comment

Congratulations to Martin, Ryan and David on completing their divemaster course and surviving their snorkel test. DJL has a reputation for exciting snorkel tests, but seeing is believing so come down and watch!

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Instructor development

By , 19 November, 2011, No Comment

On the bright and sunny morning of the 29th of October, three intrepid individuals embarked on the next phase of their PADI Pro careers by undertaking thier IDC Course.

Lead by the vastly experienced course director, Pieter, students Kathryn, Emilio and Tom were like rabbits in the headlights looking at the course schedule in front of them.

Luckily Chris and Harry, current DJL instructors ,were taking their next step too and doing the staff instructor course, thus enabling them to pass on their knowledge and allay any fears the IDC candidates may have.

After a day of lectures and paperwork, the pool work began in earnest, on day 2. The candidates were given a multitude of skills to demonstrate as if teaching an open water course. Over the next few days of lectures and pool work, this was increased to full confined and open water presentations where Pieter and Chris and Harry brutally watched our every move, going through everything with a fine toothed comb.

Exams were also a constant with Pieter even bringing his own out to test us. We were examined on Physics of diving, Physiology of diving, the RDP dive planner table, the ERDP dive planner, Equipment and ……….. We were also examined on the PADI Standards and guidelines which is an open book exam. This was Emilio’s personal favourite.

Also after each confined pool session we practiced our rescue skills by doing rescue exercise number 7, unconscious diver on the surface which, to anyone that has done it, is a very exhausting skill.

As we concluded the IDC each candidate was feeling confident and at ease with the requirements of the IE.

The next day we completed our Emergency first Responder Instructor course with the resuscitation doll being incredibly well looked after.

Then came the mock IE for the following two days where everybody looked excellent in the water and achieved great scores in the exams.

So off to the IE we go.

Many thanks must go to Pieter for guiding us and passing on his valuable knowledge. Also to Chris and Harry who, while doing their staff, passed on valuable hints and tips to us all.

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

DJL Koh Lipe is up and running!!!

By , 15 November, 2011, No Comment

Davy Jone’s Locker ‘s branch in Koh Lipe is now up and running.

Koh Lipe is a small island in the Southern part of the Andaman sea. It is located in Satun Province, close to Langkawi island (Malaysia), about 60 Kilometres (38 miles) from the mainland. It is part of the Tarutao National Marine Park, a large group of over 70 islands, and also part of a smaller cluster of islands called the Butang Islands or Adang Archipelago.
Koh Lipe is famous for diving and snorkeling, and for the beautiful beaches and the relaxed atmosphere.
Our new office is right on the beach so that we can offer diving right off the beach or from our Rhib. DJL customers are now able to use their returning customer discount in Koh Lipe as well as on Koh Tao. We are looking forward to a long and prosperous new venture!

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Turtle Island

By , 13 November, 2011, 1 Comment

With great diving conditions and several sightings of Turtles recently Koh Tao is living upto its name as Turtle Island. In the past this local area has been a popular choice for Sea Turtles to feed in the bays and on the coral reefs, also to nest on the beautiful beaches.  Over time sadly the numbers had fallen, human fishing and habitat destruction began to affect the population of these fascinating Reptiles. It had seemed that many of which moved on to different areas.

Here on Koh Tao we get two types of turtle; the Hawksbill and the Green turtle.

Both similar in appearance the green turtles are usually bigger and have a ligther shade on their shell than the hawksbill, they can be found on several of the dive sites around Koh Tao.

Harry

Post to Twitter Post to Facebook

Page 1 of 212»