Archive for June, 2012

Back in Paradise

By , 30 June, 2012, No Comment

After being away from Koh Tao for around 2 months it’s great being back! Weather wasn’t the best when I arrived, but at least it gave me the chance to do some diving on the other side of the island. Things are definitely clearing up, wind’s dying down and the nice, calm, clear, blue waters of Koh Tao are back along with all the divers! It’s been great seeing 4 of my friends ( Abel, Russ, Ben & Felix ) have started their IDC and will be joining our ranks as instructors. DJL and Koh Exist are working to together in their conservation efforts. We did a beach clean-up on Sairee, something that we will be helping with on a regular basis because you can definitely see the difference it makes especially when the island gets busier.

Don Dornbrack

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Why I love my job

By , 28 June, 2012, No Comment

There are many great things about working as a scuba diving
instructor: the outdoor lifestyle, being surrounded by happy people, getting to look at mantis shrimp and yellow box fish during working hours… (my favourites!). But the best part for me is to see new divers discover the thrill of diving. Nothing beats the feeling of watching your open water students go from hesitation or even fear of the water to absolutely loving it. When I see that excitement and joy in their eyes I am reminded of why I have been diving for so long myself. I remember that initial thrill I felt when I first discovered diving many years ago and the addiction that came after. Best feeling there is! Yes the tanks are heavy and the equipment is a big and bulky hassle and boats make me seasick and sometimes I wonder if it’s all worth it, but then we jump into the water and the answer is immediate:
of course it’s worth it! The underwater world caught me eight years ago and it still hasn’t let go. And if I can help people discover the beauty of the underwater world then I have the best job in the world!

Stina Brännström

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Wreck Speciality Course

By , 25 June, 2012, No Comment

The past few days I have been teaching the PADI wreck diver speciality course to three students. If you are looking for a challenging but fun course that develops a new set of skills to allow you to safely make wreck penetration dives this is the course for you.
The course consists of four dives where we build skills such as finning techniques that don’t disturb the silt often found inside shipwrecks, using a line and reel to provide a direct link to the entry and exit point, using torches, special signals and communication procedures. The course also includes a short but in depth theory session where we look at legal aspects of wreck diving, potential hazards of wreck diving and the limits of what types of penetration dives you can do. By the end of the course you will know how to safely perform a wreck penetration dive (within the reach of natural light). If you find this kind of diving really appeals to you why not consider taking a technical diving course with DJL tech department.

Ed

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My first Open Water student

By , 22 June, 2012, No Comment

All instructors remember their very first student. I for sure will never forget mine, partly because it was my first time teaching as a scuba instructor but also because that student was my dad! I was a brand new instructor working for DJL Koh Lipe at the time and my parents had left the cold winter of Sweden to come and visit me for a couple of weeks. My dad had done a try dive the year before in Malaysia and now he wanted to try it again with me. Not only did my dad sign himself up for a DSD but my parents also managed to convince two people at their hotel to join in (we should have given my mum and dad commission really, that’s how much advertising they did for DJL around the island!). So now I had three people doing the DSD and my mum curiously watching from the side. Because of back problems she could not take part however keen she was to join in. My dad was the star of the group and my main concern was keeping him from swimming too far off in his eager to get closer to the fish. It was a great experience for all of us and after the dive my dad decided that he wanted to do the open water course with me! What a strange and yet wonderful sensation: to be teaching the man who used to always be teaching me. Suddenly the tables had turned and my dad was the one asking me questions! I was a tough teacher, no skipping of steps just because he was my dad, and because I was newly certified as an instructor I believe I was even more adamant about doing everything by the book. But he bore with me even when I put him through long days of swim tests and theory lessons and exams. And in the end we had a great time together and did some very nice dives. The diving around Koh Lipe is excellent and offers a great variety of life. We saw yellow boxfish, giant moray, clouded moray, bearded scorpionfish, lionfish and much more. My dad and I now share this passion diving and I can’t wait for the next time we can go diving together. It just goes to show that it’s never too late to try new things in life. My dad never thought he would take up scuba diving at the age of 62 but now here he is, counting the days until his next underwater experience. Hopefully it won’t be long until he is back out here diving with me again! :)

Stina Brännström

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Baywatch Snorkel Test

By , 19 June, 2012, No Comment

This week was a big week for six of our divemaster trainees as they completed the final challenge of their divemaster course, the famous DJL snorkel test! The snorkel test is our way of saying thank you to the new divemasters for all their hard work and help over the last couple of months or so. We basically dress them up in silly costumes, make them play some fun drinking games and give them a good night out on us. This week the theme was Baywatch so we had our own Mitch Buchannon and five beautiful lifeguards completing a variety of challenges with the final task being to drink a bucket through a snorkel and mask. The evening was a big success and everyone involved had a great time. Five of the group are now going on to do their Instructor Development Courses which they are very well prepared for and I know that they’ll all go on to make great instructors!

By Chris

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