Smiles all round as Chris & Bobby collect their Certificates

Congratulations to the latest PADI Dive Instructors, Bobby & Chris from England.

Both were ex-Divemasters at Davy Jones Locker and passed their final Instructor Exams with near perfect scores!

The guys intend to further their PADI diving education to Master Scuba Diver Trainee levels.

Good work again Pete (DJL’s course director) who helped the lads through the Instructor course & exam. I know the lads both speak very highly of Pete and would like to say a big thank you!

Bobby, Chris & Pete celebrated in style with one of the biggest bar tabs ever known at DJL Pool Bar and having now recovered both lads are already undertaking speciality instructor courses in order to become highly employable scuba diving instructors.

If you are interested in becoming an PADI Instructor with Davy Jones Locker, check out www.djldiving.com

Davy Jones’ Locker has been recommended in the Lonely Planet Thailand’s Islands & Beaches, 7^th Edition, 2010.

The Lonely Planet describes DJL as,

“Gaining momentum in the last year”

“a popular dive outfitter”

“a favourite in northern Sairee”

“Friday night pool parties are a big draw”

Thanks to the LP for the recommendation, DJL Staff

DJL Divers at Sailrock

DJL Diving has recently returned from an exploration trip to Angthong National Marine Park. The group of 14 were made up of Divemaster Trainees, Divemasters, Instructors, friends, family and were led by Ali from DJL.

We left early Sunday morning for the first dive at Sail Rock, where we had an amazing time diving with the huge amounts of marine life south-south east of Koh Tao. From there we headed west to the marine park. Despite the long journey spirits were high with excitement of what to find at Angthong and with lots of music and a few beers the time flew by.

We arrived just after dark after some helpful thai fisherman guided us in(as you can imagine there aren’t many lights on Angthong!)

We spent the evening in a small beach resort, had a well deserved meal an spoke of what to expect when the sun rose.

On the beach at Ko Wua

The following morning everyone was up bright and early, ready for some exploring.

After breakfast we checked out the deserted white sandy beaches, photographed the local monkeys, discovered huge caves, climbed the limestone cliffs to amazing viewpoints and looked down over the emerald lake. We then took the DJL boat around the almost inhabited islands and experienced some breath-taking views.

After a busy day in Angthong we headed back north-north east to Koh Tao whilst fishing on route. We had a great sunset dive at shark island to help finish off a successful trip.

DJL Diving will be offering this trip starting January 2011, definitely one not to be missed!

I’d like to thank everyone who came along and helped make this research trip possible and a big thank you to Ali for driving the boat and leading the group!

Check out the Video on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXl7emC4Sa4 Thanks Jill !!

View Point at Angthong

DJL Overlook the Emerald Lake

The Emerald Lake, Angthong

Ay Up!

Tom Hibbert 21, from Goole East Yorkshire is the latest DJL student to Qualify as a Divemaster. Here’s what Tom had to say about his time on Koh Tao..

Hello!

I first went diving in Egypt when I was 18 and fell in love with diving there and then. I booked with Davy Jones Locker soon after, using real gap. I booked a year in advance which killed me, I was working in a Tescos warehouse in Goole at the time, it was a very long year!

I arrived in Koh Tao April 1st to complete my zero to hero divemaster course. It took me a while to climatise to the hot weather here, so went in search for air con. The island is beautiful with fantastic views and the diving is amazing. It took me 3 months to complete the courses, and I also took on the deep diver, nitrox and intro to tech dive course add ons.

Met some great people here at DJL (staff & customers), I would like to thank Si, Alex & Pete for all their help during the divemaster internship. I have to mention my fellow DMT’s Joe, Bobby Bob Bob, Sam, Beau, Jade, Harry & Chris for their help through the course and ‘evening antics’. I had originally planned to return home to the uk in July however I’m still here working on the DJL Snorkel & Party boat, hoping to pick up some Divemaster work shortly.

I will be returning home soon for a flying visit, although will return to hopefully further my diving career as an Instructor, Technical Diver and to take on the DJL boat handling course.

I would highly reccommend booking a divemaster course with Davy Jones Locker, I’ve had the time of my life!

Here’s what Yorkshire Tom actually wrote, before translation..

Davy Jones Locker is proud to announce the launch of its snorkelling boat. For many years now Davy Jones Locker has been leading the way in the dive industry and so we thought it was about time to branch out and offer our customers even more. We intend to run daily snorkelling tours to some of the most spectacular sites around Koh Tao. These tours will be run from 10 to 3 daily by a PADI Dive Instructor and Divemaster to ensure they are educational, safe and fun! As we are proud members of the Project Aware group we will be promoting eco-friendly snorkelling and teaching how to interact with marine life responsibly. Fish identification training will also be on offer as our trained staff guide customers around the snorkel sites. We will be offering a free pick up service, top of the range equipment and delicious local cuisine served on board. So guys if you want to explore the underwater world of Koh Tao on a smaller budget drop into the dive shop and we’ll be happy to help!

Despite Bangkok being unsettled due to the current protests, Davy Jones Locker would like to confirm that we are still open for business on a very calm and placid Koh Tao.

If you are in any doubt whether or not to come and dive in Koh Tao at the moment, we can assure you that this beautiful island is in no way linked to any of the protests in the capital and you can expect a warm, no hassle welcome.

If you wish to avoid Bangkok you can still travel to Koh Tao by flying via Kuala Lumpur or Hong Kong then on to Koh Samui, where you can take a short boat ride to Koh Tao. It is also possible to take an overland train from Kuala Lumpur to Surat Thani then a boat direct to Koh Tao.

If you have any queries or concerns on travelling to Koh Tao, please drop us a line at info@davyjoneslocker.asia

Enjoy your new careers in diving guys, all the best from everyone at Davy Jones Locker.

Some of the latest cocktails include Mojito, Sex on the beach, Bloody Mary, Godfather & Frozen Margarita to name a few.

Due to the overwhelming success of the event, DJL Pool Bar plans to run similar events in the near future and with Songkran just around the corner expect the pool parties to be in full flow!

Congratulations to Thomas, Ross & Michael on becoming the latest PADI Instructors here on Koh Tao. Thomas (from Germany) plans on travelling to the Philippines to continue his dive career, Ross (from England) is jetting off to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Michael (also from England) plans to find work here on Koh Tao. Everyone here at Davy Jones Locker would like to thank Pete our course director on keeping up his exceptional pass rate and would like to wish the three new instructors all the best in their new dive careers.

Ex Davy Jones Locker student Harry Smith is jetting off to the tropical islands of Vanuatu to continue his dive career as a PADI Dive Instructor.

Harry came to DJL early last year and undertook the Divemaster Internship program. From there he completed the Instructor course and Master Scuba Diver Trainer course. Only 2 weeks after completing these courses with DJL, Harry was offered a job through the PADI website.

Vanuatu is a chain of around 80 small volcanic islands located between Fiji and New Zealand, we are sure Harry will excel in his new dive career in paradise and wish him the best of luck!

Petu, Tori, Luke & Dan

On behalf of everyone here at Davy Jones Locker, I would like to say a big Congratulations to the latest 4 Divemasters to complete the 2-month internship programme. Well done to Tori, Luke, Petu and Dan on becoming the newest PADI professionals here on Koh Tao. To celebrate their achievements, DJL Pool Bar laid on an infamous ’snorkel test’ in the theme of Kiss. All the guys dressed to impress, took on various drinking challenges and even performed an air guitar style classic before taking on the final snorkel test. Well done again guys and thanks for choosing DJL, we all wish you every success in your future dive careers.

Mike, Pete & Ash

Drongo & Canada

Congratulations to the latest PADI instructors Mike (Canada) and Ash (Australia).

Both were ex-Divemasters at Davy Jones Locker and passed their final exams with flying colours!

The guys intend to further their PADI education to MSDT level.

Again well done to Pete, our course director who keeps up his amazing 100% pass rate. I know the lads both speak very highly of pete and would like to say a big thank you!

See you all in the DJL bar later guys for a big celebration party!

Jules, Damien, Frankie, Nigel & Ross

A BIG Congratulations to Jules, Damien, Frankie, Nigel & Ross who have just completed their Power Boat Handling course with Davy Jones Locker.

The BSAC Boat Handling course (which is designed for divers) taught the guys chart work, position fixing and navigation over a one week period.

With all 5 students passing their final exam all finish with an internationally recognised boat handling qualification, which is authorised by both the Marine Coastguard Agencies (MCA) and Combined Diving Association (PADI, BSAC, SSA).

The celebrations went on well into the night at DJL’s pool bar where the 5 new skippers were welcomed in the traditional way of 3 shots of rum after they were presented with DJL dive coxswain caps.

Well done guys and good luck from all at Davy Jones Locker!

For more information on the boat handling course see http://www.davyjoneslocker.asia/en/component/content/article/158-internship/286-boat-handling.html

Davy Jones Locker is now a Project AWARE Official Go Eco Operator.

Project AWARE Foundation conserves underwater environments through education, advocacy and action.

Project AWARE Foundation is a registered nonprofit organization. In partnership with scuba divers and water enthusiasts, Project AWARE offices located in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland and Japan combine efforts to conserve aquatic resources in more than 180 countries and territories of the world.

Project AWARE Foundation works in partnership with divers and water enthusiasts to combat challenges facing underwater environments. Project AWARE and dedicated volunteers are committed to conservation initiatives including:
•Underwater Cleanups and Marine Debris Prevention
•Coral Reef Conservation, Monitoring and Data Collection
•Shark Education, Reporting and Conservation
•Improved Management Policies and Marine Protection Efforts
•Environmental Training for Divers and Education Programs for Kids

As a Go ECO Operator DJL is committed to environmentally responsible business practices and to providing our customers with dive experiences that enhance visitor awareness of our local aquatic environment.

DJL is proud to be one of only two Go ECO Operators here on Koh Tao. Stay tuned for the latest ECO friendly projects that DJL will be hosting or check out the project AWARE website at projectaware.org.

Yes thats right folks, DJL bar are re-launching their famous pool partys! Kicking off this friday and every friday after, DJLs’ very own pool bar will be offering cheap drinks, top tunes from live DJs, lots of party games, BBQ, new and improved cocktails and free shots.

So we hope to see all you guys and girls there for a splashing time!

Since our friends at Goodtime Adventures threw down the gauntlet and claimed to have circumnavigated koh tao in 19 minutes we stepped up to the challenge and set a new DJL record. With conditions near to perfect we set out to challenge the record in our high speed rib with just enough fuel to speed around the island as quick as possible. On the last attempt we set a time of 24 minutes but this time round with less passengers and fuel managed to circumnavigate in 21 minutes! Although still 2 minutes away from Goodtime Adventures time we feel this new DJL record is more than respectable and in the good spirit of competition would like to offer our speedy friends at Goodtime a swiss time keeping devise and digital camera to record their alleged 19 minute trip!