A few months back, I managed to persuade my brother to come to Davy Jones in Koh Tao so he could try diving for the first time. He completed the open water course very successfully and so went on to complete his advanced course. 

After becoming friends with another student on the advanced course, they both decided they wanted to move onto the next step, which is the rescue course. Part of the rescue course is practicing rescue techniques for divers needing assistance in various situations, which we learn in the swimming pool, we also cover the academic side to becoming a rescue diver. But the best bit is putting it all together when we go into the sea. With the help of our ‘very accident prone’ DMT’s, who were constantly putting the guys to the test by pretending to need help in many different situations, everyone had a great time. By the end of it, Tom and Jordan definitely agreed it was their favourite course and one that they had learned huge amounts from. 

We’ll see both of them later in the year when they come back to start their divemaster course!

Ems

The sun was shining, the sea was calm.  It was a perfect day to let some of our dive master trainees have some real fun, and get some experience driving DJLs high speed rigid inflatable speedboat. 

The morning started by fuelling the boat and checking all the safety equipment was present.  After taking the boat clear of the reef and boats moored in Sairee bay it was time for the DMTs to take the helm.  You could see the excitement in their faces as the throttles of the twin 85 horsepower engines were opened and the bow of the boat started to rise out of the water.  With the passengers on the boat holding on tight we moved into some high speed turns.  All the DMTs got around 10 minutes at the controls and really enjoyed themselves.  In fact the thrill of driving this type of craft is so addictive that many of them are considering taking one of DJL’s seamanship courses.  DJL offer two levels of boat handling course, the basic boat handling course, and the full seamanship package, leading to a full international licence to drive powerboats for diving operations.    If you are interested in a course drop us an e-mail for more information. 

Ed

DJL’s High Speed Rhib

For two ex students of mine this was exactly the case. I then told them about the Master Scuba Diver rating.

As soon as I had explained it they signed up straight away. The MSD Programme is PADI’s highest recreational diving certification.

As a Master Scuba Diver your experience will open up a new level of confidence whether you’re diving local wrecks, reefs or exploring exciting dive environments around the world.
To complete the MSD programme all you have to do is choose the courses you want to do and pick up the relevant manuals. Most specialty courses are diving based so you can study in your own time without having to come to the classroom.

To become a Master Scuba Diver you must also have 50 logged dives and complete 5 specialties of your choice.

So come and take yourself to the next level.

Master Scuba Diver is the highest level you can achieve in the PADI system as a recreational diver, for people who have never dived DJL also offers a 1 month Master Scuba Diver package which includes accommodation and unlimited diving as well as all of the courses you need to become a Master Scuba Diver, see the website here for more details.

Tom

Tom

As they dont stray too far from the anemone mating becomes a bit more difficult, the way they solve this problem is by changing sex, all clownfish are born male, and when they are ready to mate the largest and most dominant male turns into a female. When the female dies then the largest male will become female, and continue the cycle. There are also several other fishes that go through this change aswell. Finding Nemo will never be the same again..

Yesterday I was lucky enough to dive with two turtles.

As we descended down the line at Hin pee wee, there waiting for us at the bottom of the line was one of the most beautiful graceful creatures I have the pleasure to meet regularly. The Hawksbill turtle.

As I pointed the amazing creature out to my students they floated mesmerised as Mr turtle had his breakfast. After enjoying his time we made our way round the dive site. After coming across another of our instructors we both made turtle signs to each other, but pointed in opposite directions.

Looking past Sarah I could see another of these great creatures just relaxing on a rock. Again I pointed the creature out to my students. We enjoyed the company of the second turtle for a while before moving on again.

A great morning diving with two amazing creatures.

Tom

“I can definitely say that these days were the best of my entire trip! I can highly recommend the DJL Diving Shop because the staff is awesome and a lot of fun.”  Esther

“Our dive instructors were really nice and one can tell they love diving!!!” Markus

“Words can not describe the feeling of scuba diving!! I genuinely can not thank DJL enough for enabling me to fulfill my lifetime dream of completing my PADI open water qualification to 18m” Zara

“The course is well organized and the staff is always friendly and patient. The equipment is good and the diving boat as well. I can really recommend this school, especially if you don’t have any experience in diving!” Stephanie

“DJL is just that! Very professional dive-masters (ask for Ryan), divers from all around the globe, and a prime location on the middle of the Koh Tao lovely shoreline.” Yoni

“DJL has a friendly, laid back vibe and feels like a small, intimate school, even though it is one of the larger ones on the island. We shopped around for dive schools when we got to Koh Tao and DJL provided the best package by far” Kirby

If you are training to be a Divemaster or Instructor you will no doubt be aware how difficult an industry it can be to get into.  The truth is that the DM and Instructor programs do not teach a lot of the real skills needed to actually work in a dive shop or on a liveaboard.  In the real world, most dive operations need staff who are able to fill air and Nitrox tanks, operate and maintain compressors, maintain regulators and tanks. 

At Davy Jones Locker (5* PADI instructor development centre) we can offer you more than just the Divemaster and Instructor training offered by typical IDC’s we have a wide range of pro level courses designed to give you a serious edge when getting into the diving industry. 

The DJL dive shop operations package is includes compressor operator including changing and packing filter cartridges and changing oil, nitrox and trimix gas blending , oxygen cleaning procedures,  full servicing  of cylinder valves, balanced and unbalanced regulators, BCD inflators plus a lot more.  With 3 compressors including the popular Coltri sub MCH 13/16, and our brand new Bauer Poseidon 200 you will get experience using the most widely used makes of compressors in the world.

By Ed

“Anything you care to work on during the dive?”

“Buoyancy?”

“Buoyancy World it is.”

Twins sits east off the smaller private island of Koh Nang Yuan which in turn lies just 15 minutes east of Koh Tao. With a maximum depth of 18 meters and the highest of the two pinnacles sitting just 5 meters below the surface, the site is ideal for both students in training and certified divers on a fun dive. Choose from thee abundance of blue spotted sting rays, white eyed moray eels and scribbled filefish; or head to Buoyancy World for some advanced level buoyancy performance training.

As requested, I took Anne into Buoyancy World to perfect her skills using the various training hoops and swim-through obstacles. We reached the octopus (the legs provide a tight-maneuvering obstacle that replicates a small cave-like environment). As we began the exercises we noticed a school of baby Blue-lined Trevaly. Only an inch long, the circulating ball of 4-500 of the little fish was distracting enough to draw us onto the sand patch where we sat and began to watch them.

Immediately the school took our large fins as protection from the Golden Trevaly that circled nearby. Within seconds the school began to spiral around us as they sensed an impending attack. Other nearby Hexagon Groupers swam in and rested on my leg waiting patiently to snap a small fish out of the spinning school.

We laid still for almost 20 minutes watching the drama unfold all around us. The Golden Trevaly swooped in narrowly missing our arms, legs and faces, snapping up the Blue-lined one at a time. You could feel the current as the Golden powered past you to strike. The Hexagon Groupers looked out for the weaker stragglers and took advantage.

After the 20 minutes we had reached the end of our dive time. It was time to head back to the dive boat. We left behind some 2-300 Blue-lined Trevaly that quickly took shelter under another dive group that was passing by. Though a little sad to see, such is the nature of life in the ocean. To be such an intimate part of it, however, was a truly awe inspiring experience. Now I know a little about what it feels like to be an Underwater Videographer…if only I had my camera with me…oops.

By Ryan

One of my personal favourite dive sites around Koh Tao is Green Rock. Located on the North West side of Koh Nangyuan, it’s a dive site that offers something for everyone.

The boulder and rock formations of the site give an amazing underwater topography. The central pinnacle is only 1m below the surface but the site itself drops off to 25m

The array of swim through’s make it a great fun dive site to explore. As it sits on the North end of the archipelago Green Rock gets lots of nutrient rich water flowing through it. This means the aquatic life is heavily attracted to the area with plenty of life and visiting whale sharks and turtles.

Recently when I had just returned to the surface a pod of pilot whales swam by on the surface an amazing experience to be in the water so close to an amazing creature.

A truly amazing site. Come dive it with us.

Tom

Since qualifying as an instructor there has not been anything that has daunted me, except, however, the prospect of having to do a DSD with my mother. Well the time finally came last month when she came to visit me in Koh Tao and wanted to see ‘first hand’ what it was that I do, and love so much. 

There is something about teaching friends and family that puts dread into even the most laid back of people. I remember as a teenager my parents attempting to teach me how to drive, it would often lead to impatience and frustration, however; the same advice given to me by my driving instructor, a total stranger, would be met with gratitude and understanding. When it is a parent I think you also have a heightened sense of worry as they are often a little older, you want them to have an incredible time and realise why it is that you have moved so far away from them for so long, and god forbid should anything go wrong. Luckily for me it didn’t, and my mum had a fantastic time. 

We walked in to the sea from Sairee Beach so we could do the confined skills in the shallows, then swim out to open water from there. It is the perfect place for beginners, not too deep, but still with a good variety of aquatic life. She was a little tentative at first when going fully under water, she gets slight claustrophobia and found breathing from the regulator a little strange and dry. After a little reassurance and a lot of determination she began to conquer her fear and we spent a few minutes just sitting on the bottom getting used to the change. Gradually she began to relax as she looked around and took in her surroundings. It is such a wonderful experience being at one with the fish that it takes away many of the initial worries and you want to be able to explore further. Having mastered the few skills you need to complete during a DSD course we set off and spent 30 minutes under water. I actually struggled to keep up with her at times, once she had found her feet (or should i say fins) there was no stopping her.

I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to share this experience with my mum. Not only was it fantastic to see her having so much fun, but also she now has a new found respect for what it is I do and is already planning her next trip.

By Jo

Pilot whales look like large dolphins, usually a dark brown or black colour, they are often called blackfish along with other larger members of the dolphin family.

We watched the pod for a while, with about 10-15 pilot whales, then continued on to the next dive site. Hopefully we will continue to see them around Koh Tao…

Lizzy

By ED

DJL’s High Speed Rhib

Kathy

We spend the afternoon completing the PADI Scuba Review here, when you meet at the shop we get you to take a quiz to see what knowledge is remembered, then we remind you about the parts you may have forgotten. We then have a choice of using our very own swimming pool, or a confined water area in one of the bays around Koh Tao. You will then recap the water skills you learned from the PADI Open Water course, things like clearing water from the mask and regulator to buoyancy skills and out of air drills. Once you are comfortable with the skills again, we then take you for 2 dives in some of Koh Taos best dive sites. We can then give advice and feedback on improving your positioning underwater also look at weighting and environmentally friendly diving.

Bob – MSDT