DJL Diving Blog

PROJECT AWARE INTERNATIONAL CLEAN UP DAY

sea-dog — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:57:30 +0000

The pinnacle cleanup event of the year, International Cleanup Day, 25 September, is held in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. On this day 15,000 AWARE Divers in more than 100 countries around the globe will document every item found beneath the water’s surface to help prevent the marine debris epidemic affecting our ocean planet and you can be a part of it by voluntering at DJL DIVING. On the 25th september we will be hosting a full day of conservation and try to have fun at the same time. In the morning we will start with a beach clean up, then lunch in the bar followed by 2 dives in the afternoon were we will collecting any marine debris found. To finish the day off we will hold a free fundraiser bbq at our pool bar. During the day we will be giving away great prizes. So if you around Koh Tao pop in to the store and sign up.

NOWS THE TIME TO DIVE

sea-dog — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:02:23 +0000

There has never been a better time to come to the amazing island of Kho Tao and dive with DJL Diving. We are very happy to announce the return of the viz (vizability). We are diving more then ever, going to better dive site, exploring new places.
At dive sites like chumphon pinnacle we are seeing 30 meter crystal clear water with more fish then ever and waiting for the return of the famous bullsharks of kho tao, other sites like twins, white rock, mango bay and green rock are also beautiful this time of year, with lots of turtles, rays and lots of beautiful coral to see.
So why dive at djl?
We offer a max group of 4 divers per group.
we have 3 boats, so we go to new sites everyday.
Dive from our highspeed RHIB, get to sites in half the time.
Great pool partys and free bbq at our resort pool bar.
All our staff our enviromently aware and we encourage all our customers to do there part in keeping our island a beautiful place.
So why not make a visit into the shop or log on to our site for further info.

How was it for you?

djl team — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 07:16:29 +0000

We asked a handful of customers and students,

“How was your diving experience with Davy Jones Locker?”

“I don’t know how to explain to everyone back home what a wonderful experience the diving was, you are all great instructors and make the diving fun and safe. You’ve got me hooked, thanks chucks!”

Lucy Finnagan, PADI Open Water Student

“Very good Instructors, experience of a lifetime, everyone should try scuba diving at Davy Jones Locker!”

Kyle J. Williams, PADI Open Water Student

“It was a nice dive, I’ve enjoyed it. It was my first time wreck diving and it was great. It was a pitty Sandra was seasick. Thanks for the 4 dives, I am sure I will dive with you again sometime”

Ralph Aarts, Fun Diver

“Amazing diving, now we can return to Belgium with wonderful memories, thankyou for everything, see you next time”

Christine & Xavier, Fun Divers

“Terrific! I could not have felt safer than I did with Tim, a very professional outfit. Thank you for an excellent day, perfect diving!”

Paul Wood, PADI Advanced Open Water Student

“Never done this before but hopefully it won’t be the last time, had a great time, will recommend it to others, thanks”

Julie Godfrey, PADI Open Water Student

“DJL has fantastic facilities for diving, the boat is spacious and comfortable, the range of courses is endless. I seriously recommend the deep spec course with Simon. Hit a depth of 45m and was probably the highlight of my trip, definitely not to be missed”

Dan Jones, PADI Divemaster Intern

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

Tom Hibbert, PADI Divemaster Intern

“I had great fun on my Instructor Development Course, Pete was a great instructor and I’d like to thank him for helping me pass my Instructor Exam. I would strongly recommend doing your Divemaster and Instructor courses at Davy Jones Locker. All the instructors there are very friendly and will do their upmost to ensure you have a great time diving in Koh Tao!”

Tom McMurray, PADI Divemaster to Instructor Student

Thanks for all your comments guys, we hope to see you all again soon.

The DJL Team

Boat Handling Courses at DJL

djl team — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:04:38 +0000

Davy Jones Locker offers BSAC Boat Handling courses that are internationally recognised and accredited by the maritime coastal agency. The aim of the Seamanship Package is to give students with little or no skills & experience, the theoretical and practical ability to operate a small powerboat safely. This license will allow you to run a boat up to 10 metres long and is accepted in Australia.

For more information on this course, check out our website;

http://www.davyjoneslocker.asia/en/bsac-courses/133-skill-development-courses/164-bsac-seamanship-centre-no-____484-seamanship-a-boat-handling-package.html

Tom’s the latest Instructor

djl team — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:34:41 +0000

After completing my Divemaster Internship with Davy Jones Locker in the summer of 2009, I returned home to the UK for University. This summer I decided to return to Thailand to become a PADI Dive Instructor with DJL.

I had great fun on my Instructor Development Course, Pete was a great instructor and I’d like to thank him for helping me pass my Instructor Exam.

I would strongly recommend doing your Divemaster and Instructor courses at Davy Jones Locker. All the instructors there are very friendly and will do their upmost to ensure you have a great time diving in Koh Tao!

Tom McMurray 20, UK

“Neil was Super”

djl team — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:21:45 +0000

Neil was Super, a brilliant instructor and a sound fella! He really helped Mike overcome his initial fear of diving, as did Tim. He also helped me alot with mask skills.

We had a great time on Koh Tao, stayed way longer than expected, completely down to the excellent staff at Davy Jones Locker.

Thank you so much,

Marie & Mike from Ireland.

Tom’s the latest Divemaster

Ollie the Spaniard — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 06:35:44 +0000

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..

Ay Up!

I first went tut diving in T’Egypt when I were a young’en and fell in love wit divin. I booked wit tut Locker soon after, using t’internet. I booked year in advance which bloody killed me, I were workin in Tesco warehouse in Goole at tut time, it were a long year I tell thee! I arrived on tut Tao April 1st to do me zero tut ero divemaster course. It took me bloody ages to climatise tut hot weather ere, so looked fo air con. The island is crackin with great views and tut divin is smashing. It took me 3 month tut do courses, and also did deep diver, nitrox and intro tut tech dive courses. Met some right nice people ere at DJL (staff & customers), I would like to thank Si, Alex & Pete fo help during tut divemaster internship. I have to say Ay Up tut fellow DMT’s Joe, Bobby Bob Bob, Sam, Beau, Jade, Harry & Chris fo help through tut course and ‘evening knees ups’. I ad planned to go ome tut shi..england in July, but I’m still ere working on tut boat, hopin tut pick up Divemaster work. I will be goin ome fo pie unt peas soon, but will come back tut crack on wit divin career as a Yorkshire speaking Instructor, Technical Diver and tut do boat handlin course. I think you should com out ere too, I’ve ad a reet good time!

Whale Shark Spotted by Open Water Students!

djl team — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 05:31:09 +0000

Yes that’s right, 4 PADI Open Water students, 2 Divemasters and 1 Instructor from Davy Jones Locker were lucky enough to swim alongside a 5 metre Whale Shark on the students’ second ever dive! The gentle giant was spotted during an afternoon dive at White Rock. What a great way for the 4 students to be introduced to the world of scuba diving, lets hope that the biggest fish in the sea stick around and provide this amazing experience for many more DJL divers!

New Divemasters

Simon — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:14:07 +0000

5 new Divemasters on Koh Tao. Beau, Tom, Joe, Harry and Sarah arrived at Davy Jones Locker 2 months ago. All 5 signed up to for the Divemaster Internship which is the first step in the professional ladder. The guys studied hard, learning how to demonstrate skills and leading dives. Once the guys completed the course we celebrated with DJL famous snorkel test. Were the guys dressed up as cave men and participated in a lot of silly games and drinking! The DJL team would like to say a well done to the guys and good luck for the future.

Aaaany time now!

djl_team — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:24:28 +0000

Every month after the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan, countless backpackers hit the next destination on the list, Koh Tao – most of them with the same mission in mind, learning how to dive! Koh Tao is one of the most popular places in the world to get your PADI Open Water Diver certification or even just the 1-day experience, Discover Scuba Diving, that seems to be spreading like a fever (conducting 13 of them here at DJL in just 2 days). The reason being our numerous shallow dive sites and all-year-round good conditions that makes the place perfect for beginners. And this month, hitting one of the peak seasons on the island, we’re expecting a massive pack of “Full Mooners”. Our 6 full time instructors are prepared, looking forward to introducing everyone to the amazing underwater world. Anticipating the “Full Moon Rush”! Aaaaany time now.

10 ways to protect our coral

sea-dog — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:10:45 +0000

1. Do not purchase souvenirs made from coral or any
threatened or endangered marine species.
2. Support the establishment of coral reef protected
areas and encourage better protection and
management for those that exist.
3. While traveling, choose resorts and tour operators
that properly treat all sewage and wastewater.
4. While operating a boat, navigate carefully to
avoid contact with coral reefs and other vulnerable
ecosystems such as seagrass beds and maintain
engine equipment to prevent oil and gas spills.
5. As a diver or snorkeler, choose tour operators
that use mooring buoys or drift diving techniques
whenever possible rather than anchors that can
cause reef damage.
6. Make wise choices in selecting seafood by avoiding
menu items that are caught or farmed using
destructive or unsustainable practices including reefkilling
poisons, explosives, and illegal equipment.
7. Join Project AWARE’s CoralWatch Monitoring
Program and report data online at
www projectaware.org.
8. As a diver, practice buoyancy control skills in a
pool or sandy area before diving near a coral reef.
Make sure your gauges and equipment are secured
to avoid accidental contact with the reef, and never
touch, stand on or collect coral. Be an AWARE
Diver.
9. Report all damage of coral reefs to dive operators
and scientific or conservation groups that monitor
coral reef health.
10. Enroll in an AWARE Specialty course like AWARE
Coral Reef Conservation with a PADI Professional
to increase your knowledge about coral reefs and
other aquatic environments.

Endnu et offer for Koh Tao! (Danish post)

djl_team — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 07:32:25 +0000

Har du fået nok af den hektiske, ensformige hverdag derhjemme, og har du et umætteligt behov for nye oplevelser? Go pro! Som professional dykker forvandler dit kontor sig til havet og dine fyraftener bliver tilbragt ved pool-kanten med en iskold øl i hånden i selskab med glade mennesker, der altid er i “feriemode”.

I september 2009 besluttede jeg mig for, at hoppe ud i det. Jeg havde færdiggjort gymnasiet og efter 3 år med slid og slæb havde jeg bare brug for at komme væk, jeg havde brug for at udvige mine horisonter. Jeg har altid været facineret af havet, men aldrig haft mulighed for at tilbringe mere end de få sekunder jeg kan holde vejret under overfladen. Så jeg besluttede mig for at pakke en rygsæk og hoppe på et fly. Destination: Koh Tao.

I løbet af ca. 3 intense måneder med hårdt arbejde og dobbelt så meget sjov, kunne jeg tilføje en ny titel på mit CV: Divemaster. Jeg tog mit Open Water, Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver og Divemasterkursus ud i én køre, og blev tilbudt job hos DJL Diving da jeg var færdig. Arbejdede i 3 måneder som Divemaster (Dykkerguide), hvor jeg tilbragte mine arbejdsdage i selskab med fantastiske mennesker på et kontor fyldt med tyrehajer, hvalhajer, skildpadder og tusindevis af farverige fisk og smukt koralrev. Efter de 3 måneder havde jeg virkelig fået blod på tanden – jeg havde brug for flere udfordringer og valgte derfor at tage mit instruktørkursus. Nu arbejder jeg som dykkerinstruktør for DJL Diving, møder nye mennesker hver dag, bor på en paradis-ø, og det bedste af det hele: Jeg tjener penge på noget jeg absolut elsker.

Hvis du føler, at du sidder fast derhjemme, har brug for en ny hverdag eller måske endda en helt ny livsstil med karriereskift, kan du gøre præcis det samme. Hvis du har spørgsmål om hvordan du kan begynde dit eventyr, så smid en kommentar her, og vi vender tilbage indenfor 24 timer

DJL SIGNS SHARK PROTECTION PETITION

sea-dog — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 07:59:07 +0000

Some important decisions for sharks were made at the recent Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), held in Qatar in March. Proposals to restrict trade in eight shark species failed to receive the required two-thirds vote majority, representing victory for narrow, short-term economic interests over science and the myriad long-term benefits of conservation.

Here at DJL DIVING we are appalled at the failure of the world’s environment leaders to approve trade protections for some of the Earth’s most vulnerable and heavily traded shark species which is why we signed this petition:

http://www.projectaware.org/givesharksachance

Did you know each year tens of millions of sharks are killed by Earth’s most dangerous predator – humans? Populations of sharks are in big trouble but you can take action.

At DJL DIVING we are proud members of PROJECT AWARE and we belive everyone, diver or not has a responsibility to make sure we protect sharks. During the shark season it is possible to get close to big grey reef sharks and bull sharks at Kho Taos premire dive site of Chumpon Pinnacle. DJL DIVING offers exclussive afternoon trips on our highspeed rhib, we you get the chance to see these amazing creatures in the most natural form without disturbance from other divers.

Sign the petition and let’s tell Governments loud and clear: sharks are vital to our ecosystem and deserve better protection.

A Great Way to Unwind After Full Moon

neilisnaked — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:03:22 +0000

This is my second year returning to DJL after doing a try dive the year before. I decided to continue my training and do my Open Water Diver course. It was everything I expected and more. Friendly staff, great training and amazing dive sites. If I was not restricted for time I would have continued my training but I hope to be back in the future to do so. Thanks again.
Linsey x x

Snorkel Koh Tao

Ollie the Spaniard — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:05:45 +0000

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!

SPECIAL APPRECIATION FROM PROJECT AWARE

sea-dog — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:09:07 +0000

At DJL DIVING we are always doing our bit to help preserve this beautiful island we call our home, so when we recived a special appreciation award for our help during DIVE FOR EARTH DAY 2010 we were very happy to recive it.
I would personally like to thank all the DMTS who gave up there free time to help out with the clean up at Hin Wong Bay, Everyone was keen and helped collect alot of rubbish that had washed up on the beach.
We will be holding more beach and underwater clean ups in the very near future so stay logged on to the blog or why not join our online forum page for all the latest djl news.

PADI Award

neilisnaked — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 05:31:30 +0000

The DJL Team celebrate Award from PADI

I’ve been working for Davy Jones’ Locker for the best part of two years now and in my time I’ve seen the school grow and progress, maintaining high standards and producing high quality divers at all levels from Open Water through to instructor and beyond. That goal of producing quality is evident throughout the school for all the courses we teach whether it’s Tim teaching tech diving, Pete running IDC’s, Frankie with the boathandling courses, Luke looking after the eco side of things, and Alex and Simon producing PADI Divemasters who would be an asset to any dive school. One thing I love about DJL is that we don’t strive to be the biggest dive school in the world, or even on Koh Tao,

All the hard work put in at the Dive School is paying off as PADI recognises our efforts

but we do strive to be the best. Anyways the point of this blog was to congratulate my collegues for an award we recieved recently from PADI Asia Pacific. The award was for an outstanding contribution to the diving industry. Now as an employee of DJL I guess people think I have to say such good things about the place and I suppose that may be true. But if our hard work is getting noticed by the big dogs at PADI, then I guess we must be doing something right.

DJL DIVING PRESENTS OUR NEW BOAT.

sea-dog — Sun, 30 May 2010 05:34:50 +0000

DJL Diving is proud to present our newest edition our growing fleet of boats.
After many days searching around the ship yards of Chumpon city, Tim and Ali choose a boat that put a smile on all our faces. The new boat is much larger than our old 2nd boat and with the school growing a a great pace we are all happy for the extra room. Wih space for an impresive 96 tanks, the boat rivals any for space and comfort, She is alot more comfortable in bigger swells, so we can travel out to dive sites like chumpon pinnacle and southwest pinnacle when others cant. We have a great area for relaxing and topping up your tan during your surface intervals and we have refreshments and snacks on board for you to enjoy. All the staff at DJL agree that the new boat is a pleasure to work on.
The 2nd boat will be taken over by Ollie and Jules, they will be running snorkleing trips and Kho Tao’s only party boat so you can enjoy the sceanic beauty of the island while enjoying a cold beer or cocktail. Not to forget our fastest and most fun boat ‘the highspeed rhib’. We will be offering all trips to local dive site and special trips like sail rock and samran pinnacle on request, and also the popular BSAC course ‘boat handling and diver coxan’.

Peoples Republic of Koh Tao Open For Business!

Ollie the Spaniard — Sun, 16 May 2010 05:41:18 +0000

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

DJL DOES IT BIT FOR EARTH DAY 2010

sea-dog — Mon, 03 May 2010 08:15:59 +0000

To celebrate PROJECT AWARE EARTH DAY 2010 some of the guys from djl diving decided to head over to the other side of the island to Hin Wong Bay and clean the beach there.
We all met at the shop and headed over the bay, were the beach which we will be using to dive from soon need a bit of attention. Thanks to Sam, Mark, Tansy, Sarah, Claire and the random lady who came to help us, for all the hard work they put in to make our island a beautiful place. All the information from clean up will be sent to project aware wich will the be added to there database, we found everything from plastic bottles, cups and shoes. All together we collected over 20 bags of rubbish.
We will be holding more clean-ups both on the beach and underwater in the very near future, so feel free to ask about them or any of the PROJECT AWARE specilties that we can offer at djl diving.