Fish of Koh Tao – Scribbled Filefish

By Harry, 22 April, 2012, No Comment

Filefishes are found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Here in Koh Tao they can be found at many of the divesites. Adult filefish will typically stay in the shallow parts of the sea and rarely venture further down than 30 meters. The filefishes are known under many different names, including foolfish, shingles and leatherjackets. They are closely related to pufferfish, triggerfish and trunkfish.

If it feels threatened it will typically retreat into a crevice or cave in the reef rather than trying to out-swim a predator, this is due to the fact that it has small fins so isn’t a very fast swimmer. You can often see filefishes drifting with the current among seaweed with their head pointing downwards. This is probably a way of fooling both predators and suitable prey.

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Divemaster Snorkel test again!!!

By djl_team, 21 April, 2012, No Comment

Congratulations to Hannah, Stephen, Jamie and Rory on passing their divemaster and surviving their snorkel test!!

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New Discoveries

By djl_team, 19 April, 2012, No Comment

One of the things I like most in diving is going to familiar dive sites & discovering new, the joy & the excitement of discovery brings me back to being a newly qualified open water diver. As an instructor I spend most of my time watching my students so they remain safe & don’t always get the chance to fully see a dive site. Twins is a good example of this, is a beautiful site & idea for training & is very popular & I took the chance to go for a fun dive to see what I could find. There on one of the rocks where I do my safety stop was an amazing scorpionfish, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpaenidae one of my favourite fishes, I was told it was always there but never find it before. It was a like a new discovery only metres from where I hang out doing a safety stops. Now every time I go I point it out to my students so I can share it with them.

Matt Metcalf

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All Going On At Chumphon

By djl_team, 17 April, 2012, No Comment

Headed down to the beach at 7am this morning to take my Open Water students out for their last day of the course, dives 3 and 4, not really knowing what to expect after 2 days of rain here on the island. Yesterday the viz wasn’t great and we had some strong currents around… today on the other hand it was sunny, the sea looked like glass and we were all keen to go see what Chumphon ad to offer us. We definitely weren’t disappointed!

As we were arriving at the dive site Mama and Papa (captain and his wife) started shouting something about whales. We all thought at first they meant whale shark but as we looked out towards the site we saw 2 huge Minke whales! As everyone scrambled with excitement to get their gear on and buddy checks done one swam right past the boat and disappeared into the blue, and the second swam away from the site just teasing us with an occasional surfacing dorsil fin. Unfortunately we didn’t see them under the water, but it was still pretty amazing and I’m sure it’s something I, and everyone else on the boat , will not forget anytime soon! According to some of the other divers on the sight their were also whale sharks there this morning, which we missed L, and one was also spotted at Hin Wong Pinnacle. Looking forward to seeing my next one!

Don Dornbrack

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To dive or not to dive, that is your question?

By Sarah, 15 April, 2012, No Comment

Many people walk into Davy Jones everyday asking themselves ‘Hey, should I try out this diving thing or not?’ Sometimes it has to do with being on a budget or being short on time, however sometimes (though you may not want to admit it) you might just be a little scared. It’s nothing to be ashamed of, but it shouldn’t stop you from getting into the water. Not only does Davy Jones have some of the most professional (and a wee bit crazy) instructors but diving is also a very rewarding and enjoyable experience.

Take one of my newly certified open water students for example. Kine from Norway came to Koh Tao with the idea of diving on her mind. She loved swimming, snorkeling and the ocean, but unfortunately had a near-drowning experience as a small child and since then has always been uncomfortable with having water around her face, mouth, and eyes. But with some encouragement she decided that she would give diving a shot. The pool session took some extra effort and she struggled with certain skills, in particular the mask clear and removing from the face. At first she didn’t think that it would be possible to do it and almost gave up. With a little help from her friend and some extra time in the pool with the instructor, by the afternoon she was not only clearing her mask but swimming around without it on!

The next day began with the first open water dive and there was excitement mixed with some nervousness as the class geared up and prepared to jump in. Kine was not so keen on the jumping part but again, with some encouragement she made it off the boat and into the water only to become (what I think) as the best student in the class. She was first down the line, great buoyancy, and was very good on her air consumption. Best of all, she loved it! Every dive after that was a walk in the park and today she finished her course and is now a certified open water diver.

Even better, she signed up and is starting her advance course. At the beginning she was asking me if she could stay above 10 meters, now she will be getting certified to dive to 30! So go and give it a try, you have nothing to lose. You never know, you may end up finding a new love in life!

Instructor Sarah, DMT Hannah & Open Water Students

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