Hi Guys,
A small note regarding something that happened today.
I want to send out my thoughts to those involved, I cannot at this time discuss details, but needless to say, I have my fingers crossed for a person who was taken ill on my dive. He has become a pure role model in these last few weeks, a true depiction of a good human being, doing more for this world than anyone that I have met before. Myself and Jen wish him a speedy recovery.
SD
Friday 27 February 2009
Wednesday 25 February 2009
Eco-Warriors
Here's a couple of pics from yesterday.
Starting from the left we have James, Justine Jenny & Si.
James & Justine are hopefully going to continue to help, while we gather more followers of the cause!!!
The second picture, shows the beginnings of a new artifical reef we are building... 2 days in and a puffer fish has already made a home.... ahhhhh..
The third picture is of our table and chairs... something for new students to play with..
Enjoy!
Saturday 21 February 2009
The Hill
The much anticipated hill to our Thai house.
Sadly video does not do it justice, but believe me, not many people make it up to our place!!
Think of the London-Brighton bike ride... the big hill (Ditchlin Beacon?) before you get to Brighton is nothing compared to this beast, which is only partially covered in concrete!!
Even a nutcase like me, with less sense that a lemming, has a healthy amount of fear.!
Sadly video does not do it justice, but believe me, not many people make it up to our place!!
Think of the London-Brighton bike ride... the big hill (Ditchlin Beacon?) before you get to Brighton is nothing compared to this beast, which is only partially covered in concrete!!
Even a nutcase like me, with less sense that a lemming, has a healthy amount of fear.!
Week 3 Round Up
Reef check course (3 days)
We learnt about tropical eco systems and how to monitor them. Coral reefs are the highest bioversity on earth after rainforests. Reefs are the oldest stuctures on the planet. They protect 20% of the worlds coast from wave action, provide a home to 33% of fish and a nursery to 25% of species. We watched 'Inconvienent truth' which is a presentation by Al Gore on the global warming and the effect its having on the Earth ..certainly makes you stop and think as to why major steps are not being taken
Project AWARE speciality course - Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education (1 Day)
We covered: Aquatic world functions as a single ecosystem / The importantce or any threast to both temperate and polar waters / Threats to coral reefs / The pertinent issues that place aquatic ecosystems in jeopardy (fishing, coastal zone and wetlands degradation and pollution, and lastly, went through possible solutions to many aquatic enviroments to help conservation.
Bio-rock
Afternoon dive with neighbouring dive companies to sink some huge slabs of concrete in order to create a new buoy line for boats to moor on for this new Biorock site.
The Biorock is a man made structure which consists of four massive steel domes. The site utilizes low voltage electrical energy to stimulate coral growth and is going to be an excellent training area for new open water divers taking the pressure off other dive sites in the area.
We learnt about tropical eco systems and how to monitor them. Coral reefs are the highest bioversity on earth after rainforests. Reefs are the oldest stuctures on the planet. They protect 20% of the worlds coast from wave action, provide a home to 33% of fish and a nursery to 25% of species. We watched 'Inconvienent truth' which is a presentation by Al Gore on the global warming and the effect its having on the Earth ..certainly makes you stop and think as to why major steps are not being taken
Project AWARE speciality course - Aquatic World Awareness, Responsibility and Education (1 Day)
We covered: Aquatic world functions as a single ecosystem / The importantce or any threast to both temperate and polar waters / Threats to coral reefs / The pertinent issues that place aquatic ecosystems in jeopardy (fishing, coastal zone and wetlands degradation and pollution, and lastly, went through possible solutions to many aquatic enviroments to help conservation.
Bio-rock
Afternoon dive with neighbouring dive companies to sink some huge slabs of concrete in order to create a new buoy line for boats to moor on for this new Biorock site.
The Biorock is a man made structure which consists of four massive steel domes. The site utilizes low voltage electrical energy to stimulate coral growth and is going to be an excellent training area for new open water divers taking the pressure off other dive sites in the area.
Tuesday 17 February 2009
Day Off.....
A day off.. phew...its been a hard few days.
Jen and I were assisting with teaching student to dive.
It was a tough course, with various difficulties but, we both made it through.
Also, on my day off, I have managed to get the laptop back in full working order!!
Thanks to Stef for the drivers I left at home...!! And expect some Skype calls guys!!
Jen and I were assisting with teaching student to dive.
It was a tough course, with various difficulties but, we both made it through.
Also, on my day off, I have managed to get the laptop back in full working order!!
Thanks to Stef for the drivers I left at home...!! And expect some Skype calls guys!!
Monday 16 February 2009
Rock Climbing
For James's birthday, we decided to go Rock Climbing..
It turns out he is a demon climber, and its a hell a lot of different than indoor climbing...! Handholds are a luxury... but the views are fantastic check out the photos..
Sunday 15 February 2009
Week 2 recap
Hi Guys,
Computer nearly there!!! Just waiting on a couple of drivers to be emailed to me, then we are back on track.
In the meantime, here is the Week 2 recap written by Jenny...
DAY 8 - DAY OFF
Day off for me but Si had to do his Emergency First Response course (First Aid) to do, luckily I've already got my First Aid Course through work. I spent the morning mailing home and updating the blog. Had a surprise visit from Simon at lunch, apparently Crystal needed photo's & my First Aid Card, so I jumped on the bike and returned to Mae Haad and decided to join the 2nd half of his course just to freshen up on my first aid which turned out to be good fun.
DAY 9 - EQUIPMENT LECTURE
08.30 Start, this was my first lecture I think since college ..a bit of a shock but I found it pretty interesting. We covered different types of valves (K, J and DIN), regulators, open/closed and semi closed systems, guages (Bourdon, Capillary) and tanks. We both passed with 80%.
!2.00 We got ready for 2 Eco Clean Up Dives. Basicallly collecting rubbish dumped out at sea. It was very sucessful. Si prize find was a fishing rod whilst I got numerous plastic bags, nets and a car speaker. We also saw our first blue spotted rays of our trip.
DAY 10 - RESCUE DIVER (3 day course)
Morning spent in class, watching video's & completing Knowledge Reviews from our Rescue Diver manual. After lunch went though dive kit assembly and then headed for the pool where we practiced skills (mask clearance, sharing air, cramp relief etc) and watched a couple of the DMT (Dive Master Trainee's) complete an emergency scenario with an unconsious diver. Then it was off to the beach to practice various rescue scenarios. Found this pretty tiring as at the end I had to drag Simon out of the sea with full scuba kit on ..not the easiest of things to do
DAY 11 - RESCUE DIVER
9 am start. Worked on our General Review questions in the bar and then stopped for lunch. Afternoon out on the boat where we practiced panicked diver, unresponsive diver & underwater unresponsive diver etc, planning Emergency Action Plans over and over again. We were given speed tests on how quickly we could kit up and get into the water ..love doing this ......just the rescuing I could do without ;-D After a very tiring day we all went to the bar to discuss the scenario's for tomorrow and as to who was going to do what a spotter, rescuer etc to work out an action plan.
DAY 12 - RESCUE DIVER
Met at 10.00 to take the written exam. We both passed! Now it's just the practical. After lunch we were out on the boat for a couple of dives. We all check out the boat to see where the first aid, oxygen, buoyancy aids etc were and then set up our kit and watched all crew members as today, everything was going to be thrown at us. Scenario after scenario ..at one point there were so many drowning, unconscious divers ..........very tiring & stressful but after an exhausting day we'd all passed.
DAY 13 - ORIENTATION - DIVE MASTER
9am start. Watched a video on DMT's ..showing the role and characteristics of a PADI Divemaster. After that we had to go through a pile of form filling.. 3 hours or so later and after we'd been given our work schedules and introduced to the office staff we headed to the bar for a well earned bottle of beer and met some other DMT's
DAY 14 - PHYSICS LECTURE & EXAM
All classrooms were full so we headed off to one of the resorts to sit in the restaurant. Physics was gong to be based on 25% basic facts, 25% Physics of DCS (Decompression Sickness) and 50% Maths ..ARGH!!
And to my horror algebra! It was an interesting time and a struggle for some ..I won't bore you with the details but we passed with 95%
Computer nearly there!!! Just waiting on a couple of drivers to be emailed to me, then we are back on track.
In the meantime, here is the Week 2 recap written by Jenny...
DAY 8 - DAY OFF
Day off for me but Si had to do his Emergency First Response course (First Aid) to do, luckily I've already got my First Aid Course through work. I spent the morning mailing home and updating the blog. Had a surprise visit from Simon at lunch, apparently Crystal needed photo's & my First Aid Card, so I jumped on the bike and returned to Mae Haad and decided to join the 2nd half of his course just to freshen up on my first aid which turned out to be good fun.
DAY 9 - EQUIPMENT LECTURE
08.30 Start, this was my first lecture I think since college ..a bit of a shock but I found it pretty interesting. We covered different types of valves (K, J and DIN), regulators, open/closed and semi closed systems, guages (Bourdon, Capillary) and tanks. We both passed with 80%.
!2.00 We got ready for 2 Eco Clean Up Dives. Basicallly collecting rubbish dumped out at sea. It was very sucessful. Si prize find was a fishing rod whilst I got numerous plastic bags, nets and a car speaker. We also saw our first blue spotted rays of our trip.
DAY 10 - RESCUE DIVER (3 day course)
Morning spent in class, watching video's & completing Knowledge Reviews from our Rescue Diver manual. After lunch went though dive kit assembly and then headed for the pool where we practiced skills (mask clearance, sharing air, cramp relief etc) and watched a couple of the DMT (Dive Master Trainee's) complete an emergency scenario with an unconsious diver. Then it was off to the beach to practice various rescue scenarios. Found this pretty tiring as at the end I had to drag Simon out of the sea with full scuba kit on ..not the easiest of things to do
DAY 11 - RESCUE DIVER
9 am start. Worked on our General Review questions in the bar and then stopped for lunch. Afternoon out on the boat where we practiced panicked diver, unresponsive diver & underwater unresponsive diver etc, planning Emergency Action Plans over and over again. We were given speed tests on how quickly we could kit up and get into the water ..love doing this ......just the rescuing I could do without ;-D After a very tiring day we all went to the bar to discuss the scenario's for tomorrow and as to who was going to do what a spotter, rescuer etc to work out an action plan.
DAY 12 - RESCUE DIVER
Met at 10.00 to take the written exam. We both passed! Now it's just the practical. After lunch we were out on the boat for a couple of dives. We all check out the boat to see where the first aid, oxygen, buoyancy aids etc were and then set up our kit and watched all crew members as today, everything was going to be thrown at us. Scenario after scenario ..at one point there were so many drowning, unconscious divers ..........very tiring & stressful but after an exhausting day we'd all passed.
DAY 13 - ORIENTATION - DIVE MASTER
9am start. Watched a video on DMT's ..showing the role and characteristics of a PADI Divemaster. After that we had to go through a pile of form filling.. 3 hours or so later and after we'd been given our work schedules and introduced to the office staff we headed to the bar for a well earned bottle of beer and met some other DMT's
DAY 14 - PHYSICS LECTURE & EXAM
All classrooms were full so we headed off to one of the resorts to sit in the restaurant. Physics was gong to be based on 25% basic facts, 25% Physics of DCS (Decompression Sickness) and 50% Maths ..ARGH!!
And to my horror algebra! It was an interesting time and a struggle for some ..I won't bore you with the details but we passed with 95%
Friday 13 February 2009
Computer Crash
Hi Guys,
Sadly, the computer has come to a complete halt, and is going to take a couple of days to sort (hopefully sooner) with all the work I'm currently doing... many apologies, and am trying to get email, skype, and the blog up and running asap!!
See you asap!
SD
Sadly, the computer has come to a complete halt, and is going to take a couple of days to sort (hopefully sooner) with all the work I'm currently doing... many apologies, and am trying to get email, skype, and the blog up and running asap!!
See you asap!
SD
Wednesday 11 February 2009
The Biorock
The new Biorock reef, a man made structure to enhance
coral reef growth needed mooring buoys installed.
This shows the hard work and effort put in to accomplish
this great project.
coral reef growth needed mooring buoys installed.
This shows the hard work and effort put in to accomplish
this great project.
Tuesday 10 February 2009
Commuting
This footage is a clip of our journey from "work" to "home"
Not showing you "The Hill" to our house... but you shall see it soon.!
Not showing you "The Hill" to our house... but you shall see it soon.!
Sunday 8 February 2009
3 Things NOT To Do - Number 1
1. Do not under any circumstances, leave your Student Record File in the middle of a pub...
Some horrible person is likely to do awful things to it....! ;-)
3 Things NOT To Do - Number 2
2. Here we have my hand after hours in the pool doing skills circuits (demonstrations)
3 Things NOT To Do - Number 3
3. Here we see fellow trainee David, after a drunken night, falling asleep on a beach.
Besides having his wallet nicked, he was also breakfast for half the mosquito population.
Saturday 7 February 2009
Thursday 5 February 2009
Divemaster Snorkle Test
This is the final Divemaster test (that we shall be subjected to in about 6 weeks).
First the trainee has to wear a modified snorkle and mask.
Next the snorkle is filled with a secret alcoholic concoction which from all accounts is pretty terrible. Then once all the liquid has been consumed, they spin around 10 times and dash into the sea and back. The first one back is the winner.!
After their passing out ceremony, we went to an Aussie bar, whereupon more beer was consumed and generally a good time had by all. I made it (just) to midnight before having to retire as we had a meeting booked to discuss our Divemaster Trainee course. This course lasts about 6 weeks before we eventually move on to Dive Instructor courses. More details regarding the course will follow over the coming weeks.
Anyway, back to Reef Check Diver homework before Physics lecture tomorrow morning!! AHHHHH!!!
SD
Rescue Diver Course Completed
Hi Guys!!
Well, the 3 day intensive Rescue Diver Course is complete and the good news is we both passed!!!
At the moment, I have no video to show, as most of the time we were rescuing panicked divers, and unconsicious divers. but during the divemaster course, we shall be acting as boat support, so I shall have plenty of opportunity to bring you the joys of a Rescue Diver course.!!
Above are a couple of photos, of one of the few relaxing times where we were doing some theoretical work..
SD
Tuesday 3 February 2009
3rd February - Day 2 Rescue Diver Course
Hi Guys,
Please forgive us, but the next update will not be until the 4th/5th as the course we are doing is soooooooooo intense... jumping in and out of boats in full scuba gear with tank... then carrying someone up a ladder and giving them CPR, before having to save another drowning victim.... is sapping all our energy.... not including the theory side!
Our final Rescue Diver day, including practice and theorectical exams begins tomorrow morning... so we are gonna cram our knowledge reviews.... until we see the back of our eyelids...
Much love to all and will Skype peeps, in 2/3 days...
Take care in that deep snow!!!
xxx
Jen & Si
Please forgive us, but the next update will not be until the 4th/5th as the course we are doing is soooooooooo intense... jumping in and out of boats in full scuba gear with tank... then carrying someone up a ladder and giving them CPR, before having to save another drowning victim.... is sapping all our energy.... not including the theory side!
Our final Rescue Diver day, including practice and theorectical exams begins tomorrow morning... so we are gonna cram our knowledge reviews.... until we see the back of our eyelids...
Much love to all and will Skype peeps, in 2/3 days...
Take care in that deep snow!!!
xxx
Jen & Si
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