Scuba Diving

The main reason why I decided to spend winters in Thailand is simply because of our grotty winter weather in England. The sea is too rough, the winds are too strong; the temperature is crap...and you chaps do not have much fun out there....and nor do I....when such conditions are to be endured!

And, I love to go scuba diving. One of the things on offer here if you come to stay is free scuba diving. I know quite a few of you have tried in the past and for whatever reason, it hasn't worked for you. Some of you 'have always wanted to have a go' but time tends to slip by and the opportunty hasn't be there for you. And so, here you get the chance...and I am your illustrious teacher and guide...and we have a nice little house pool to learn the first skills in.

There's no time pressure so you can take all the time you like in the pool to learn and practice the skills required at your own pace. We have the PADI books and Videos in the house for you to read and watch...you can go into it as deeply as you like. ..and I take you gently through the PADI Open Water course. If you get hooked, which I hope you do, you could go on to do the full PADI course at one of the nearby Dive Centres and gain your Open Water Certification which means you can then scuba dive anywhere in the world with PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors).


Several years ago, Jeff (Bristol Fairy) had a go and enjoyed it so much he progressed to take his PADI OW (Open Water) Certificate. Today we are just preparing to go to our favourite shore dive site. We've spent a bit of time in the pool refreshing our skills, checked all the gear; had the tanks checked and filled with air...and laid out the stuff to make sure we have everything we need.

There's quite a bit of kit needed and this is NOTHING compared to what is required in UK. You will see a couple of scuba tanks, BCD's (Buoyancy Control Devices...in other words, the jackets we wear), fins, masks, suits, regulators, cameras, compasses....it has to be carefully checked and prepared. Unlike angling, you cannot afford to make mistakes....you MUST get it right...so the training and having the correct, properly maintained kit is essential.

All this stuff is available when you come to stay...buggar, I've spent a fortune on it....so it's a real bonus if you'd like to have a go.

Yo Ho, we are just waiting for the girls to come back with the cars and then we are off!!!