Divingscool - Quality PADI scuba courses and diving on Koh Chang, Thailand

Changing hosts !

2010-08-14T12:01:00.001+07:00

Thank you all for visiting and reading our blog !

We recently moved our blog to our own website, which means that there will be no more new posts being published here.

In order to stay up to date with what is happing with DivingScool Koh Chang or anything else involved diving, we refer you to our new blog at divingscool.com/blog

Thanks for your support and interest!

Hope to welcome you soon on our new blog!

Ps. we also have a new Facebook page, check it out!

Wonderful introduction to the underwater world

2010-08-02T21:38:00.003+07:00

Yesterday we took the boat to the National Marine Park, where we entered the water with a bunch of enthusiastic teenagers for their first open water scuba diving adventure. They were escorted by their parents who all went snorkelling on the same sites. This way, they too could enjoy the splendour of the Koh Chang reefs and could see their kids underwater adventurer. Conditions were great; the sun was out most of the time and the visibility was above average for this time of the year.

: Scuba diving equipment at Koh Rang, National Marine Park

The day before the kids all enrolled in our Discover Scuba Diving program here at DivingScool. After a fun and detailed briefing we went to the swimming pool where everyone was geared up and headed into the water. The goal here is to get everyone familiar with the scuba equipment and above all to make sure that everyone is comfortable while breathing underwater and that basic skills like mask clearing and regulator recovery are mastered.

: Discover Scuba Diving, pool session with DivingScool Koh Chang

The pool proofed to be an excellent preparation for our youngsters as no one had issues during their two very first open water dives. All of them thoroughly enjoyed it and some of them will soon take their underwater adventure to the next level by obtaining the PADI Open Water Diver license.

Fish tanks for the Gulf

2010-07-25T11:21:00.002+07:00

Artificial reefs made from old tanks to support the Gulfs marine life.

Under an initiative by Her Majesty the Queen, the Royal Thai Army handed over 25 old tanks to the Department of Fisheries. This was reported by the Bangkok Post yesterday.

The old T69-2 tanks will serve their final time underwater, where this battalion will form an artificial reef and provide a breeding ground for marine life in the Gulf of Thailand.

Picture from The Bangkok Post

Some of the retired tanks were transported yesterday from a military camp in Nakhon Ratchasima to Klong Toey Port in Bangkok. The rest will follow this weekend and Monday.

From here, they will all be shipped and placed in to a military compound in Narathiwat before being dumped into the Gulf of Thailand of Narathiwat and Pattani.

The sunken tanks should help sustain the local fisheries in the region and also these new artificial reefs will become an excellent opportunity for divers to explore them and to do some brilliant wreck diving.

Hopefully there are more old tanks left, so one day - lets hope in the near future - we can see some of them in the waters around the beautiful Koh Chang Archipelago.

And who knows, we too could be diving in a similar underwater landscape in the near future.

Original picture from The Nation

Happy Bubbles!

Playing the waiting game

2010-07-24T22:23:00.000+07:00

The last couple of days we've seen the worst weather on Koh Chang we've had in a very long time. This was caused by tropical storm CHANTHU in the South China Sea. All this resulted in a massive amount of rainfall and a very choppy sea.

Luckily, Rick, a Canandian Teacher who signed up for his PADI Open Water Course has got time on his hand and so we can play the waiting game! So far we've finished the Knowledge Development and the Confined Water dives which leaves us with the four open water dives after the weekend.

The forecast is looking better for the next couple of days and hopefully we can get some nice dives at the Koh Rang National Marine Park. Despite the bad weather a couple of snorkelers said visibility is still around 10-15m and there is plenty of marine life to be seen!

Just before we got hit by the bad weather, Dmitry,currently living in Bangkok, succeeded in his PADI Advanced Open Water Course. After we've completed the complementary deep- and navigation dive, Dmitry chose for the Search and Recovery dive, followed by Digital Underwater Photography and an Enriched Air dive. During one of the dives we encountered a small octopus which was hiding in a shell and started playing hide and seek with us. We tried holding an Dutch and a Spanish football shirt in front of this lovely creature, but it couldn't be bothered.

Octopus in shell - Photo by RAD

Almost halve way through the rainy season, I can only wish that the other half will be the same as the first part, giving us plenty of good dives and wonderful encounters. As for now...

Happy Bubbles!

Excellent green season diving conditions at Koh Chang

2010-07-14T15:04:00.001+07:00

The last couple of weeks we have been blessed with rather excellent weather here at Koh Chang. This results in great diving conditions at all dive sites.
DivingScool's divers visited the National Marine Park several times last week and they all came back with huge smiles on their faces! Good visibility, plenty of fish, the return of color on the corals and some remarkable sightings from baby sharks to huge Queen helmet shells makes the diving more than worth wile this time of the year.

Queen helmet shell...Pic from Zubi

Some sad news has to be mentioned as well, last week several carcasses of dolphins have been found on the beaches of Klong Prao. Fishermen who, presumably, had caught it had cut the meat off, leaving the head, tail and guts. Local fishermen have filed complaints against Vietnamese ships fishing in their local waters, whether their presence and the death of the dolphins is related has yet to be determined, but I've never heard of Thais killing dolphins for food. Hopefully it stays to nine unfortunate dolphins that have been counted so far and that everyone can enjoy their presence around Koh Chang and its neighbouring islands.

One of the dolphins found on Klong Prao Beach...Pic from Ian

To round up I would like to mention that DivingScool Koh Chang is participating in the Annual Underwater Clean Up together with Project AWARE which will be on the 25th September 2010. More information about this event will follow soon. Please check out some of our current excellent promotions!

As for now...

Happy Bubbles

The White Gardens of Koh Rang

2010-06-12T16:08:00.001+07:00

We went diving yesterday at Koh Rang National Marine Park to see what everyone has been talking about for the last couple of weeks namely the bleaching of the corals.

Now, coral bleaching isn't new to Thailand or its neighbours, however, this year the gravity of the bleaching and the sheer pace and volume in which the corals are changing colour is quite severe.
Bleaching has got many causes, but the main one here seems to be the rise in sea water temperature and this over a prolonged period of time. Since the end of March the temperature hasn't been below 31c with peaks of 34c at times.

The change in temperature acts as a stressor on the algaes which lives on the corals and which actually give the colour to the coral skeleton. This stress leads to a stimulated discharge of the colourful algaes and eventually to their death, turning the fragile corals in to a snow-white structure.

During our dives we noticed significant bleaching of the entire reef and some parts are even completely colourless, giving us the feeling that we were diving in a huge snowy white garden. The pictures below, taking by Oliver Zarnack, show some of the corals on Koh Rang.
It is a very special feeling of diving in such conditions and in one way, everyone should go down there and see what we are doing to our beautiful planet and on the other hand it gives us an opportunity of monitoring closely their hopefully quick recovery.

But overall it hurts to see our reefs like this and we should all be very concerned about what causes this massive bleaching and how we can prevent this in the near future!

As for now we can only hope on some rain to cool things down, so that the corals can start recovering as soon as possible.

Happy Bubbles!

Speciality of the Month June : Peak Performance Buoyancy

2010-06-03T10:21:00.002+07:00

Diving isn’t a strenuous activity if you’re doing it right, experienced divers will tell you that the key to this is neutral buoyancy. Your dives will become easier as you gain better control over your buoyancy.

You will feel more confident in the water and you will contribute to protect our valuable coral reefs as perfect buoyancy keeps you from crashing into and damaging this fragile marine life. During the PADI Peak Performance Buoyancy Specialty course you will learn how to wear the right amount of weight and how to find that perfect diving position.

One of the most important tools for mastering your buoyancy is your breathing. With slight changes in inhaling and exhaling you can adjust your buoyancy. Getting the hang of perfect buoyancy will improve your air consumption and gives you more energy and confidence.

Now that you’ve improved your air consumption and your underwater positioning you want to get the maximum out of your dives by extending your bottom times. The PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty allows you in a safe way to stay longer at your favourites dive sites. Contact us to find out when courses start and to receive your 1000 THB discount by mentioning this blog.

Songkran Festival 2010

2010-04-16T16:15:00.000+07:00

The last three days Koh Chang was the scene of one big water festival. Starting on the 13th of April the Thais celebrate their New Year.

The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby.

This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends and neighbors.

On the 22nd of this month we at DivingScool are all diving for Dive for Earth Day! On this day we will do a coral conservation program as well as a Project AWARE program with some kids. We still have some spaces left on the boat so those of you who want to join us, contact us via mail.

Official DAN Asia-Pacific Supporter

2010-03-22T12:13:00.001+07:00

A couple of days ago our diving center "DivingScool" became an official DAN Asia-Pacific Supporter. Being a DAN member offers you a wide range of benefits. This goes from the best diver insurance money can buy to all kind of advantages that you get if you go diving with DAN affiliated diving schools. We will launch our BONUS+ program in a couple of days, this means that if you're a DAN member you will receive free nitrox fills for your fundiving( you do need to be EANx certified) or when you want to obtain your Enriched Air certification you can do this at cost price!

Diving has offered us some new encounters here on Koh Chang and I'm sure that more will follow.
On one of the local sites, Hin Luk Bat, we recently found a school of Bigmouth Mackerels going round the reef. More towards the south,in the National Marine Park, a blue ringed octopus has been spotted (nice work Tia) !! And last but not least a whaleshark was seen yesterday on Hin Rap, a mere 5 minutes away from our departe point in Bang Bao. Hopefully it sticks around for a couple more days, so we can all enjoy an encounter with this gracious animal.

Happy Bubbles

PADI Member Forum 2010 on Koh Chang

2010-03-09T10:15:00.006+07:00

Last night the annual PADI Member Forum was held in the Amari Hotel here on Koh Chang. It was Thailand's regional manager Hans Ullrich who made a presentation about the changes in PADI Standards and some new products being launched pretty soon.

Quite a bit of the presentation notes were about eLearning and the new courses that will be online pretty soon.
Another interesting development is the (optinonal)use of a dive computer during the PADI Open Water Course and the Enriched Air Diver Course. Definitely a must for everyone who learns diving these days!!!

Last but not least, DivingScool is being mentioned in the PADI member forum for the excellent use of the marketing toolkit. Thanks for the reference and we assure you that this is only the beginning of more and better to come.

As for now.. Happy Bubbles!!!

Be cautious when you go swimming!

2010-03-08T12:52:00.003+07:00

A couple of days ago a 9 year old girl has been stung by a Box Jelly fish on Koh Mak, situated in the Gulf of Thailand. Two years ago a young Australian boy was stung there also and barely survived.

Fortunately, thanks to the quick thinking and acting of a bystander, the girl is alive.

The parents reacted in a Swedish newspaper;

But she is skeptical that the hotels did not warn tourists of the dangerous jellyfish, although several people have died in the past. "No signs, no information. The day after that Ida was burnt I was told that people were down there the water at the same place and swam again. This should not be allowed to go on."

You will find the article in Swedish here as well as the pictures.

Tonight we have a PADI member forum were we can discuss this topic and see which measures we can take in prevention, first aid and especially informing tourist about possible jelly fish stings.

We advise everyone to be aware and take simple pre cautions like wearing stinger suits and have vinegar available but there's no immediate reason to worry too much about box jellyfish!

Feeling hot hot hot !

2010-03-03T12:23:00.004+07:00

The last couple of days the temperature has gone trough the roof. It's not possible to set a step or two without being soaked in sweat.
Only one solution then...head into the water!
But even here it is hard to get any refreshment...the water is 30ºc! Which means, no more wetsuits, just diving in shorts and a rash-guard. Gosh, I love this feeling.
The diving conditions (visibility) haven't been ideal but there have been some interesting encounters. During one of our dives at the local sites around Koh Chang we've found a nice white mantis shrimp playing hide and seek with us for a while. Most of the time they have bright colors but this one certainly stood out. Some more lovely creatures were found so we can offer some great muck diving in low-viz situations as well.
Another month means a another Specialty of the Month, only this time we offer a different one then the one on the PADI calendar, simple reason being that there is no drift diving around Koh Chang.
Instead we will bring back the PADI Enriched Air Diver Specialty as special. Guaranteed more fun!
For now as always...Happy Bubbles!

Coral Conservation with Harrow International School (part 2)

2010-02-20T18:47:00.007+07:00

A couple of days ago we had the guys and girls from Harrow International School here on the island. One of their scheduled activities was a day out on the sea, to explore the beauty of the Koh Chang reefs while snorkelling and for some even diving. Well done to the guys on girls who did their very first dives and thereby completed the PADI Discover Scuba Diver.
A very big thank you to all the students for their participation in a coral conservation project at Koh Wai.
Here we transplanted over 200 coral fragments (mostly staghorn) to a framework which was build by the students the previous day. Once the coral fragments were in place, the frames were then transported to a shallow sandy bottom along the shore of the island where they can grow in a protected environment.
DivingScool is planning more coral conservation programs over the next couple of months and we will certainly keep you posted on our initiatives.
For now, as allways...Happy Bubbles!

Coral Conservation with Harrow International School (part 1)

2010-02-13T16:46:00.002+07:00

Today we started with the preparations for our annual Coral Conservation program in cooperation with Harrow International School from Bangkok. On the 16th and the 17th the students from year 13 will participate in a project to restore coral and some of them will get an introduction to scuba diving by enrolling in the Discover Scuba Diving Program. The first day they will assemble a framework made out of pvc piping. The frame will represent the initials of the school followed by the year. In the slideshow you can find the basic tools and materials needed in order to build a simple frame that can do so much in restoring valuable coral.
The second day we head over to Koh Wai, where the corals are transplanted into the frame by the students before being put onto the sea bottom where they can start growing. More about the actual process of the coral transplantation will follow part 2.

A new month means a new...Specialty

2010-02-02T22:13:00.005+07:00

This month the PADI Boat Diver is the one in the spotlight!!!
Here on Koh Chang all the diving happens from boats...so this is the ideal opportunity to benefit from our promotion to get your next specialty.
Boat diving has got something magical and with our two purpose built boats, you will enjoy the diving here to the fullest.
The diving conditions are still great and we are coming nearer to the long awaited whale shark season. So fingers crossed and let's hope that we have several encounters with these gentle giants over the next couple of weeks.

The end is near

2010-01-29T22:10:00.000+07:00

Tomorrow will be the last day of Daniel as a DMT here at DivingScool Koh Chang. The last three months we have been training him to become a PADI Dive master and he has successfully passed all requirements, so this means we are having a small party tomorrow ;-) Well done Daniel!!!
Today i went diving with him on the local sites and we had some fun exploring the outer parts of reefs...here we found some interesting marine life ( a to me new species of helmet shell) and we were greeted by a feeding turtle that didn't seem to be bothered by our presence.
To end his adventure here, we have a couple of trips planned for tomorrow, which will put 4 more dives in his logbook and the PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty.
We wish Daniel all the best in his future diving career and hope to see him back soon on the island.

As far as the eye can see

2010-01-26T22:37:00.000+07:00

Still excellent diving conditions here on Koh Chang, with incredible visibility and some nice encounters. Today on our way out to the dive sites we were accompanied by a pod of dolphins. It's always a pleasure to see these magnificent creatures out in the wild.
The most special encounter today was with a bamboo shark that was trying to hide under a rock. Normally they become active during the night, but obviously this one got his alarm set early. It had a decent 1m length and seemed in perfect condition. Definitely hoping for more of these little encounters in the future.
The weather stays the same for the next couple of days, which means we should have some more amazing dives and hopefully a brilliant night dive on the 30th (Full moon)!!!
Next month DivingScool is participating in a Coral Conservation Program at Koh Wai. More details will follow. As for now...happy Bubbles

Excellent diving conditions

2010-01-23T22:48:00.000+07:00

Today we went out for two dives on the local sites here on Koh Chang. I really like them as they are close to perfection when it comes to entry level dive sites. After the cold from the last couple of days, I wasn't very keen on going in. But this all changed as soon as we tied the boat up on the buoy. The water was crystal clear and there was no sign of current what so ever. The last divers from the other boats were leaving the water, so this meant that we had the dive sites all to ourselves...After the briefing, we hit the water and had a brilliant dive around Hin Rap. There was lots of fish around and we had some encounters with a couple of triggerfish as well.
Now, these little buggers are always in for a bit of fun, but you should be aware of their sharp teeth and you should avoid direct confrontation with them. Try swimming around them instead of crossing their territory, when you spot one.
No diving tomorrow, although I can't wait to get back into the water knowing that we have excellent diving for the moment.
Well it will have to wait until Monday, hopefully that long expected whale shark will skip a day as well ;-))

Happy Bubbles

Cold but very rewarding

2010-01-20T22:47:00.000+07:00

The last couple of days we've seen a change in the weather here on Koh Chang. The wind has strengthened and that resulted in lower temperatures. After the unusual warm last couple of weeks, this comes as a nice change, but...it's freezing in the pool!!! The confined water sessions for the Open Water Diver students now have coffee or tea breaks to warm up ;-)
Luckily the temperature of the sea water on the local sites ( Hin Rap, Hin Luk Bat) and the National Marine Park is still (above) normal. This means no breaks from diving and more time to explore the beauty of our colorful reefs and the diverse variety of fish which they have to offer.
We can not forget to mention that we've had great fun with Dave, Julie, Matt, Daniel, Danny, George and Chris who all obtained their PADI Open Water Diver certification. Well done guys and girl!!!
Daniel our Dive Master Trainee is getting into his last ten days of his stay with us :-( which means that his course is coming to an end and that we will soon have a new Dive Master to celebrate :-) But before the famous snorkel test, we have to finish his Skill Circuit and his PADI Digital Underwater Photography Specialty. This last one isn't a prerequisite to get certified as a PADI Divemaster, but Daniel has taken several Specialties in order to be a more diverse Divemaster with a broader knowledge of the dive industry and its techniques...
We are almost at the end of the month, but just to remember all of you, our Specialty of the Month at DivingScool is the Enriched Air Diver and is being offered at a very competitive price!! Have a look at our site for the other promotions as well.
As always...happy bubbles

Fluorescent corals on the local Koh Chang sites

2010-01-13T22:34:00.000+07:00

Today we headed out in the afternoon with our two Dive Master candidates and Raoul, a nice Dutch bloke who just wanted to get some diving done.
Schedule was to make two day dives and a night dive. During the first dive Daniel finished his PADI Underwater Navigator Specialty, well done for that. This means no excuses anymore for not finding the way back to the boat;-)
Raoul had a nice relaxed dive on Hin Rap which is one of the local sites here at Koh Chang. Visibility wasn't too bad and we did see some interesting stuff down there. One of the following days, I will give you some more details about the local dive sites together with some pics.
On the second location, we send our Dive Master Trainees out to make a map of the site, but due to bad visibility they will have to come back to this site and redo their drawing. Instead we had them redo their rescue skills and some CPR.
As most of the time we safe best things for last!!
We did a night dive and we brought some special kit with us to look for fluorescent corals. Scientists have found that corals with fluorescent properties can handle the effects of coral bleaching caused by warmer waters better than other corals. This gives fluorescent corals an edge in protecting the symbiotic algae they host.
Despite the bad visibility we did find fluorescent corals down there. It is an amazing site and more exploratory dives will follow!!! I love night diving, but this takes it to a whole new level.....

Well done Melanie and Scott

2010-01-10T23:06:00.000+07:00

Yesterday Melanie and Scott successfully finished their PADI Open Water Course. Despite the bad visibility from the last couple of days they enjoyed their course and both are very eager to get back into the water soon. Good news for them and all of you, things are clearing up ;-)
A good couple of days and things should be back to normal, meaning average viz of about 10-15m on most sites.
The restricted visibility is a blessing for Daniel, our Dive Master Trainee, who is doing his PADI Underwater Navigation Specialty. Well done to him as well as training conditions can't become any better then this. Tomorrow he has his last dive for this specialty and we will start with the next one being the PADI Search and Recovery diver. So if you've lost something recently and you want to have it back, contact Daniel and we will give it a shot!
Below some images from local marine life taken by Paul Rowe on one of his trips here. For more images have a look hereand as always...Happy Bubbles!

It's all about skills

2010-01-09T20:51:00.000+07:00

Yesterday we refreshed the CPR and first aid skills from our Dive master trainees, John and Daniel. Both had a lot of fun redoing their
EFR course and found out that you actually have to practice these things on a regular base on order to provide the best help possible when needed.
After an evening full of laughter, bandaids and wrapped up arms and ankles we took of to the pool this morning to do the skill circuit.
As a Dive Master you have to master and be able to demonstrate the 20 basic skills. Hard effort was put in by our two canditates, who realised that the only way to success is practise, practise and even more practise.
Well done to both of you, you're on the right track! Tomorrow we start with Daniels Underwater Navigator Specialty, which will be his second speciatity that he receives after he successfully got the Enriched Air Specialty earlier last year.
Details will follow on how Daniel (hopefully) found his way home and an update about the visibility and general diving conditions.

Happy New Year !!!

2010-01-08T15:43:00.001+07:00

Our Team wishes you and your family a wonderful 2010 with lots of luck, love and excellent diving!

A new year means new intentions, and this year is no different than any others, so ours is to keep you informed about the diving and all what's related to it on Koh Chang. We've made small changes in our daytrips to give you that extra bit of comfort and flexibility.

Our new website http://www.divingscool.com/ is online since a few days and we would love to hear your reactions on this.

Below you will find a small gallery with some pictures from our main office in Bang Bao. It is finally starting to look like we want it ;-)

Last but not least we will bring you regular updates from how are divemaster candidates are doing. They are in their final weeks, so things starting to get pretty serious now ;-)

Bye for now and as always...Happy Bubbles!!!