The Underworld of Koh Tao...

Koh Tao exceeded all expectations and gave me one of the best experiences of my whole life. Diving! But in addition than that, it became our home for 6 whole nights – a fantastic dive resort on a stunning beach, with a chilled out vibe, great people. incredible sunsets, delicious Thai curries and a lot of affectionate dogs.

The Padi Open Divers course was something I had been considering, but due to time, money and competency worries, I was at first reluctant. Sup, however, made me see sense and encouraged me to go for it as he knew that I would love it. And that is one of the million reasons I love my man!

Even the thought of going 'back to school' for 3 days was exciting to me and it felt good to be in front of a text book learning something new. The resort we chose for my course was beautiful, aptly named Coral Grand, and situated on a gorgeous stretch of white sand with turquoise waters that were perfect for swimming in even long after dark. I had the first night off to relax before getting started, so we explored the small town and soaked up the last rays of the setting sun. The sunsets on the beach were absolutely spectacular in Koh Tao and Sup was in his element.

The next day I was off to work and Sup finally got some well deserved peace and quiet, and time to relax

in the sunshine with his favourite treat of the moment - a stick of juicy pineapple from the friendly Burmese beach vendor. He later enjoyed a slightly less healthy snack in the form of a delicious Nutella pancake from the fastest pancake maker in the whole of South East Asia!

After a couple of hours watching videos about diving and answering quiz questions I was free to go so I tracked Sup down at the beach and we headed out for dinner. As my nerves was starting to get the better of me, my appetite dropped considerably – luckily Sup was on hand to ensure that nothing was wasted and he gladly tucked into his second curry of the night. Later on I did some heavy duty swatting in order to have a head start on the practical exercises the next day in the swimming pool.

I met with my group early in the morning - two German lads Markus and Sharon, Helen from Switzerland, who was to be my buddy for the duration of the course, and our German-Canadian instructor Dave. Although I was a little overwhelmed at first by the scuba equipment, I was surprised by how quickly it all seemed to make sense, and as Sup watched from a sun lounger by the pool, step by step I learned how to use the equipment properly, how to survive underwater in emergencies, and how to assist my buddy. As you can see, I felt very comfortable in my lovely wetsuit, although the flippers and incredibly heavy scuba tank took a bit more getting used to. After one minor incident in the pool when I pretty much drowned, died and was resurrected, I refined my technique and was raring to go.

With just a couple more theory sessions under my belt, I soon found myself on a dive boat sailing out on the open water ready for dive 1 and 2 of the program, with more than a few tingling nerves. Sup came along to master his snorkelling technique, and it was great to have my partner in crime there with me to share my first open water experience. And what an experience it was!!

I zipped up my wetsuit, attached my weight belt round my hips and eased on my buoyancy control device (BCD) with the scuba tank securely fastened to the back. With the respirator in my mouth and my mask over my eyes I took a giant stride off the boat and landed with an almighty splash, inflating my BCD right away so that I could float safely in the choppy water. As a group we then swam over to the buoy line and prepared for our descent, although nothing really could have prepared me for the incredible experience of sinking down into the ocean to discover the magic of the underwater world. It was truly spectacular.

Our 1st and 3rd dives were fun dives, with the 2nd and 4th dives being designed to test our skills and ensure that we were eligible for certification. Over a 2 day period I became more confident in the water and by the 4th dive, when we were clowning around underwater and being filmed for the DVD, I felt less like Tinkerbell of Hollywood Boulevard and more like The Little Mermaid!

When I received my Open Water Certification after passing the final exam, I immediately booked to do 2 fun dives the next day, along with renting an underwater camera so that I could capture the brilliant fish of the Gulf of Thailand. Taking photos while diving made the whole experience even more incredible, and while I ran out of air a little early on the first dive from getting overexcited chasing fish, I was smarter the second time round and conserved my energy to ensure a longer stay in the depths of the sea.

The Bannerfish were my personal favourite, along with the brilliantly coloured Butterflyfish. For one scary moment we came across a grumpy Triggerfish, which is a little bit daunting as these can actually cause fatalities if you catch them on a really bad day. I was brave for about a second in order to snap one photo, but then moved on swiftly before he decided to object to my presence. The Pink Anemone fish were adorable, bobbing in and out of their home to check us out, and I was ecstatic to see a family of Clownfish on a previous dive, better known as 'Nemo', circling their coral real estate, although I was unfortunately without a camera at that time.

Bannerfish...

Butterfly fish...

Trigger Fish...

Pink Anemone...

Being circled by gigantic schools of Barracudas and Trevellys was fantastic, and spotting Sup's favourite fish from Fiji, the Sergeant Major, was great, along with the colourful Parrotfish, the deadly Lionfish (from far away!) and lazy Groupers lying on the rocks on the ocean floor. The landscape of the sea bed was magnificent and sitting on the sand 18metres underwater watching the bubbles rise above resembling the inside of a lava lamp was a breathtaking experience.

Back on dry land the next day and reunited with Sup, we decided to explore the rest of the island, once again by trusty moped. Only this time, the journey was pretty close to a nightmare! Our starting point became a vertical pothole ridden one way route to danger, and we swiftly turned around before an inevitable accident happened. The route back down to safety required extreme care to the point that Sup had to get off and make his own way down while I straddled the moped and walked it down the steep incline, cursing dry land the whole way down and praising the virtues of the sea.

Not to be deterred, we continued our journey in another direction and were rewarded with some beautiful views and a rather impressive skeleton of a whale shark on display after being found stranded on the beach some years ago.

On our final night, we relaxed on the beach together and enjoyed the flaming displays of the fire poi performers as we reflected on the beauty of Koh Tao. Completing the Padi divers course was a real achievement for me and an experience of a lifetime on a paradise island. Watching the DVD of our diving antics with my underwater buddies also provided excellent entertainment! With both

our climbing and diving courses completed, and our confidence soaring, we were ready for new challenges – but first, the ultimate celebration of our successes in our final island destination, and just at the perfect time of the lunar cycle...!

The Underworld of Koh Tao...

Ko Tao, Thailand