After all the planning, warming up, translating gps coordinates and scanning the sea bed with not only sonar but also several technical divers we were left with nothing.

A few weeks ago a wooden night boat ferry sank in rough seas just 5km from Koh Tao. However, the night boat did not go down where the crew were rescued so it’s impossible to determine exactly where it is now. Today a large team went out and dove the various areas that reflected on the sonar.

In cooperating with the Save Koh Tao committee and divers from schools throughout koh tao we scoured every inch of the area with out a slight hint of wreck or even a fish.

The day wasn’t an entire loss. Our technical diving interns got more time in the gear, previous students were given free technical dives and divers were shown the process of shotting a wreck and searching.

We’ll be returning to this area with future divers after more research is done into the tidal movement on the day the wreck went down.

Waking up at 6 proved a bit much for the entire group leaving many still in bed past wake up. A few knocks on the door followed by the smell of coffee roused the troops to the dinning area for breakfast. We planned to be on the Peir to depart at 8 am thus beating the horrendous heat that would inevitably descend on us all. Each diver was given 2 torches, 2 reels and a regulator for their spare air. Arriving at the peir we had the local staff to most of the heavy lifting allowing us to board one of the two longtails. We arranged two boats, one for gear and one for divers which proved the best way to handle all the activities. Especially since we had 4 twin sets on there alone. The morning would be spent parked at “Temple Cave” which is so named because it was a worship place for many Buddhists  where they would place relics before the park was flooded by the dam. Each student would take turns making primary tie-offs, secondary tie-offs and placements throughout the cave while remaining in the cavern zone. After 2 dives we surfaced to find some menacing clouds above and dashed for the peir, however our driver told us there are rumours of a unfounded cave along the way. We did find a cave entrance however it was below recreational depth limits and below what would be considered safe in this environment, definitely promising for us technical divers though, this was found by a member of the technical team. As we returned to the resort, the compressor was fired up to fill the many cylinders while the students received more dry line work teachings but this time with blacked out masks and touch contact drills. Another diver would join us this evening from Khao Lak – Sonia Scott from last months course who can’t seem to get enough of khao sok. So we’re off to the live band bar to meet her have dinner and get to sleep early as tomorrow is another day of diving and just as early as it was today.

Last night the Underwater World Festival on Koh Tao climaxed with a rendition of Greese Lightning and Summer Nights performed by the staff and customers of Big Blue. With many weeks of practice, costume and decoration design it all came to a head on the bright stage in front of hundreds of people. Special thanks to Ace Marine Images for filming the event, hopefully we’ll have some videos later.

It was also wrapped up with the annual Mr. and Mrs. Koh Tao competition where representatives from all schools came together to compete for the coveted prize and pub bragging rights.

After these performances and games were finished it was time for competition drinking and dancing. The bouncy castle that was reserved for children was opened up to adults at midnight causing an overwhelming smell of sweat and whatever they had for dinner before climbing inside.

As the night progressed the stage was host to different music acts from all over thailand from a full peice ska band to a solo Spanish guitar.

Everyone this morning were looking a bit worse for wear showing the definate signs of a bit too much which adds up to a sign of a great night!

Recently the weather has changed, causing a mas exodus from the island on to dve boats to quickly get down before the next storm comes along.

With this perfect window of opportunity 2 of the technical team James and Oskar took advantage with some accelerated decompression diving at Chumphon Pinnacle.

The goal of this dive was to get down to around 50m and look for dropped treasure from uncoordinated recreational divers. Unfortunately all we found was a bout 20 weights and weight belts and a diving mask from “NANS”. This was not all that unique as people always find “NANS” masks. However it was good to get out and do some proper diving for change.

The largest-ever post-war salvage operation on the Thames has discovered seven shipwrecks up to 350 years old.

They include a warship that was blown up in 1665, a yacht converted to a Second World War gunboat, and a mystery wreck in which divers found a personalized gin bottle.

The vessels, in the Thames Estuary, are just some of about 1,100 ships which went down in the whole of the river.

Oldest find: HMS London, which sank in 1665, at the bottom of the Thames Estuary

The salvage by Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority, which regulates the river, was both historical and practical.

Jagged metal from the wrecks which stick out of the mud, silt, and gravel act as a ‘can-opener’ that can split apart vessels, especially large container ships which can skim within half a metre of the riverbed.

The operation was filmed for the BBC and took four months, using a dozen divers who used 3D survey equipment to locate the wrecks in near-zero visibility.

HMS Aisha: Originally purchased as a pleasure cruiser, it was crewed by civilians during the Second World War as part of the ‘Dad’s Navy’ Home Guard

Frank Pope, the marine archaeologist who led the research, said: ‘This is the first time it’s been done on this scale on the Thames, clearing to such depths - down to 16 metres - to get at ships this big.’ The ships explored by diving teams were:

• HMS London, the oldest wreck, found near Southend. It was collected by Charles II from Sweden during the Restoration. The 90-cannon warship was blown up accidentally in peacetime in 1665, just a year after its launch, killing 300  -  but 24 people, including one woman, survived after being blown clear. Samuel Pepys wrote about the ship in his diary.
• An unnamed Tudor Thames brick barge found close to HMS London. Hundreds of yellow Kent bricks were found aboard.
• The Dovenby, a 70-metre, three-masted steel cargo ship carrying guano for fertiliser from Peru to Antwerp. It sank in 1914 after crashing into steamship Sindoro in fog, north of the Isle of Sheppey. The helmsman was killed.
• HMS Aisha, a yacht requisitioned to become part of “Dad’s Navy” in the Second World War. It hit a mine north of the Isle of Sheppey in October 1940.
• A pottery carrier - one of seven that sank in the 19th century between the Dovenby and brick barge. Known as a Bawley boat, it was also used for shrimping.
• A mystery wreck labelled ‘5051′, just south of Canvey Island. It went down in about 1862. A gin jug found on it is marked Mr White, owner of the Crown and Anchor, Woolwich.
• SS Letchworth, a collier sunk in November 1940 by the Luftwaffe en route from Blyth to London, sank off Southend. All hands survived.

Divers also found the SS Letchworth which was sunk by the Luftwaffe in 1940

Finds from the various ships included cups, plates, well preserved leather shoes, bricks, the rare steel sailing mast of the Dovenby and a deck beam from the Aisha.

Dive, dive, dive: Marine archaeologist Frank Pope led the research

But any dreams of recovering chests of gold or well-preserved cannons were not realised.

Some salvage operations had already been carried out after the ships went down.

Divers using upturned bells to allow them to work underwater managed to save valuable bronze cannons from HMS London soon after it sank.

Richard Everitt, chief executive of the Port of London Authority, said: ‘This is the largest operation of its kind since submarine defences were removed at the end of the Second World War.

‘We co-ordinated the whole process because we felt it was right we should get a long-term record of the history of Britain’s second-largest port, and this very important part of the country’s economy.’

HMS LONDON

The wreck of the HMS London is so significant that the Port of London Authority is moving the shipping channel to avoid disturbing it. It has been dived on several times, and sections of wood have been recovered for archaeologists to analyse.

It sank with the loss of 300 lives when it was blown up accidentally after a sailor is thought to have taken a candle belowships. The vessel was in service when Samuel Pepys began to draw up his plans for Britain’s navy. On 7th March 1665 Pepys recorded the event in his diary.

‘…This morning is bought to me to the office the sad news of the London, in which Sir J Lawson’s men were all bringing her from Chatham to the Hope, and thence he was to go to sea in her - but a little a-this-side of the buoy of the Nower, she suddenly blew up.

‘About 24 and a woman that were in the round house and coach saved; the rest, being 300, drowned - the ship breaking all into pieces - with 80 pieces of brass ordnance. She lies sunk, with her round house above water. Sir J Lawson hath a great loss in this, of so many good chosen men, and many relations among them.’

HMS London: A computer simulation of how the warship would have looked

HMS AISHA

The Aisha was purchased as a pleasure cruiser and lovingly renovated by one RH Turner.

She was, however, requisitioned shortly afterwards by the Navy and sprayed gunmetal grey inside and out, much to the dismay of Turner’s wife.

As the Second World War broke out, the Aisha was crewed by civilians and retired seamen as part of the “Dad’s Navy” Home Guard and helped to guard the Thames.

She was part of the armada of ‘Little Ships’ that evacuated Allied troops from Dunkirk in June 1… but was blown up later that year by a mine north of the Isle of Sheppey.

Following on from a geophysical survey earlier this year, there will be a full dive on the wreck to attempt to retrieve small objects before archaeologists decide whether to lift her fully or partially excavate her.

‘Dad’s Navy’: HMS Aisha

The first episode of two-part documentary Thames Shipwrecks: A Race Against Time is on BBC2 at 8pm tonight.