Tec divers locate and dive on a shipwreck that has been missing for over one year.

Koh Tao, Thailand - In April of 2009 a wooden overnight ferry that would transport passengers and goods from Koh Tao Island to Chumphon City sank in rough waves and strong wind. The boat sank slowly allowing all the occupants to be rescued.

In May of 2009 a group of individuals contacted big blue tech to conduct a search for the wreck in an attempt to identify it as a potential artificial reef which was completed after warm-up training. However, due to technological limitations the wreck wasn’t found at the position reported.

In Christmas of 2009 it was reported that fishermen were catching their drag nets on something big under the water. The position was logged with their GPS as an area to avoid in the future and this information was passed down to the technical divers who have been looking for information in that area.

Today staff from Big Blue Tech set out on the sea early in the morning armed with GPS and a type of sonar that shows the topography of the sea bed to find the lost nightboat. The staff members included Helen Artal. Duncan Tyler, Thomas Hallstrom, Yvonne Fries and James Thornton-Allan worked as a team relaying information from the sonar to the GPS to the captain as we got closer.

Unfortunately the information we received was not accurate again and the GPS mark was showing nothing. After 30 minutes of searching the sonar bleeped showing the depth which was a constant 40m raise up to 27m about 1 kilometer away from all reports of the sinking. This was clearly what we were looking for, after a few more sweeps the shot line was thrown in and James set off to make the confirmation.

As James descended the divers waited on the surface waiting for the signal that there was a wreck below and that the rest of the team should descend. The signal would be a bright orange air bag  that would float on the surface after filled with a small amount of air from below. After what seemed like an eternity the bag broke the surface along with cheers and applause.

The wreck is sitting perfectly upright in the silt, the stern is completely covered in fishing nets which appears to have ripped of the top roof exposing one floor. The length and width hasn’t been measured yet but it’s estimated at 30m long in length with plenty of room for penetration.

Without knowing the actual name of this boat we have named this large blue nightboat simply the “Big Blue Wreck”. More information needs to be gathered and a survey to be conducted before the wreck will be opened up to Big Blue Tech customers.

Modified semi-closed rebreather diver course completed in Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Andrew Cavell from his TDI Semi Closed Rebreather Diver Course conducted over 4 dives around various dive sites on Koh Tao Island. The TDI Semi-Closed Rebreather Diver Course is designed to teach the student the safe diving and operation of a Semi-Closed Rebreather.

The semi-closed circuit rebreather (SCR) can be manufactured without the use of batteries or electronic components in a very reliable system. It’s only moving parts are the check valves in the mouthpiece and the demand valve override for deep inhalations. It can be simple, useful, and provide many of the benefits divers seek in rebreathers. With the use of Nitrox mixtures, the benefits of EAN use are retained with the added benefits of a properly designed SCR which includes:

• Quiet, reduced bubble operation
• Extended bottom time (due to efficient use of gas)
• Lighter, more comfortable diving systems
• All the physiological benefits of EAN (Nitrox)

Other advantages of the semi-closed circuit rebreather become obvious with use in each dives chosen environment. For example, the inspired air is moist, not-dry, helping to eliminate “cotton-mouth.” Also, the gas is warmer, reducing heat loss in cold-water diving. Buoyancy needs only be set once at depth. As the diver breathes, the system acts opposite to the lungs producing no change in buoyancy from inhalation to exhalation. This takes some getting used to for experienced divers.

Diving on the rebreather is a remarkable difference to normal open circuit scuba. Andrew’s first experience in the shallow training depths was commented as “that’s weird” when referring to the control of the buoyancy using your lungs. Because the unit uses a bag of air that you exhale and inhale from the exchange of gas from lungs to unit is different than experienced in normal scuba. In scuba diving when you exhale you descend and when you inhale you ascend. In a Semi-closed rebreather the movement is opposite.

During the open water dives do depths up to 30m Andrew found the marine life came much closer then ever before and that the air was not as dry as in normal scuba.

The rebreather which was used is a modified Drager Dolphin Semi-closed rebreather which has been adapted from it’s 4 litre tank which provided 69 hours of dive time to twin 6 litre tanks to get the increase gas and dive time while utilizing a full canister of soda lime. This rebreather also features the ability to bolt on a backplate and wing so technical divers can find it more comfortable and streamlined.

Technical divers leave Koh Tao heading for Khao Lak on the west coast of Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech departs Koh Tao island heading through Chumphon City to Khao Lak to start the expedition phase of the tech course for Yvonne Fries, Helen Artal, Thomas Hallstrom and Duncan Tyler conducted by TDI Instructor James Thornton-Allan and assisted by Andrew Cavel.

The team departed from Seatran Ferry peir on Koh Tao and headed to Lang Suan Peir in Chumphon. Arriving in Chumphon we were met but a mini bus who would take us on the 4 hour drive to Khao Lak and our hotel which would accomodate us for the night.

While in Khao Lak the tech team will be diving on a technical liveaboard called the Mv Pawara which is owned by Big Blue Diving, the parent company of Big Blue Tech. After the 4 day, 4 night liveaboard in the Similan Islands we’ll be staying in Khao Lak to dive on the Sea Chart 1 shipwreck and a few speed boat trips before heading off to Khao Sok for some cave exploration diving over a few days with a planned return to Koh Tao on the 17th.

Divers advance to the level of conducting decompression dives

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Yvonne Fries, Helen Artal, Thomas Hallstrom and Duncan Tyler from a TDI Decompression Procedures course conducted by TDI Instructor James Thornton-Allan and assisted by Andrew Cavell and Ash Dunn over various dive sites on Koh Tao Island in Thailand.

The TDI Decompression Procedures course is designed to train a diver who has training in technical diving in the methods and skills involved with decompression diving. Recreational diving is considered no stop which means you can leave your depth and ascend to the surface at anytime (optional safety stop recommended), with decompression diving the diver has absorbed into their tissues (muscles and blood) a lot of gas which is forced in during deep and long duration diving of compressed air. Because the tissues are saturated with nitrogen it’s mandatory that decompression divers stop at certain depths for certain periods of time to let the nitrogen bubble leave the body safely. Failing to do this safely can cause the bubble to expand to fast causing decompression sickness or “the bends”. To those unfamiliar with diving, our atmosphere is made up of a concentration of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen, divers use this air in our tanks after a filtration system, it’s the concentration of nitrogen which effects the divers at this level.

The skills the divers had to learn were varied from following a complex schedule itemizing their stops and time, buoyancy skills like oral inflation of their wing at depth to deployment of back-up mask. Other skills continued throughout the 4 dives of this course which lead the divers to receive the coveted certification which is the most recognized internationally as a entry level technical diver.

The students were issued certification after and exam and progress on to their TDI Extended Range course tomorrow with a trip to the similan islands and khao sok national park. You can read more about the Decompession Procedures course here: TDI Decompression Procedures Diver Course

Advanced nitrox divers graduate with bull sharks in Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Yvonne Fries, Helen Artal, Thomas Hallstrom and Duncan Tyler from a TDI Advanced Nitrox course conducted by TDI Instructor James Thornton-Allan and assisted by Andrew Cavell and Ash Dunn over various dive sites on Koh Tao Island in Thailand.

The TDI Advanced Nitrox course is designed to orientate the student about rich or high mixes of oxygen and their advantages while wearing technical diving gear. The use of low mixes to advance deep diving and the use of high mixes to add extra conservatism to optional stops during the dive.

The students learned about carrying a decompression cylinder, oxygen handling and analysis and vairous other skills. The final dives were conducted using nitrox to allow the diver to flow through a no-decompression schedule switching to different mixes of nitrox the shallower the dive went. This course certifies the diver to delve to 40m using up to 100% oxygen depending on the depth and if the situation is warranted.

The final dive was also held at Chmphon Pinnacle where we were met by Bull Sharks that live at that dive site creating an exciting atmosphere for learning and diving.

The students were issued certification after and exam and progress on to their TDI Decompression Procedures course tomorrow with a return to Chumphon Pinnacle for some more dive time with the sharks. You can read more about the Advanced Nitrox course here: TDI Advanced Nitrox Diver Course

Experienced dives graduate from the TDI Intro to Tech course in Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech celebrates the graduation of Yvonne Fries, Helen Artal, Thomas Hallstrom and Duncan Tyler from a TDI Intro to Tech course conducted by TDI Instructor James Thornton-Allan and assisted by Andrew Cavell and Ash Dunn over various dive sites on Koh Tao Island in Thailand.

The TDI Intro to Tech course is designed to introduce the foundation control skills of buoyancy and trim which will be built on during the rest of their training on the way up to TDI Extended Range which is the fourth level in the technical diver curriculum. The skills train a dive to maintain perfect control in a set of technical diving gear while keeping a constant horizontal body position in the water without the use of hands. The skills learned include unique skills like fining backwards and neutral buoyancy skills like no mask swim, regulator exchange, air sharing, long hose use etc.

While this course is not a prerequisite to become a technical diver we feel the skills learned are essential. One of the early goals in our training is to avoid contact with anything other then the equipment you carry once you enter the water. In Koh Tao there are a lot of buoy lines or permanent lines which may be tempting to hold on to during simulated stops but prevents the diver from focusing on controlling themselves in the water. In instances where the down line may not be available it’s essential a future technical diver be intimate with their diving equipment and how to use that equipment effectively.

The students were also exposed to air consumption calculations, basic dive planning without the use of a computer that tracks no decompression limits which is based on the philosophy of “Plan the dive, Dive the plan” which has fallen by the side recently with the advent of gas switching computers. Although the students will be provided with a gas switching computer later on it’s this course which teaches them how to rely and trust a dive plan which might be their back-up decompression information in the future.

In the end the students conducted 4 dives and received their certification after a final exam. The divers will progress on to their Advanced Nitrox course tomorrow. More information regarding the intro to tech course can be found here: TDI Intro to Tech Diver Course

Technical Divers return home from the 3 week expedition in Thailand

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech concluded their 3 week expedition on January 25th after ariving at the sea port of Koh Tao Island in Thailand.

Over the past 3 weeks students and instructors from Big Blue Tech have been travelling around Thailand tech diving in the best destinations throughout the country.

The expedition took us through Khao Sok National Park, Khao Lak, Similan Islands, Krabi, Phi Phi, Ao Nang, Sra Keow and Surin Islands.

During the 3 weeks the team conducted technical dives in caverns, caves, fresh water, salt water, hot water, cold water, night time, bad visibility, perfectly clear visibility, strong current and no current. We did this all from shore, longtail boats, dinghies, speedboats, luxury liveaboards, back of a truck, tug boat and a peir.

Over the 3 weeks we found a clear divide between technical divers and recreational divers as many places we went had never seen a twin set let alone knew how to operate one which gave Big Blue Tech a great chance to expose areas to this style of diving. Along with that clear divide we also got ourselves into plenty of mischief which comes with any road trip.

Returning to Koh Tao the extension is almost finished which is designed to house more divers and their equipment, Ash was more then happy to see us as he’s been looking after the Koh Tao office all alone for 3 weeks.

The next few days we be consumed with servicing all our equipment and regulators to be ready for the next course start on January 30th where we’ll return to our liveaboard for another Similans Expedition in February.

Today Big Blue Tech conducted the first TDI Compressor Operator Course ever. This course was attended by Ash Dunn, Andy Cavell and Mark Slinn and conducted on Koh Tao island in the south east of Thailand. Big Blue Tech authored and submitted this course as a custom written certification and received authorization from TDI HQ to start teaching. We have been told that TDI plan to develop their own Compressor Operator course based on our outline.

The TDI Compressor Operator course is designed to introduce the safe operation and handling of scuba diving compressors and air bank systems. The students learned the proper checks, safety and hazards, minor maintenance and operation of 2 different compressors including the combination of a large air bank system. On our next Khao Sok expedition later this month they will also be operating a portable petrol powered compressor in the jungle.

Big Blue own over 10 compressors around thailand, on Koh Tao alone we have 2 Coltri Sub MCH16’s, 2 Bauer Mariner 1, 2 Bauer 250, 1 LW 450 and 1 Bauer Junior (for cave and remote diving). In Khao Lak we have 2 Bauer Mariner 250 and 1 Coltri Sub MCH16, which gives our students a lot different compressors to practice with and become familiar.

After our time in the shop and on the boat we filled all the twin sets and air systems in the shop giving the students ample time to practice and learn using a compressor un-aided. The students will later evolve their diving skills with future TDI Nitrox Gas blender and TDI Advanced Gas blender courses.

The certification earned will give the students the recognized ticket to operate scuba diving compressors in government controlled diving areas.

For those TDI instructors interested in teaching this course, feel free to contact us for authorization to teach this distinctive specialty course.

The gulf of Thailand holds many treasures for technical divers, some well known and documented, others still shrouded in mystery and yet to be discovered. When it comes to wreck diving in the gulf of Thailand and nearby regions, the MV Trident is the spearhead in technical diving and ocean exploration.

Based on Koh Tao Island, The MV Trident and its crew have direct access to the post world war 2 wreck infested waters of this region and Big Blue Tech was lucky enough to join a recent expedition to the infamous Thai Navy Vessel the HTMS Pangan (His Thai Majesty Service) for 3 days of technical diving.
A large military vessel, the HTMS Pangan was built in 1927. Weighing 2000 tons with a crew of 81, the doomed vessel sank at 10pm on July 19th 1961, apparentely due to a storm. It is argued that no such storm with enough power to sink a vessel of this size could have possible existed at that time of year, and other theories surfaced with time as signs of a large fire were discovered close to the wheel house. This theory was further exacerbated by the fact it was carrying old (unstable) ammunition with the mission of dumping it at sea. All the crew were rescued by a Japanese freighter the Ms Daisei.

This trip comprised of a group of technical divers from various dive schools from around Koh Tao, including Brian Wilcox and Christos Kardana who both completed their TDI Extended Range course conducted by James Thornton-Allan at Big Blue Tech. Putting their new found diving skills and knowledge to the test, the 3 day expedition would prove challenging and yet enlightening with respect to technical dive exposure within deep sea wreck environments.
Christos who is already a certified technical diver and was part of the June expedition when a sunken temple was discovered in Khao Sok National Park joined the trip as a Technical Underwater Videographer.

The MV Trident boat is not your normal livebaord-which is fitting because this is not your normal diving- and with that in mind the most important items were fully stocked; diesel, fresh water, oxygen and beer!.

With the ceremonial fireworks offered to Buddha to grace us with good seas and great diving, the typical goodbyes ensued to wives, girlfriends and friends as we started our overnight journey to the dive site which is about 50 nautical miles north-east of Koh Tao Island. The dive site is out of mobile phone range so it would be the last contact with the outside world for 3 days. There is a satellite phone on board afcurse, but its for emergency use only.

Isolated from the rest of the world, the divers on board could focus on setting up their gear, analyzing their gas, planning their dives and for some people packing there closed circuit rebreather. Making sure everything was sorted the night before meant you could wake up and just jump straight into the water…perfect
The Trident locates the dive site by means of GPS and Underwater Sonar. A diver is sent down using a shot line and anchor line to tie the vessel directly to the wreck making it easy for the divers to get on to the wreck with very little effort. Decompression is also made effortless with the decompression station; a trapeze structure suspended below the Mv Trident with 4 surface supplied oxygen regulators. This allows the divers to keep their bailout oxygen for the unlikely event they loose the wreck or get blown off the deco station if the weather was to turn.

The wreck is lying on it’s port side with many areas for penetration and exploration. Over the years of diving the wreck has been shifting and changing to the effect that the stress of the collapse has thrown objects out of the wreck and into the sand. Such objects like portholes and brass pieces have been recovered and stored for preservation leaving many intact and in place objects still to be seen. Our first dive here 3 years ago had divers exploring the wheel house which is now not possible as the structure is weak and collapsing. However there is still many areas to explore providing the diver has the training and experience to wiggle into the spaces.

Like many wrecks in this area, the corridors and doorways are smaller than expected. For many western divers this is a challenge as the ships are built in Asia for Asian men. You only need to look at a Japanese sailor and then an American sailor to see the difference. American and British vessels have typically larger spaces and doorways and are easier to get around. Thankfully this wreck has many openings and exits so if you do find yourself wedged in a room and unable to go back the way you came you just have to swim out through the deck.

The first dives of the trip were a real eye opener for many. For Brian “I don’t get Narked” Wilcox it was his first sense of narcosis and for Christos “I check everything” Kardana this was a great illustration of what happens to expensive video mounted underwater torches when you leave the caps out. Oh dear; no longer torches but expensive water holders. If you watch the video in future and wonder why some parts are dark then that’s why.

The most aggressive dive of the trip was a thirty (30) minute bottom time at sixty (60) meters one hundred ninety eight (198) feet. Below is a sample of that dive and what our decompression obligation looked like.
Descend to 60 for 3.0 (3.0) using 21/0/79
Level at 60 for 27.0 (30.0) using 21/0/79
Stop at 36 for 1 (33.0) using 21/0/79
Stop at 33 for 2 (35.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 30 for 2 (37.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 27 for 2 (39.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 24 for 2 (41.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 21 for 4 (45.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 18 for 4 (49.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 15 for 6 (55.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 12 for 9 (64.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 9 for 12 (76.0) using 36/0/64
Stop at 6 for 26 (102.0) using 100/0/0
*Simulated Profile, Do Not Use!

As the dives continued Brian was exposed to more challenges including wreck penetration and recovery skills. Brian was skeptical at first with regardS to penetrating the wreck but once inside he was impossible to get out; the true calling for a wreck diver.

During these dives Christos continued to film above and below the ocean and is in the process of putting together a video of this trip and the HTMS Pangan.

Once again it was a perfect trip with great sun, good times and narcosis induced diving, all with thanks to the MV Trident and its crew.