Certified TDI technical diver explores Thailand’s wrecks

Koh Tao, Thailand

Big Blue Tech has been providing experience dives to Nick Andrianov, an experienced TDI Trimix Diver who joins us from Hong Kong on a brief holiday and diving trip. Nick has been diving with us all week getting dives in some caves, caverns and most recently on our small wreck in one of the confined bays on Koh Tao.

During his week stay Nick will be exploring all the dive sites Koh Tao has to offer and taking a trip to the Unicorn Wreck on a wreck wednesday trip hosted by a local technical liveaboard.

Nick received one on one leadership from our in house technical divemaster team. This is the first time Nick has dived in Thailand and enjoyed diving without large crowds, which made us wonder how it must be diving where he’s been!

Technical divers return to shore after 4 days at sea

Khao Lak, Thailand - The Valentines Tech Expedition contingent of Big Blue Tech return to Khao Lak today after coming ashore from the Mv Pawara after the completion of a 4 night technical diving liveaboard on the Similan and Surin islands.

The liveaboard was the base of our diving while completing a TDI Extended Range course which trained the divers to conduct accelerated decompression dives to depths of 55 meters / 180 ft using 3 mixes of gas with air, nitrox and oxygen over 4 cylinders worn simultaneously.

This course was delivered by James Thornton-Allan and Andy Cavell for students Yvonne Fries, Helen Artal, Duncan Tyler and Thomas Hallstrom.

This would be the second technical diving trip in the similan islands for Big Blue Tech this season and again it proved to be a holiday setting with challenging and interesting dives. While the diving conditions are described below it was the extra touches of relaxing watching movies, sun tanning on the roof and trips in the dinghy to the beaches, which really made this trip relaxing and enjoying as a holiday.

Technical diving is saturated with bravado and peer pressure which have lead to serious diving accidents around the globe, we’re more about having fun on the surface and focusing as a team underwater which allows each diver to relax and progress at their own pace. In addition to our relaxed atmosphere we also encourage a alcohol free environment and no smoking during the diving day which has contributed to our perfect record of no diving related injuries.

The Similan Islands is located off the west coast of the west side of Thailand just north of Phuket from a town called Khao Lak. There are several ways to reach the similans by speed boat, long tail or liveaboard and is listed as one of the best diving destinations in the world.  The Similan and Surin Islands are protected marine parks managed by the Thai government to prevent fishing and destruction to help the marine environment sustain for generations to come.  Divers must pay a park fee to enter the marine park which is enforced by roaming park police boats. It seems the greatest enforcement in the area is getting the money from the dive tour operators rather than protecting the environment from fishing or negative effects like litter or pollution but it’s a better system than nothing at all.

The dive sites we visited on our trip was East Of Eden, Boulder City, West of Eden, Elephant Head Pinnacle, Christmas Tree Point, Koh Bon, Koh Tachai, Richelieu Rock, Richelieu Rock(sunset), Koh Bon Pinnacle, Boonson Wreck.

Over these sites we found ourselves at the mercy of very strong currents pushing us in all directions with changing temperature. On a dive a Elephant Head Pinnacle at 55m a freezing cold wall of cloudy water washed over us making the visibility very limited and giving all of us instant brain freeze that took your breath away. While we were struggling to adjust to the temperature we were being pushed all over the place at a very fast rate, so strong that you couldn’t kick against it to keep in place, our only option was to hide behind rocks and do strategic zig zag movements through the dive site back up to recreational diving depths where is was warm and clear again but it was an experience that taught everyone how to handle vicious currents and how to stay together as a team.

On a dive to Koh Bon we finally saw Manta Rays, thankfully our instructor dropped his mask off the back of the boat, as he went do to get it just below the surface we noticed two large manta rays circling us about 10m below us. This would be a first for some of the divers who have had plenty of chances but never actually seen one. The Giant Manta Ray or “Manta Birostris” is mostly black with a white underbelly, long triangular wings and a tail without stinger. It also has a pair of movable flaps just in front of its mouth. They can grow up to 3-4 meters wide and are recorded as up to 22ft or 670 cm in diameter or “disc” size making these very exciting animals to be witness to. These gentle giants are also one of the few rays that don’t sting so you can get quite close without worry of harm. We spent in total about half an hour with these majestic animals, while other divers were restricted by their single cylinder and no decompression limits we spent over an hour at depth without any concern for air or decompression since the dive was planned well in advance.

As the final night rolled around many started falling asleep after dinner showing clear signs of fatigue from the days diving. It was decided as a group that we would skip the last 2 dives and sleep in, we would come back with the speed boat to visit Koh Bon Pinnacle at a later date. It was also the 11th of February which is Andy Cavell’s 27th birthday. We all knew that coming back from the trip and it being Andy’s birthday that we would be well into a few drinks so it’s good to rest up for such vigorous Olympic style consumption.

Returning to shore we unloaded the boat into our taxi and headed off to our hotel for a nap, shower and relaxed for the next few days until the 13th when we would head off to the big shipwreck off the coast called the Sea Chart 1 which is 85m long in 40m of water.

Special thanks to the staff of Big Blue Khao Lak and Mv Pawara for taking such good care of us and bending over backwards to accommodate our trip.

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 train for a expedition for the month of February over valentines day.

Koh Tao, Thailand - Big Blue Tech started the orientation and introduction for 4 new students who will be working over the next few weeks to be trained as technical divers to depart koh tao on a technical diving liveaboard and cave diving in the Similan Islands and Khao Sok National Park.

The students consist of Duncan Tyler, Yvonne Fries, Helen Artal and Thomas Hallstrom who are all diving professionals. The course is being conducted by technical diving instructor James Thornton-Allan and assisted by future technical diving instructor Andy Cavell and Ash Dunn.

The goal of the next week is to certify the students for TDI Intro to Tech, TDI Advanced Nitrox, TDI Decompression Procedures and TDI Extended Range followed by TDI Cavern Diver and TDI Trimix.

While the majority of the training dives will be conducted in Koh Tao the team departs early in february to the west coast of thailand to board our liveaboard the Mv Pawara for 4 days and nights on the luxury vessel diving in Similan Islands we a few days in the end for some wreck diving and cave diving which builds from last months successful “Golden Horseshoe Expedition”

Today covered equipment organizing for all 7 technical divers and a refresher of theory with the introduction of technical diving specific information, the students were also tested on their water stamina with swim tests designed to ensure they have the basic fitness for the stress of this style of diving.

Our next expedition is planned for the end of February, to join or to receive more information you can contact us at info@bigbluetech.net

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.

Technical divers race to Koh Bon divesite for Manta Rays by Speedboat.

Khao Lak, Thailand - Big Blue Tech members Andy Cavell, Mark Slinn and James Thornton-Allan raced to Koh Bon dive site this morning to go looking for Manta Rays. Travelling at over 30 knots it took just under an hour to reach the dive site in the Similan Islands on one of our speed boats. Koh Bon dive site is best known for the abundance of manta rays found there and is the only place in Thailand where these animals can be seen.

Big Blue Khao Lak, the branch for diving in the simian islands has 2 speedboats and a liveaboard so we jumped in one of them for a relaxing days diving.

However, our luck with these animals seems to be consistent and there wasn’t a single manta ray which was annoying since the past few days before divers have been enjoying multiple manta rays. This is a running theme now since we saw none on the liveaboard.

Although there were no Manta Rays there were some white tip sharks and other fish, some yellow and some blue, basically all of Nemo’s mates were there but it wasn’t what we were looking for.

The second dive was a Koh Tachai dive site where, again, there were no Manta’s so the tech crew (now without Emily) did what any lads do on a speed boat with nothing else to do, we jumped in the drivers seat and took the boat for a spin which was absolutely brilliant. Most of us have driven boats before and also have our powerboat license but this boat is built for speed and that’s exactly what it did, it went fast, very very fast.

Unfortunately for Andy who forgot his dive bag in the truck he ended up very sun burnt from the entire day in the sun but hope it teaches him a good lesson about equipment awareness.

Tomorrow is scheduled for more diving where Panos will join us, it’s been ages since Panos moved out here to look after Big Blue Tech in Khao Lak and since he’s been so busy there’s been no chance to get in the water. Hopefully we’ll have both Panos and Rick together at Richeleau Rock for some tech diving and then it’s off home to be back on Koh Tao for the 25th.

The technical diving team is finally assembled as another dive arrives

Khao Lak, Thailand - The technical diving team came together today with the arrival of Matt Payne who would be joining us for the similan islands portion of diving. Matt joins Andy, Emily and Mark for his TDI Extended Range, Gas Blender and Compressor Operator course which will be combined with wreck diving and a liveaboard on the Similan Islands.

Matt arrived this morning from Phuket Airport after a flight from his home in Pattaya. Matt joined us last year for a Khao Sok Expedition where he completed his Cavern and Decompression Procedures course.

Also today Andy and Emily were on a trip to Ranong to get their visas extended, this left James, Mark and Matt the afternoon free to be tourists. One of the more remarkable things in this area is the tsunami memorial which pays homage to the people who lost their lives and were effected during this event during christmas in 2005. This is illustrated by a large police boat which was swept over a kilometer in land and is now displayed as a reminder to the force and destruction of the water which took over 4000 lives in Khao Lak alone.

The remainder of the day would be spent adjusting gear, charging flashlights/torches, checking our dive profile through our decompression dive planner and getting to bed early for tomorrow would start at 7am to get on the wreck at slack tide.

Big Blue Tech have published their upcoming schedule of various technical diving events during the holiday season of December and January.

These events can be found down the right hand side of our main news page or here:

• Event: Cavern Diver Course Expedition Khao Sok
  Fri 18 December 2009
  
• Event: Cavern Diver Course Expedition Khao Sok - 2010
  Sun 3 January 2010
  
• Event: Sea Chart 1 Shipwreck Survey
  Sat 9 January 2010
  
• Event: Tech Liveaboard Similans Island
  Wed 13 January 2010

Otherwise Big Blue Tech will be training and diving leading up to these events.

From November 7th - 11th Big Blue Tech will be conducting technical diving on the similan islands.

This journey will be conducted from our liveaboard the Mv Pawara. For more information click here

Our liveaboard customers will be picked up at their hotel or at the airport in the afternoon, and taken to our pier at 7pm and board the boat. Most days we will depart around 9pm after a full boat briefing and a full hearty dinner. Customers usually spend the time after dinner getting to know their fellow passengers and dive staff whom they’ll be spending the next 4 days with. Some nights we will depart as late as midnight to accomodate some of our customers who fly in late to Phuket. In either case, guests usually go to bed about midnight and sleep through the overnight trip to the Similans.

You’ll wake at 7am by music played over the intercom letting you know that its time for Dive 1. Most people stumble out of bed bleary-eyed and get greeted by staff who help you in to your equipment and get you in to the water. It’s true that most guests finally wake up at that moment. Dive groups are a maximum of 4 people, and the first dive is what we call a check-out dive. Your leader will see how well you dive and how your air consumption is.

At the end of this and every dive, you and your group will surface and indicate to our dingy that you’re ready to be picked up. This dingy will pick you up and take you back to the liveaboard. No surface swims, ever.

As with every dive, once back on board, our staff will help you out of your equipment and place it in the racks for you. You can grab a quick freshwater rinse from the shower on deck and then head up to the outdoor eating areas where a hot breakfast awaits you. Our staff will rinse your gear and fill your tanks while you eat.

After breakfast, most people head back down to their cabins for a nap before the next dive. All the cabins are individually air-conditioned so as the day gets hotter, you’re still comfortable to nap.

Dive 2 is at about 11am and most people wake for this one a little more refreshed. Dive groups might be reorganized to put divers of similar skill levels together, based on observations of the check-out dive. Ovbiously we never split up people who want to dive together.

After Dive 2, we serve lunch on deck. After lunch, we usually offer an activity for the day. Usually, this invloves taking the dinghy to the shore of one of the island where you can lay on the beach, snorkel with turtles, go hiking, or just do nothing at all. Some customers prefer to stay out of the heat and spend their time in the air-conditioned lounge watching one of our DVDs in stock. Sun worshipers may decide to skip the ride to the beach and spend all their time on the sundeck. Others may prefer just to stay in the shaded decks reading or relaxing with the other passengers.

Dive 3 is usually about 2pm, followed by the entire afternoon to relax or go to the beach.

For those interested, the night dive is normally about 7:00pm. For anyone who is not an advanced diver, you can do your Adventure Diving Night training, or even take the full advanced course while on the boat.

After the night dive, dinner is served and after that some people head straight to their cabins, others prefer to relax on deck having a beer and talking about the days dives and discussing what adventures they hope to have on tomorrows dives.

This is a typical day on a 4-day cruise. on day 3 there is no beach to go to, as the dives are at rocky pinnacles, so people just relax on the boat. This is where having a nice big boat really comes in beautifully. Theres always plenty of room for everyone.

On the final day of the cruise, we only make dives 1 and 2, and return to our pier about 3pm. Theres usually a lot of photo taking and email exchanging among new found friends, and after some goodbyes to each other and to the boat we drive our customers back to their hotels.

To join this event of future events contact us at info@bigbluetech.net

Big Blue Tech and the Mv Trident will be conducting a Liveaboard to the HTMS PANGAN for a 3 day 3 night liveaboard.

The technical liveaboard will depart on July 2nd (weather permitted) and steam overnight to the wreck site. The schedule allows for 2 dives a day completing on the 5th returning to Koh Tao in the evening of the 5th.

Included:
Equipment (Regs, back plate, harness, deco regs)
Oxygen
Nitrox
Accommodation (on board)
6 Dives
Food
Drinks (water, coffee tea)

Not Included:
Personal Dive Gear (available for rent)
Helium (available at 4baht/ liter)
Drinks (soda, beer)

CCR?
The Mv Trident is equipped to accommodate CCR divers on this trip.

Pre-Requisites:
Must be a certified technical diver able to conduct decompression with oxygen for acceleration. If you’re not, contact us to get trained up before the trip!

Price: You can book online with your credit card, contact us for more info.

This Course examines theory, methods and procedures of planned stage decompression diving. The objective of the course is to train divers how to plan and conduct standard staged decompression dives not exceeding a maximum depth of 150 fsw / 45 msw. During the course students will look at the most common equipment requirements, gear set-ups, decompression techniques and dive planning. Students are able to use EAN and Oxygen for decompression provided the gas mix is within their current certification level.

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The Mv Trident will be conducting a Liveaboard to the USS Lagarto for a 7 day 7 night liveaboard.

The Mv Trident will depart on May 7th (weather permited) and steam overnight to the wreck site. The schedule allows for 2 dives a day completing on the 13th returning to Koh Tao in the evening of the 14th.

Included:
Equipment (Regs, back plate, harness, deco regs)
Oxygen
Nitrox
Accommodation (on board)
6 Dives
Food
Drinks (water, coffee tea)

Not Included:
Personal Dive Gear (available for rent)
Helium (available at 4baht/ liter)
Drinks (soda, beer)

CCR?
The Mv Trident is equipped to accommodate CCR divers on this trip.

Pre-Requisites:
Must be a certified technical diver able to conduct decompression with oxygen for acceleration. If you’re not, contact us to get trained up before the trip! You will also require Trimix Training.

Price: You can book online with your credit card, contact us for more info.

Published photo journalist, Ayesha Cantrell, who’s work can be found in Dive Magazine, the Undersea Journal and several online publications has approached one of our staff Niall “Mac” Mackenzie for an interview about his story with technical diving, the tottori maru and the history with his family and now a staff member in a technical school. Ayesha is resident photography instructor for Ace Marine Images and co-owner of Buddha View Technical with her boyfriend Wiclo Booth.

Niall’s story is unique because of his father’s fascination with all ships built in scotland. His father was a fan and still keeps a fan club of vessels manufactured in scotland during the war. The tottori maru, a famous hell ship from japan, was built in Scotland. When Niall first came to Koh Tao he was unaware that the very same vessel that his father had such passion for was sunk only a few miles away. It wasn’t until he got into technical diving that this vessel was even mentioned. Early 2008 Niall got the chance and dove on the Torrori Maru with us on the Mv Trident technical liveaboard. He later became and instructor and now works in the industry.

You can read more about their latest trip here, written by Ayesha.

Starting in November 2008!

Leaving in the morning of Day 1 with 1 dive in the afternoon. Second with 2 Dives technical dives during the day with a non-decompression, or extended range technical night dive in the evening. Third day 2 technical dives arriving back on land in the evening.

25,000 Baht from Koh Tao including 2 nights hotel accomodation, gas, equipment and transfers. Contact us for more information and how to combine this with your technical course.

This is a great opportunity for technical divers who have been waiting for a vessel equipped to accommodate them so they can explore one of the top 10 dive destinations in the world and explore deeper and longer then anyone before.

The Bridge

Relaxing

Air-Conditoned Cabins