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 arrive in Ao Nang resort town for deep fresh water cave diving.

Krabi, Thailand - Big Blue Tech arrived in the town of Ao Nang in Krabi province in southern Thailand today to set up a base for diving in Sra Keow Cave located in the jungle about 25km outside of Ao Nang Town which is reported to be 240m deep in a fresh water pool.

Sra Keow cave is clearly sign posted from the main road as a tourist destination in the region. During our initial visit today we saw many tourists enjoying the rope swing and swimming in the pool.

This resurgence fresh water pool has been explored by many divers in the past with some claiming to have reached a depth of 240m inside the pool which forms a cave. All this activity on the diving forums and in magazines and even then controversy over claims of who actually dived the disputed record breaking dive all lead us to want to check it out even more.

Although we’re conducting deep air dives to maximum 60m it will still be a good chance to check out this pool and see if it’s worth returning with trimix to explore further and continue to visit the pool in the future.

After checking out Sra Keow and other dry caves in the region we headed off to “One Stop” dive shop in Ao Nang where we met with Dave who works there. One Stop is the only distributor of Halcyon gear in Thailand and is very tech friendly. With a bit of shopping done and some logistics sorted for gas fills we checked into a hotel and relaxed for the evening with some starbucks coffee and Thai massage. The following day would be a great challenge both logistically and physically so a good nights rest was needed.

Tomorrow we would conduct 2 deep dives on site and then moving on to Phi Phi Island.

It is available in five configurations to suit your diving from the basic air/nitrox scuba version to the fully loaded nitrox, trimix and heliox open and closed circuit model with external active one and three cell ports. Each configuration is fully upgradeable to any other via a personal code, so you can upgrade as your diving progresses.

It uses a Buhlmann algorithm to calculate its decompression obligation, but you can adjust the algorithm across a variety of settings if you want to dive more conservatively than the default. Interestingly, if you miss a stop it doesn’t lock but carries on in a ‘best guess’ mode - especially useful when incidents occur. For calibration at the surface in closed-circuit mode there is a user-selectable oxygen percentage although most divers will probably choose to use pure oxygen. As with the majority of computers on the market it is automatically switched on by depth and/or pressure, and features an automatic, ambient light-sensing LCD for back-light illumination.

It is configurable for either automatic or manual set point changeovers with both set point and sensors being displayed while in the menus. The decompression algorithm uses the current PPO2 (partial pressure of oxygen) as a FiO2 (fraction of inspired oxygen) and will thus on-the-fly predict TTS (time to surface) and length of stop time.

Gases can be switched during a dive and there is a preset selection of gases that can be inputed - like setting favourite stations on a radio. As well as the obvious basic diving information, other useful displays include, ascent rate, milli-voltage readouts for all cells on demand, battery voltage, low battery warning and CNS tracking. The battery can be changed by the user and has a life expectancy of 360 hours.

Getting to grips with the Pursuit is straightforward. Disappointingly it only uses two buttons so there is a certain amount scrolling to be done. An open circuit comparison of the Pursuit’s algorithm in both air and nitrox mode over several dives showed that it was less conservative than the algorithms of both Suunto Vytec (set at one minute deep stop) and the VR3 by up to several minutes on longer and deeper dives - all computers were at factory default settings.

We tested the Pursuit on an open circuit dive using a 17/30 back gas, with 30 per cent travel and 80 per cent deco mixes to a dive to 64m for a bottom time of 20 minutes and found it cleared nine minutes before the Suunto Hel02.

John Adams commented, ‘I used the Pursuit and set it up to match the settings on my Vision electronics. It was used as a standalone computer (not plugged into any other cells) and in CCR mode. The Inspiration was set up with a diluent of 10/53 and gradient factors of 15/85. The gases in the bailout cylinders were 18/45 and 65 per cent nitrox. Setting up the Pursuit, once the correct system of tapping the contacts had been established, seemed logical and easy. I found it much easier to program than the VR3 and managed to do it without consulting the manual. This is an important point as I believe many UK divers would do the same. With the same gradient settings, I found the deco information matched fairly closely to that of the Vision and it was very easy and clear to read. Although I do personally prefer the slowly rising ceiling of the Vision, I wish their display had the lighting features and print size of the Pursuit. As I get older and my reading prescription changes - there must come a point where it is cheaper to buy the Pursuit than keep buying new prescription masks.’

For CCR users, Narked at 90 also provides various cell kits that can be directly linked to the Pursuit. One unit that may be of particular interest in the UK is the three-cell monitoring back-up kit (£267.06) that is specifically designed for the APD (Ambient Pressure Diving) Classic Inspiration and features what Narked at 90 claim to be the only detachable cell holder in the world. As a good demonstration of how closely the Pursuit matches the APD calculations see the picture of it in action (left). The photograph was taken during a dive where the maximum depth was 51.9m with just under an hour on the wreck. The Pursuit shows 10 minutes TTS and the Vision shows 12 minutes, which is pretty close after 90 minutes of elapsed dive time.

The Pursuit has user updateable firmware via an infrared interface and free software updates are provided for life. At well over the wrong side of a grand the Pursuit is not cheap but on par with other similar featured computers in the market.

Big Blue Tech will be conducting a 4 day  Cavern Course in Khao Sok National Park. The following dates are available.

December 18th - 23th ( 4 spaces )

This trip includes the option of up to 10 dives.

This trip will be open to divers from around Thailand.

Pre-Requisites: Must be minimum Advanced with 20 dives ( Redundant Breathing System Provided)

Conduct: The course will be done on site in the national park over a 4 day period of 10 dives with academic plus dry land skills. Certification as a Cavern Diver will be received after completing 4 dives and a final exam with 6 experience dives to follow.

Included:
- Ferry to and from Mainland Thailand (if required)
- Transport to and around Khao Sok
- 4 nights accommodation in a 4 star resort inside the the National Park
- Manual and Certification
- All gas and cylinder fills
- All equipment (Reels, Torches, Dive Gear)
- All food and drinks (non alcoholic)
- Park Entry Fee
- Boat Fees
- 4 Training Dives
- 2 “fun” Experience Dives

Not Included: Beer

Tekkies: Technical gear is available for those certified, included in the course price.

Certified Cavern Divers:
For those certified we will be running exploration trips in conjunction with this course, this will allow certified divers to use the boat and compressor to conduct 4 days of diving

Gas:
Nitrox, Trimix and boosted oxygen available on site, on request.

Prices: 19,800 Baht

Big Blue Tech have revised their website to include the release of the new PADI TecRec courses we’ll start offering in the new year of 2010.

In September of 2009 PADI released the new technical diving cirriculum to the public with a new name and new standards. Many say PADI have made a move to follow the trend of modular teaching which are already in place with other diving agencies like TDI and IANTD. Additionally PADI have invited Cave Diving Instructors to develop their own courses called “TecRec Cave Diver” which will be specific to the instructor/author and suit the local conditions and methods.

With this change it appears PADI have also dropped the name “DSAT” which stood for “Design, Science and Technology” which didn’t really suite as the cover for their technical diving branch.

In January of 2010 Big Blue Tech will be releasing PADI Cave Diving courses designed for technical divers. This course will be distinctive to Big Blue Tech as it has been written by us. The other TecRec courses have been released for quite some time and can be seen below:

PADI TecRec
PADI Tec 40
PADI Tec 45
PADI Tec 50
PADI Tec Trimix 65
PADI Tec Trimix Diver
PADI Gas Blender
PADI Trimix Blender
PADI Tec Cavern
PADI Tec Intro to Cave
PADI Tec Cave

You can also read more on the PADI TecRec blog:TecRec Cave Diver

Big Blue Tech is a technical diver training and expedition dive shop based in Koh Tao, Thailand. Big Blue Tech also has smaller offices and shops around other places in Thailand including khao Lak, Chumphon, Khao Sok and Bangkok but our main dive shop is in Koh Tao.

Big Blue Tech provides technical underwater skills development and training from all levels of technical scuba diving in Thailand

Big Blue Tech provides training from TDI (Technical Diving International), BSAC (British Sub Aqua Club) and DSAT (Design Science and Technology) by being a certified dive centre from each agency. When not training new divers were planning and executing alternative expeditions to cave diving destinations and wrecks located all around south east asia.

Our Location

Lonely Planet rated Big Blue Diving resort as a highly recommended destination in Thailand for its relaxed and friendly atmosphere located directly on the beach. We have many different options for accommodation from bungalows with a sea view to multi floor air conditioned rooms; all of which offer the standard amenities expected with a island resort. Our resort also has a restaurant and bar offering a full selection of food and drinks which is available all hours of the day.

Getting here and getting away is easy with full time taxi’s who can transfer you around the island and to your next connection on your trip, we’re located only a few hours from Samui International Airport. If you want a bit of independence you can rent a scooter from our in house motor bike rental facility who would be happy to give you a quick introduction if you’re new to riding bikes.

To find out more information about the resort visit our main website at www.bigbluediving.com.

Our Facilities

We provide all mixes of  nitrox, trimix, triox, heliox, normoxic and hypoxic mixes; 200 bar of boosted oxygen or trimix for rebreather divers.

Free wireless internet access, tea and coffee with a secure private gear room with service area.

All our classrooms and teaching environments are on site with air conditioning and multi media tools for a comfortable learning environment.

Being a small and mobile diving school our facilities follow us when diving in remote locations with portable compressors and air banks.

We have 6 boats in different locations:

On koh tao we have 3 boats called Mv Banzai, Mv Navakid and Mv Big Blue. All are used by both technical and recreational diving until. When deeper and longer dives are needed we utilize the one of our boats for just technical diving.

In Khao Lak we have a large liveaboard called the Mv Pawara and 2 speed boats for long expeditions and day trips to the similan islands.

Diving Options

Beyond training new divers we also provide professionally lead diving for already certified technical divers. These destinations include the east coast of Thailand with wreck diving liveaboards and day trips. Sunken Temple and Cave Expeditions in Khao Sok National Park and Similan Islands liveaboards and day trips.

With more boats and locations we provide the greatest variety of technical diving destinations and expeditions in Thailand

Diving Equipment

Big Blue Tech have a large storage facility with an abundant amount of technical diving equipment for our divers to choose from. This equipment is maintained in accordance with standards of a BSAC diving facility. Our compressors all meet HSE Air Quality Standards and we use the latest equipment.

As standard all our regulators are balanced Apeks series and leading OMS and Halcyon buoyancy compensators. Divers can choose from fixed or adjustable harnesses with different accessories from pockets, back pads, weight systems and sizes.

This equipment is included with our training, you can rent this gear if you are already certified.

Environmental Commitment

Living and working in a tropical paradise takes responsibility, we take this responsibility seriously by supporting local efforts with technical divers and logistics. We donate boat space, diving equipment and facilities for individuals conducting ecological assessments, clean ups, bio rock initiatives and training.

We also use our popular news section to create awareness of global ecological problems.

Military Resettlement

You served your country now we’re here to serve you, unlike other companies we don’t take money from you just for paperwork. The get paid out of the courses you do, the rest is yours to do what you like. However we do not support military funded holidays. If you’re not looking to getting to this type of diving with serious intentions then this won’t be a good place for you to visit.

We have many x-forces who have completed training with us from the MOD who we can put you in contact with for references.

Many former british forces enjoy this challenging and rewarding style of diving beyond the recreational diving.

Getting Here

Thailand is the land of sun, sand and smiles, it’s probably the easiest place to get to for diving. We are here to help you any way we can. We have access to book flights and transport cheaper then you can from home. We have offices in Bangkok and Chumphon where a rep will meet you and help you to your destination. And we have 2 resorts on both sides of Thailand for you to relax and enjoy when you arrive.

We reccomend that our customers fly to Surrathani Airport or Koh Samui Airport and then take the 1 hour boat to Koh Tao. Or fly directly to Phucket Airport and then a 1 hour taxi ride to Khao Lak. If you’re not flying then contact us and we will help you plan your journey.

Rich Stevenson, 39, is a professional diver living and working in Plymouth. For 10 years he has owned and run dive-boats and, until recently, a coastal dive centre. His independent company now concentrates on rebreather training, underwater film operations and commercial diving charters on his new 9m RIB Ocean Venture. Involved in technical instruction since 1995, Rich was one of the UK’s first IANTD Cave and Trimix Instructors, and is an IANTD and PSAI Instructor-Trainer

I have been privileged and lucky enough to be involved in some of the most advanced and exciting dive projects in the world. My gear has developed alongside these expeditions, and certain equipment was even designed for specific projects.Everything I use has been tested, from the extremes of flooded French caves to 160m-deep wreck dives way offshore in the Atlantic. I have to put total confidence in my kit and, while I still wonder if that kit is the best it could be for my diving, it’s probably as close as it needs to be.

REBREATHERS
I am fortunate to have access to eight units, but number one choice is the CCRB Sentinel, followed very closely by the AP Diving Evolution Plus.Both are made in the UK, which makes using them that much more satisfying. The APD unit has been involved in more expedition dives than any other unit I know, and in 2001 I took a standard Classic Inspiration on the first-ever dive on RMS Carpathia, which lies in 160m - praise indeed! The Sentinel became the solution I was looking for last March, because having a back-mounted rebreather made handling large numbers of stage cylinders so much easier. The work of breathing
and advanced features makes it a firm favourite with advanced divers. I have been known to use a Megalodon on demanding cave and/or overhead-environment dives. The lack of a CE mark makes it impossible for me to use it commercially, but it’s a formidable unit that is incredibly reliable and well-made.

DRYSUITS
I have used only one type in my career, an Otter Britannic Telescoping Torso suit. I have never been
a fan of neoprene suits. Even the crushed type all seem to suffer from buoyancy loss at depth.
Most students I come across on courses seem to be underweighted on the deco phase, and heavier at depth. The membrane variety from DUI and Otter don’t suffer from this, so I find buoyancy control much easier.
Warmth is not an issue if you layer up correctly, and with the layering system you can make the membrane suit far more flexible in temperature extremes. My Otter has been in 26°C water while decompressing on the Britannic, and 1°C water in Finland. It’s only the undergarments that change.

UNDERGARMENTS
With pants in mind, let’s move on! I mostly use Fourth Element thermals, a combination of standard Zero Therms under a set of thicker Arctics for most UK summer diving and dives up to three hours’ long.
For longer dives, a C-Bear undersuit goes over the Fourth Element gear to keep the heat in. A heated undervest may come out, but it’s got to be really cold for that! I’ve found that the Otter “double hood” system keeps my head incredibly warm, and the water trapped between each hood actually warms up during the dive, like a good-fitting wetsuit. I also use Swedish Navy dry gloves. I have holed these only once in 18 months, testament to their incredible toughness.

BAIL-OUT CYLINDERS & REGULATORS
Ally stage cylinders are the only type that work for me, and I have nearly 20 different ones of between 5.5 and 11 litres. The job dictates what I take, but every cylinder will use a Poseidon Cyklon regulator with 1.2m hose, to make emergency gas-sharing stress-free. Each regulator also has a low-pressure inflator hose, allowing me to inflate lift-bags, counter-lungs, drysuits and even my wing if necessary. There is also a 15cm hp hose with SPG on each reg set.

DIVE COMPUTERS/SOFTWARE
Since 2003 I have used a VR3 with the VPM upgrade in support of a decompression software program called GAP. Most modern rebreathers have in-built software, so the VR3s and more modern VRX from VR Technology are used as back-ups to the onboard information. Modern technology can’t be 100% reliable - though it generally is - so I still take a standard Uwatec depth gauge and underwater wet-notes for back-up deco information.

DIVER PROPULSION VEHICLE
I prefer the Silent Submersion N-37, the ni-mh-powered version of the tried-and-tested UV-26
lead-acid scooter, which is favoured by serious cave-divers worldwide. The N-37 is a compact, reliable unit giving more than 90-minute burntimes, with a proven depth rating of more than 150m - more than good enough for me! It may not be the most technologically advanced scooter, and certainly isn’t the fastest, but it has a deep wreck- and cave-diving track record that other units will never have.

ANCILLARY EQUIPMENT

Salvo and Halcyon HID torches provide primary lighting, while Halycon Scout torches provide back-up. Dive Rite reels have always been my favourites, and I use the free-flowing spools for DSMB deployment.I use the low-pressure hose inflating style DSMB in red for drift decompression, with the same in yellow in case of emergency.

Finally, forward propulsion when not using a DPV is by a pair of 10-year-old Scubapro Jetfins, and the ability to see under water is made much easier by a Scubapro frameless mask, also nearly10 years old.

If you are a tek diver looking for a great dive get-away, then Tek week may be the answer. From Recreational to technical, Open Circuit to Closed circuit with dive profiles for all, it’s a great all-inclusive week! With crystal clear 100′+ vis, 83 degree waters and unlimited diving, Tek Week allows for a week of exploration on the deep walls and shallow reefs of Grand Cayman and the adventure to go where no one has gone before.

The event runs from August 29 through September 5, 2009 and DiveTech@Cobalt Coast has announce there are a few spots left for this unique and highly different week of diving.

OC Tek divers get a chance to dive with CCR divers and test dive a unit, meet some of the leading experts in the field and participate in evening lectures on topics of interest to Tek or soon-to-be Tek divers. We have a host of sponsors coming to the event to dive, entertain with their knowledge and reward with give-away items and a great raffle too!

Divers Alert Network (DAN) will be joining us, doing field research on divers doing profiles >70m, including Doppler and Ultrasound testing after all dives. We’re looking for test subjects willing to devote a little time to ’seeing’ and ‘hearing’ their bubbles after a dive. Divetech is a designated field research station for DAN for 2009/2010.

Confirmed Sponsors for 2009 include VR Technologies  (Sentinel, Oroboros, VR3), Silent Diving (Evo, Inspiration), Oceanic Ventures (Training/Travel), DiveRite (O2ptima, FX & Tek gear), rEvo Rebreathers (rEvo CCR), Titan Dive Gear (Titan/Hydro lights), Shearwater Research (Pursuit), Laguna Research (CCR Controllers), Poseidon (MK6 CCR) and NUVAIR (trimix & oxygen analyzers) with more updates to come….

The package includes 7-nights accommodations, tax & service charges, unlimited awesome shore diving, 7-day full meal plan (includes Beach BBQ), round-trip airport transfers, daily boat trip – 2-3 hr runtimes, Stingray City trip, unlimited scrubber (408, 812, Extend Air), unlimited gases  - O2, He, Air and Mix fills
Carrie Lee trip (Normoxic/Trimix divers), Doubles/stage bottles/bailout bottles (DIN) and a DVD/CD of Tek Week.

http://www.divetech.com/Tekweek.htm
www.cobaltcoast.com
1 888 946-5656 Toll free for information or reservations

by James Thornton-Allan

Suunto have released a new dive computer called the Hel02 which is marketed to challenge the advanced technical diving computer market. With multiple gas mixes and the ability to handle normoxic trimix, this computer has the window sticker to tempt any diver.

However, all that glitters is not gold and you only have to look at the history of a company to realize that adding more features to a computer isn’t a good thing.

Traditionally technical divers would dive using a depth gauge and timer combined with a slate. This method isn’t the most flexible but it does create disciplined divers. I personally prefer to dive trimix on a slate, it keeps me alert and ensures I dive the plan rather than just jumping in and watching reserves.

This new computer has many features that allow divers to go quite deep with a real sense of freedom. Many remember the total collapse of their “bling tech” computer, the D9. It was ordered by the U.S consumer safety council to be recalled because it was giving false decompression times. For the original review of this product refer to:  “Dangerous at Any Depth”

The more dangerous aspect of the HelO2 is its complexity in function, especially for people who already own the Vytec DS computer, . This is also Suunto’s first computer where you can reduce the conservatism. However Suunto state this feature is only recommended for fit and young individuals. How many people place themselves in this category I wonder?

The HelO2 computer was loaned to us for testing to see if it was something we would be happy to recommend to our customers. After signing a liability release for Suunto, assuring them we would also use a back up source of decompression information, we strapped on the Helo2 and jumped in.

One major problem with the Hel02 is that it still does not show your upcoming stops. It has a “time to surface” indicator which estimates your schedule providing you swap on the gases you have programed, but that’s not the same thing as actually knowing what your stops are. With such advanced display, the computer should be able to show a graph or a forecast of stops and depths. I think this has to do with their forecasting style of diving. Those who have been on a Suunto before would of seen their computer go into decompression mode which just disappears sometimes when they arrive at a shallower depth around 10m. The Hel02 computer does the same thing, we got 3 minutes of deco, stayed over our depth for 2 minutes and it just went back to no decompression diving at 10m.

One of our instructors took the Hel02 for a recreational dive to test it for himself, as he was planning on upgrading from his Vytec Ds. Disapointinngly the instructor felt the Hel02 lacked important features and had he been on a trimix dive he would of bailed to slate and a back up.

One of the other aspects of the computer is the decompression model it uses. The model is called the Suunto Technical RGBM algorithm, despite not fully implementing the RGBM bubble model. Dr Bruce Wienke, who developed the full RGBM model, also developed the Suunto Technical RGBM algorithm and describes it as a simulation of a bubble model. When dived alongside a VR3, which uses a traditional Buhlmann model with Pyle Stops, the decompression required was almost identical. It is clear from the profiles produced by the HelO2 and from the new version of the Suunto Dive Planner that it is primarily a Haldanean/Buhlmann model with deep stops added.

The HelO2 was also compared against tables generated by two bubble models, VPM (using V-Planner) and RGBM (using GAP). It was clear that the profile required by the Suunto Technical RGM was very different to the RGBM profile generated by GAP. However the X1, which uses VPM-Live, matched the V-Planner generated VPM tables almost exactly. This is further confirmation that the HelO2 does not use a full RGBM implementation.

Post testing my conclusions are that Suunto have achieved what they set out to achieve. They have produced a computer which is easy to use and will appeal to a large number of Trimix divers. They have managed to do this at a price point that I think will appeal to a great deal of people coming into technical diving. Although it has its limitations, I can see this computer becoming a huge success, primarily because of distribution and getting your hands on this computer will be very easy compared to others. The HelO2 will polarize many in the technical diving world, with some people loving it and some people hating it. This will probably be the same people on the fence about the DSAT vs TDI debate as well.

However after several dives and debates with regards to its performance with other technical diving professionals, I would not recommend this computer at this time. Perhaps upon future releases of the HelO2 when all the potential bugs are fixed I will give it a second consideration. In the end, everyone recommends a VR3 (the closest competitor), despite the price, which will be the least of your concerns when diving beyond 100m

*this computer was tested againts the Vytec DS, VR3, Pursuit, and Uwatec Depth and Timer.

Big Blue Tech will be conducting a 4 day  Cavern Course in Kao Sok National Park. The following dates are available.

June 18th - 23rd ( 4 spaces )

This trip will be open to divers from around Thailand.

Pre-Requisites: Must be minimum Advanced with 20 dives ( Redundant Breathing System Provided)

Conduct: The course will be done on site in the national park over a 4 day period of 6 dives with academic plus dry land skills. Certification as a Cavern Diver will be received after completing 4 dives and a final exam with 2 experience dives to follow.

Included:
- Ferry to and from Mainland Thailand (if required)
- Transport to and around Khao Sok
- 4 nights accommodation in a 4 star resort inside the the National Park
- Manual and Certification
- All gas and cylinder fills
- All equipment (Reels, Torches, Dive Gear)
- All food and drinks (non alcoholic)
- Park Entry Fee
- Boat Fees
- 4 Training Dives
- 2 “fun” Experience Dives

Not Included: Beer

Tekkies: Technical gear is available for those certified, included in the course price.

Certified Cavern Divers:
For those certified we will be running exploration trips in conjunction with this course, this will allow certified divers to use the boat and compressor to conduct 4 days of diving

Gas:
Nitrox, Trimix and boosted oxygen available on site, on request.

Prices: Contact Us.

——–

Past Events, look at these pages for images and video

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

——-

Big Blue Tech will be conducting a 4 day  Cavern Course in Kao Sok National Park. The following dates are available.

June 5th - 9th ( 4 spaces )

This trip will be open to divers from around Thailand.

Pre-Requisites: Must be minimum Advanced with 20 dives ( Redundant Breathing System Provided)

Conduct: The course will be done on site in the national park over a 4 day period of 6 dives with academic plus dry land skills. Certification as a Cavern Diver will be received after completing 4 dives and a final exam with 2 experience dives to follow.

Included:
- Ferry to and from Mainland Thailand (if required)
- Transport to and around Khao Sok
- 4 nights accommodation in a 4 star resort inside the the National Park
- Manual and Certification
- All gas and cylinder fills
- All equipment (Reels, Torches, Dive Gear)
- All food and drinks (non alcoholic)
- Park Entry Fee
- Boat Fees
- 4 Training Dives
- 2 “fun” Experience Dives

Not Included: Beer

Tekkies: Technical gear is available for those certified, included in the course price.

Certified Cavern Divers:
For those certified we will be running exploration trips in conjunction with this course, this will allow certified divers to use the boat and compressor to conduct 4 days of diving

Gas:
Nitrox, Trimix and boosted oxygen available on site, on request.

Prices: 19,800 Baht

——–

Past Events, look at these pages for images and video

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

——-