thailand diving take 2

Keeping up dated

2009-09-28T07:19:00.000-07:00

Yep, I have left it far too long to update this blog, all the good intentions got side tracked by beer and sleep - not necessarily alone ;-)

What have I been up to for these past couple of weeks? Apart from the above mentioned, I have been really busy cracking on with my Divemaster course, which I have finally finished and just awaiting my cert with PADI and my PADI number. The hardest part was probably the stamina swims, one in particular - the 100m diver tow, it nearly killed me, maybe I shouldn't have had 10 fags that morning before the swim. But that's one course down and many to go.

On Saturday 19th September I got to take part in "Project AWARE International Clean up Day" on Chaweng Beach. A lot of divers turned out for a great days diving where we collected sacks and stacks of rubbish from the shallow sea bed. Loads of plastic and glass bottles, a few sacks/bags, pipes and some one even retrieved an encrusted plastic patio chair.

Here's a picture of all who went on the clean up outside the dive shop/center - Planet Scuba or Samui International Dive School. The clean up was followed by a nice barbecue and a few beers (again) back at the shop. This lead onto a night in Lamai to watch Thai lady boxing, but only saw a couple of fights including a K'Toy (Lady Boy) fight, which was......errrr.......interesting.

Yesterday as I planned and hoped, I started my instructor course, starting with two days of prep (red-tape, exams and skills in the pool). So, if I pass, I should finish and be an instructor in a couple of weeks, if this bout of food poisoning subsides that is.

Here are the candidates in the classroom: (from front to back) Olivier, myself, Gregory, Bruno, James (doing his IDCS instructor) and Paul (a staff instructor - staffing the IDC). The only one not in this picture is Camille, our course director. For better info you can find his blog spots on "My Blog List" on this page.

Thanks to Camille for letting me steel the pictures, I really should remember to take my camera out every where.

Getting Narced Up.

2009-09-09T03:22:00.000-07:00

Loving it more every day. Had a busy few days, managing to get diving every day so far. Except for today when I've had my head stuck in the text books but at least I've almost finished all the bookwork and tests for this "Divemaster" portion of my courses. Only one exam left to go.

But there will be a lot more to come, check out my library of sh-stuff that I've gotta get through over the coming months (and a couple more files are yet to come). It's not all fun fun fun.

On the diving, I've been out on chaweng reef for a couple of days. We've also been scouting for new dive sites to try, but our first attempt ended up at Chaweng reef again because where we tried was never any deeper than 1.5 meters. But I'm sure we'll keep trying exploring the island's many potential spots that look favorable. For my first time ever I also got out to Sail Rock yesterday. Unfortunately I did not take my camera and I saw some neet stuff; a few Groupers (5 feet long) and massive schools of different fish. Hopefully I will get out there again some time, it's an ace site.

Here's a Nudibranch on Chaweng reef, the first one that I've seen out there, about 6 inch long.

This little fella loved the camera, he was posing for ages. We saw lots of Puffer fish just like this one, about 1.5 foot long.

Back In The Office

2009-09-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

I'm finally online where I'm living, so I will be able to keep this updated. After a few days of acclimatising and getting over the jet lag (beer and the pharmacist helped me out on that one), I'm now back in the water and cracking on with my courses - Brilliant. Have managed to dive for the past 3 days, a couple of days out on the boat to Koh Tao - Japanese Gardens; where I helped out with try divers (PADI Discover Scuba Divers). I also managed to get a night dive at the local Chaweng Reef, a nice little reef just off the beach. This meant that I got to try out my new digital camera under the water.

Unfortunately none of the fish were being photogenic, but here's one of me in my favorite environment - back underwater. I'm sure that I'll get many more chances for some cool fishy pics, in fact I'm off to Chaweng reef again in half an hour, then tonight again maybe so I should get some.

It Begins

2009-08-30T20:04:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.

I am finally back in Samui, and so glad to be here. I arrived 3 days ago and have just been chillin. I had to spend a couple of nights in a different gaff, just next door to where I am now. Although the Internet is not working there yet, so I've had to drag myself around the corner to Big Buddha where there is an ace little cafe.

So to get online and kick this blog off, I'm having to endure this amazing view with an ice cream coffee. I should hopefully be back in the water in a couple of days, blowing loads of bubbles. It will be good to cool down, the heat is making me sweat like a pig, but at least its not giving me all the headaches and sickness that I had on my last visit, hopefully I won't get them problems this time round.

Laters

Craigy

Unexpected Photos in Thailand

2009-07-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

The reasons that I had to leave Thailand are shown in the photos below. 2 photos that I didn't expect to have taken when I last set out on this adventure.

A chest X-ray showing my right clavicle (collar bone) broken in two places and displaced. This was repaired in Thailand but as the surgeon used a thin, shitty plate it later re broke straight though the plate, on the day that I was flying back to the UK. This all lead to another operation in Rotherham District General Hospital, where a huge-proper plate was put in.

On this one you can see the big sack of blood that shouldn't be there (that big white blob on the left hand side - which is the right side of my brain). This Extradural Hemorrhage (also know as a brain fart follow through!!) was from an arterial bleed from one of two skull fractures. The CT is crappy quality so to give you a better idea of the size of the bleed......it's about the volume of my fist or a small apple.

Thankfully the brain surgeon and hospital were fantastic so I survived this usually fatal injury. They tinkered with my brain though a big peace of skull that was cut out and put back (Skull Flap Craniotomy) and I turned out 'normal'. Well, I came out of it as ab-normal as I've always been.

I owe a few thanks to surviving this. Firstly to Camille who luckily found me on the road shortly after the accident and ensured that the ambulance took me to the right place and not to the hospital with the really bad rep. A big thanks to all the doctors and nurses in Bangkok-Samui Hospital. And to all who visited and watched/baby sat me each night when I was on the ward..........fuck, I sound like I'm receiving an Oscar!

This seems like a grim place to start this blog, but it means that the blog can only get better/happier!!

Oh and to answer the usual questions that I get about this accident:

No - I was not pissed, not even had a drink, even though it happened on my 30th birthday, I was just heading out to start the night off.
No - I did not have a helmet on, stupid I know!
No - It was not my fault, it happened because of a Thai lady who turned straight in font of me.....without looking/indicating. Normal practice in Thailand.

Take care.

Craigy

About This Blog.

2009-06-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.

I've created this blog to allow all the folks back home to keep up to date on what (and who) I'm doing and what I'm getting up to on my second attempt at a life in Koh Samui Thailand. Something which I started back in October 2008 but the trip got cut short by a little scooter accident on 28.11.2008 (my thirtieth birthday too). My ticket back to Samui is booked and I'll be travelling back there on 27th August. From then onwards I will try to write blog updates as often as possible, maybe it will encourage some of you to come over and see me?! Hope so!

Until then, enjoy reading!

Craigy.