March 04, 2008

Koh Tao (THAILAND)

My Greatest Dive Ever (Chumphon), Hanging Around, and Becoming a Rescue Diver

The alarm on my Japanese mobile phone, which despite its impressive features only works on the Japanese network, went off at 5:40 am this morning, reminding me that I was scheduled for a morning dive at the Chumphon Pinnacle. I gritted my teeth in the cold shower, getting as good a wake-up call as any in the process, and shortly afterward threw on the only bathing suit I can actually wear in the ocean - a flowery board shorts variety - as my other one is all white (obviously not a well-thought out purchase.) Then, I carefully rode my motorbike down the dirt path from the mountain, a scary process as the tires easily skid on the top layer of dirt, and continued onward to the New Way dive shop in Sairee Village. There were a dozen other divers going out for the morning, but all of us were still in need of coffee so there wasn't much chatting going on until we reached the boat.

Liz would be my underwater guide for the day, and I once more lucked out as the only advanced fun diver on the boat. She offered to let me take over the dive as I have become a very strong diver, a prospect I was thrilled at because it would enable me to spend more time with the sharks at the ocean floor. Also, as a sort of pat on my own back, I am now down to only 1 kg of weights, which is something most of the dive masters have not yet been able to achieve.

At 07:33 am we jumped from the boat and were the first two in the water. We slowly descended to the ocean floor, something that has become a greater challenge now that I am so neutrally buoyant - I don't even inflate my BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) - and within one minute of starting the dive we were at 31.5 meters with four sharks swimming around us. I don't just mean I could see four sharks, I mean four sharks were actually within a 5-7 meter ring swimming around us! It was the greatest of highs as there were moments when the sharks would swim toward us, breaking off only when continuing would result in a collision. We probably spent longer than we should have at the ocean floor (I wonder how "narced out" I was from the nitrogen), but we ended up counting 11 sharks in all while down there.

As we continued the dive, I took the responsibility of leading, which was somewhat scary because it was up to me to ensure we never strayed too far from the reef - a shark is more likely to attack in open water than near a reef where it can injure itself. However, there is one part of the dive sight where we must swim 30 meters through open water to reach Barracuda Rock, and as this is one of my favorite parts of the dive sight off we went with sharks still visible. We spotted a variety of fish around the rock, including a school massive Great Barracuda, and that is when the real fun started! Both Liz and I watched on in amazement as the schools began distorting in a variety of directions (fish form schools so that predators cannot target individual fish), and it didn't take long to figure out what was after the Great Barracuda: the sharks!

We saw two sharks crashing through the schools as everything in front of us exploded with movement, and within seconds of the frenzy starting a two meter gray reef shark swam past us with a massive Great Barracuda hanging from its mouth. Liz and I stared at each other in amazement at what we just saw - yesterday afternoon we researched online how sharks hunt, attacking upward and always at triangular angles - and here we were seeing it all unfold right before our eyes. It was the ultimate diving experience, and something that I may never get to see again from so close.

It was tough to top the shark sightings, so the rest of the dive was spent coming down from the massive adrenaline rush. However, we did spot a massive grouper that was well over one meter in length, a masked porcupine fish that allowed us to swim right up and study it while it fed, and juvenile batfish with fins that are longer than normal. When we finally completed our 46 minute dive we reached the surface stilling bubbling with excitement over everything we saw, and despite Liz's experience in the waters off Koh Tao (she has been diving here on a daily basis for a couple of years), this was also the best dive she has ever been on.

Making matters even better, everyone on the boat was amazed that I came up with 80 bar left in my tank (we all start with 200 bar) because we were so deep for so long, and the deeper you go the quicker you use up the oxygen. This may sound like glorified gloating, but I don't really care because I have worked hard to control my air consumption, and that I have become so accomplished at it means the best divers will take me down because I won't restrict their bottom time.

At the next dive sight, White Rock, Liz and I spent 15 minutes of the dive watching a 15 centimeter Spanish Dancer (picture shown to the right, found on the internet) because it is such a rare find - especially one so large. It moves gracefully through the water, with the body's motion resembling the flowing ruffles on a dancers skirt, and now knowing that I will probably never see another one makes me wish I spent even longer watching it.

After this dive, which was an easy one where we only went down to 20 meters, I sat on the top deck of the dive boat discussing my travel plans with David and Neil. Yesterday, I bought us all a ferry and bus ticket off the island for 2:00 pm, but I felt like there was no way I could leave the island I have grown so found of, especially when the experiences were so amazing this morning. Fortunately, David and Neil agreed that they were willing to hang around somewhat longer, and I decided to take advantage of the extra time to take the next step in my diving: becoming a certified PADI Rescue Diver. It is a three to four day course that is the final step before becoming a full-fledged professional diver, and it is something I value because it teaches me how to deal with everything that can go wrong underwater. This morning really had me wondering what I would do if one of the sharks had attacked Liz because, with no one else around that deep, it would have been up to me to save her life.

I began the course in the afternoon, spending six hours watching video, listening to my instructor Brad (from London, Canada), and practicing all the skills for primary and secondary care: administering CPR, giving lifeline support, bandaging, making splints, dealing with shock, and so on and so forth. The things I learned today had very little to do with diving, and will serve me well in the future should there be some kind of medical emergency I must deal with (ie strokes, dealing with someone who has passed out from drinking too much, etc.)

By the time I finished my course it was 6:00 pm, and I was shattered from the long day. I sat along the waterfront nursing a beer and eating tom yom soup with shrimp (a spicy Thai soup), admiring the beauty unfolding before my eyes. Looking out, it was more than obvious that staying on the island was the right decision.