Scuba Diving in Thailand: An Epic Solo Journey

Up at dawn and en path to the harbor, my abdomen fluttered with each nerves and pleasure.

I had booked an all-day boat dive by means of my hostel in Phuket, although I hadn’t been scuba diving in years.

Regardless of the fast refresher course I’d accomplished in preparation for the journey, I nonetheless felt not sure. I hoped I wouldn’t be a nuisance to my dive grasp or the opposite divers in my group.

You see, this was additionally my first solo journey and I used to be alone – no dive buddy to lean again on this time. Nonetheless, my worries weren’t sufficient to sway me. Nothing beats the sensation of respiratory underwater… particularly when the water occurs to be crystal clear and a balmy 89° Fahrenheit. Whereas the Thai island of Koh Tao is well-known for its world class diving, I had no concept what to anticipate in Phuket. I merely needed to revive my scuba abilities and have a enjoyable time out on the water, even when we didn’t see a lot sea life.

See additionally: Top Koh Tao Diving Sites

Arriving on the harbor, I used to be launched to my dive grasp Praew (a neighborhood to the island), and one other diver from Germany who would be a part of us for the day. Praew briefed us on the dive websites we’d be visiting and patiently answered all of our questions. Approaching the primary dive website and feeling only a tad queasy from the boat experience out, we slipped into our gear and (after a fast security test), slid into the water.

Right here goes nothing!

As we slowly and quietly descended, my pre-dive jitters melted away and my respiratory relaxed. An entire world opened up earlier than me. Faculties of fish darted earlier than my eyes, a turtle swam within the distance, a sea snake slithered above the sand and big boulders fashioned mini underwater canyons to swim by means of. Within the distance, my dive grasp identified a reef shark darting out and in of view. This dive was proving to be probably the greatest of my life. We caught up with a sea turtle and swam alongside it (at a respectful distance), and I quickly misplaced observe of time.

Earlier than I knew it, our tanks had been operating low and we needed to ascend. Again on the boat, we loved contemporary watermelon and fruit juice as we recounted all that we had seen whereas transferring in direction of the following dive website.

Over the following two days, we encountered numerous extra turtles, reef sharks and fish, together with my favourite – the batfish. I even swam by means of my first shipwreck and colleges of sea life inched out of my approach whereas I explored the varied corridors.

It was, to place it calmly, the expertise of a lifetime and one I’ll always remember.

After our closing dive, Praew was form sufficient to share his GoPro footage with us (freed from cost!), and I now have tons of of lovely images to recollect the journey.

Again in my room that night, I drifted to sleep exhausted, however ever so content material and completely happy. I vowed to return to Thailand the next 12 months for one more solo dive journey – and I did – this time in Koh Tao. I now plan to proceed to return for years to come back.

Scuba diving in Thailand affords the whole lot one might hope for by way of service, local weather, sea life and variety, and really caters to all talent ranges. In truth, there’s no higher place to get licensed in the event you’re involved in turning into an open water diver.

To e book your personal scuba diving journey in Phuket, hold your eyes peeled for dive journeys departing to Racha Noi and Racha Yai. Journeys are usually all-day excursions and your chosen supplier will decide you up instantly out of your lodge. In 2017, my journey value $105 USD (3,700 Bhat) and included breakfast, lunch and equipment.