Khaolak Scuba Adventures

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 08:04:00 +0000

Sun set party at Khao Lak beach after the Instructor Examination is always the best part of the course. 2 weeks lie behind this new PADI dive instructors. Long hours of hard work, sweat, tears and team work.

Congratulations friends and welcome in the PADI dive family and to the Khao Lak Scuba Adventures team.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 07:56:00 +0000

Get a Life and become a PADI Dive Pro with Khao Lak Scuba Adventures 5 Star Training Academy. 2 weeks of hard work and good fun with our younglings a.k.a ¨Padawans¨.

Course Director Marcel van den Berg, ever youngest Course Director trained by PADI with more than 6000 student certifications on his account. The course paid off, 8 out of 10 IDC candidates are working at the Similan and Surin Islands on board our Manta Queen liveaboard fleet.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 07:48:00 +0000

KHAO LAK SCUBA ADVENTURES PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Center just finished one more Instructor Course. Congratulation to all new PADI Pro Members, good luck and success in your future career as PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors.

Get a Life become a PADI Pro

Short video clip of our flagship Manta Queen 3 at the Similan Island Marine Park in Thailand.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 29 Mar 2015 07:33:00 +0000

Fantastic Dive Site - Great Blue Hole !

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 08:27:00 +0000

Part of the Lighthouse Reef System, The Great Blue Hole lies approximately 60 miles off the mainland out of Belize City. A large, almost perfectly circular hole approximately one quarter of a mile (0.4 km) across, it’s one of the most astou

nding dive sites to be found anywhere on earth. Inside this hole, the water is 480 feet (145 m) deep and it is the depth of water which gives the deep blue color that causes such structures throughout the world to be known as “blue holes.”

MQ IV PROMOTION

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:06:00 +0000

View Details Online

MANTA QUEEN IV

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 19:01:00 +0000

MANTA QUEEN IV

Join us for a cruise to the top dive sites of the South Andaman 
Sea. Manta Queen IV accommodates 22 guests in air conditioned cabins. 
Three different types are available. Twin bed cabins or double bed 
cabins, as well two large ensuite Cabins with own shower and Toilette as
 well one huge Mastercabin where actually 4 People can find space for a 
relaxed Sleep with Minibar and Television inside. Trips starts from 
02.11.2012 in every Friday for 4 Days 4 Nights. 

 We have plenty 
of space to enjoy the time in between dives in the social Area with 
HD-TV, Soundsystem and many more nice things at the open dining area or 
on the large sundeck with shade area. All meals on board are served 
buffet style freshly cooked from our on board kitchen. Snacks and fruits
 are served in between dives. Our dinghy gives us the the opportunity to
 spend some time on the beautiful beaches.

MANTA QUEEN IV

Green Season 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:48:00 +0000

Khaolak Scuba Adventures latest custom build Daytrip / Overnight Boat Manta Queen III will be spending the Green Season (low season) from 15 June 2012 to Mid October in and around Phi Phi Island offering dive guests the chance to take advantage of our great service and friendly staff while staying on out flagship liveabaord boat the Manta Queen III

DIVE SITES WE WILL VISIT:

Koh Phi Phi
Hin Daeng
Hin Muang
King Cruiser Wreck

Koh Ha
Anemone Reef
Shark Point

>>>> VISIT US ONLINE HERE <<<<

Reef Clean up 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Reef Clean up 2012Welcome to the big reef clean up of 2012. Six dive staff came from Khaolak Scuba Adventures to help Sign Scuba, Medsye, Wicked Diving and the Similan Marine Park staff clean up the reef and beaches.

Oops Dustin forgot his Khaolak Scuba Adventures T-shirt will he fit in my spare…….

….. just about J

The head of the marine park Mr Mana himself welcoming everyone to the event and giving us all reef cleaning t-shirts.

The man with the plan, Mr Olan explaining how we are all going to dive Island number one, we are so lucky to be invited to this project and to have such a rare opportunity to see this reef. Thank you Olan for inviting us onto you boat Zcubatech.

Island number one up close and personal, with fabulous rock formations Leanne thinks it looks like a loaf of bread so perhaps we’ll call this dive site “Leanne’s loaf”?

around the corner the dive site seems to welcome us with a smiley face

...

It’s a big ocean, Leanne is going to help clean it up.

After the dive we go to the beach on Island one and clean up there. There is actually more trash on the beach (washed up by the tide) than we found on the dive site. Great job Renate!

The park staff have clearly done this before

and an added bonus we got to see the baby turtles, only a few day old and their protected nests.

On day two we checked out East of Eden on Island seven. The decision was taken to close this dive site last season with support from all the dive centres in Khao Lak. East of Eden’s beautiful hard corals and the famous coral “bommie” was very badly affected by the high sea temperatures at the end of the season 2010. Time to check out if it has recovered at all…… The Emperors are out hunting,

and there is a moray eel at the big table coral, is it the famous Emma? This moray looked a bit small but you never know!

Some parts of the coral reef look very healthy

But a lot of this reef is still in very poor shape and clearly needs more time to recover.

A massive thank you to all the organizers of this clean up event. We all feel very privileged to help out and donate our time and energy to a good cause that is so close to our hearts.

Introducing the National Marine Parks New Partner: SAMPAN (Strengthening Andaman Marine Protected Areas Network) Reef Guardians

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 07:28:00 +0000

On 21^st and 22^nd December 2011 Remy and Alex teamed up with dive staff from South Siam Divers and Wicked Diving to learn how to become Reef Guardians. We had such a nice welcome to Island 4 on the 1^st day and spent a bit of classroom time (thank you to our wonderful translator – Pla).

The objectives of SAMPAN are:

To strengthen the cooperation among the relating agencies on the 3 marine national Parks; Mu Ko Surin, Mu Ko Similan and Mu Ko Lanta, which include the environmental quality, social and economic.
To promote Andaman costal sustainable tourism activities using environmental standard and social criteria.
To reduce tourism impacts in Andaman coast and enhance the positive relation in natural resources and biodiversity conservation.

The result was the development of a system to monitor the reefs of the Similan National Park with a high level of accuracy but a system simple enough to use that it can be carried out whilst guiding divers on a normal working dive.

Armed with our dive gear and shiny new Reef Guardian monitoring slates we made a trial run in Honeymoon bay.

More training after dinner, and presentation of our rash guards.

Another monitoring training dive the next morning at Anita’s Reef. Hmmmm not so easy trying to count all the wrasse and soft corals on the bommie!

Thank you to all the organisers, SAMPAN
Khaolak Scuba Adventures will be monitoring: Christmas point, North Point, Three Trees, Turtle Rock & Elephant Head

Taucher.net Inspection of Khaolak Scuba Adventures Facilities and Boats

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Khaolak Scuba Adventures would like to offer their thanks and appreciation to Harry from www.taucher.net for his two week inspection of our operation. Whilst here Harry checked out a live-aboard safari aboard the Manta Queen I, an overnight trip on the Manta Queen III as well as a Flying Manta I Boonsung Wreck Trip and Seachart Wreck Trip.

There was a further inspection of Khaolak Scuba Adventures' Scuba Diving Academy at the Mohin Tara Resort along with our new and Khaolak's first dedication Technical Diving Centre and our retail store located above McDonalds in the heart of Khaolak. We sincerely look forward to the article Harry will be posting in both the Dive Inside scuba diving magazine and on www.taucher.net in the near future.

With Khaolak Scuba Adventures, Harry was also here to check out Khaolak and the Similan Islands along with Peter Stiller's Land Tours, our partner hotel the Suwan Palm and also Pu Khao Lak. During this schedule time was found to enjoy dinner at Khao Niau Restaurant and Bavaria House which deserves another big thank you for the great meals.

The entire Khaolak Scuba Adventures team are grateful for the nice and funny times we enjoyed with Harry and hope its not too long before another visit. DIVE, EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT!!

TDI Trimix Instructor Course

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:00:00 +0000

In terms of training this season Khaolak Scuba Adventures have been very busy. We have now issued over 100 certifications ranging from PADI Scuba Diver through to (the most recent) TDI Trimix Instructor!

With a large team of multi-lingual instructors and a combined experience of over 100 years of teaching, Khaolak Scuba Adventures offers the most diverse course options in the region.

The latest course on Manta Queen III was taught by Ben Reymenants and was attended by Alex Leeming (taking Trimix instructor course) and Larry Smith (taking TDI closed circuit rebreather, trimix level).

At this level of training, nothing can be taken for granted. As a diver on open circuit (regular style scuba) I have to take two tanks (minimum) of the gas mixture to breathe during the dive (either air, nitrox or trimix, depending on the depth) and then two or more nitrox mixes to breathe during the decompression stops. For Larry (on the Megalodon CCR) the dive requires not only the rebreather unit and its two tanks of oxygen and diluant (diluant can be air or trimix depending on the depth of the dive) but also two or three bailout tanks. Attached to all these tanks is a regulator, looking a bit different from a normal scuba regulator, with only one second-stage per first-stage, a pressure gauge and sometimes a low pressure inflator. Then we need a BCD to control buoyancy. These look a bit different from the recreational ones and mine has two inflation cells inside and a harness to hold it all together. Larry has his BCD and harness all together in one unit. We also carry multi-gas dive computers, surface markers with spools, dive knives, lights and back-ups of all of these. Then we work really hard to make it look neat and tidy and streamlined in the water!

In reality getting in and out of the water can be the toughest part of the dive!

Analysing and labeling ALL tanks.

This kind of diving takes a lot of practice and demands a good deal of planning and attention to detail. If you make a mistake, you know it’s going to hurt! We have to practice, practice, practice.

Skills with tanks and a CCR rescue scenario.

So why do it at all? We made some amazing deep dives on sites that may not have been dived before. At 60m we found pristine sea fans, soft corals, sea whips and barrel sponges, not to mention all the trevallies, groupers, rays and fusiliers. We felt like pioneers discovering new dive sites and new parts of well established dive sites like West of Eden. I can’t wait to go again :D

Great Feedback

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 01:27:00 +0000

To whom it may concern,

My girlfriend, Amanda and I, Dean, had the pleasure of staying on the Manta Queen III Live-aboard for 2 nights recently for some diving around the Similan Islands. I'd just like to pass on our congratulations on running Khao Lak Scuba Adventures as such a smooth operation. From the moment we were picked up at our hotel, transferred to the speed boat, stayed on the Manta Queen III, transferred back to the mainland and then back to our hotel we felt very welcomed by your staff. Special mention must go to one of your dive guides, Jerome, who really went out of his way to assist Amanda. She unfortunately had been struck down by a minor cold just before the trip and in addition to not being too experienced in the water, having only recently become a certified OW diver, Jerome made sure she was comfortable and safe at all times. Furthermore, Jerome was very flexible with me, being a DM, and allowing me to switch back and forth between dives with his dive group so I could dive with Amanda, and with the advanced dive groups so I could experience certain dive sites more challenging parts. And of course the Thai crew on board the boat were a definite highlight of the trip...with their always smiling faces and willingness to help it made the whole trip an enjoyable experience for us.

Hoping to dive with your company again in the near future.

Regards,

Dean

Message For Our Customers

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:20:00 +0000

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures PADI Dive Centers in Thailand are open for business and -NOT- affected by the flooding.

Over the past several weeks, seasonal rains that are heavier than usual have resulted in widespread flooding in Thailand. While the flooding is having some impact, most key tourist destinations and attractions throughout Thailand have not been affected by the floods and almost all remain open. The flooding areas are Bangkok and some surrounding provinces.

Tourist destinations in southern and eastern Thailand remain fully accessible.

Major tourist destinations such as Khao Lak, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Pattaya, Ko Chang, Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Krabi and Ko Samui, Ko Tao, and all provinces in southern Thailand, are not affected by the floods. They remain fully accessible and are experiencing normal weather conditions for this time of year.

Thai Staff First Aid & CPR Pre-season Training

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:08:00 +0000

10 October 2011 - Sea View Resort Khao Lak

During the 'green season' this year Khaolak Scuba Adventures have been busy improving many aspects of our dive shop operation. As the high season approaches we are now undertaking several days of staff training. Starting on the 10th October Khaolak Scuba Adventures set a new precedent in the Khaolak area by providing first aid training for ALL Thai employees.

The course, conducted by Khun Bomb from the SSS Chamber facility based in Phuket, covers not only basic first aid and CPR, but also education as too what diving related injuries may occur and the role of the chamber in assisting suspected DCI cases.

For the customer this adds a whole new level of safety and assurance. Accidents

can happen, and usually do at the most unexpected times. Once you trip begins with Khaolak Scuba Adventures there is always a qualified First Aider to hand, whether in a transfer vehicle, at the dive shop or out on-board a boat.

All dive staff at Khaolak Scuba Adventures have to have current EFR (Emergency First Responder) Certification and for the 2011-2012 Season, dive staff will be trained as oxygen providers. Reaction, treatment and evacuations can now be handled in the upmost professional manner as any Khaolak Scuba Adventures' employee can assist the dive staff in emergency situations.

Although Thailand has excellent emergency response units, first aid training is not common place. Khaolak Scuba Adventures' employees now have training to handle emergencies at home and also within the local community, something that has very positive benefits for all.

I just became a Recreational Diver Medical Technician (RDMT)

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 02:27:00 +0000

So why did I do it?

Apart from the challenge of sitting in a classroom and not being the teacher, not to mention mastering the skills required to pass this course. The rise in popularity of liveaboards and technical diving has created the requirement for Recreational DMT (RDMT) training. RDMTs may carry out patient assessments, provide advanced first aid for a wide variety of medical conditions and be able to liaise efficiently with medical personnel. This is particularly useful when diving in remote areas such as the Similan National Park and Khao Sok National Park, both areas being at least 4 hours away from basic medical care and fully qualified medical professionals.

RDMTs take an important role here in risk assessment, planning for the provision of first aid, emergency communications and casualty evacuation. We are trained to deliver care for the most common non-diving injuries and conditions likely to be encountered during recreational activity onboard boats and to have a good understanding of the mechanisms of diving injuries.

RDMTs are also trained in the provision of care within the hyperbaric chamber. This reflects the current growth in the number of hyperbaric facilities worldwide and the requirement for additional personnel to be familiar with particular aspects of care within this environment.

Khaolak Scuba Adventures will be able to offer better quality first aid care for any diver unfortunate enough to be injured whilst diving with us. We hope to improve safety by applying specialised knowledge and risk assessment techniques to dive planning, leading to a rise in the overall quality of diving activities.

Where did I do it?

Blue Label Diving in Chalong, Phuket, are our business partners offering many years of experience in technical diving and RDMT training. Ben Reymenants is fast developing a reputation for being the best instructor of technical diving and Dive Medic and Hyperbaric chamber operator courses in Asia.

What does the course involve?

The first part of the course comprises of bringing all basic 1^st aid theory up to date and perfecting skills that we all had but never used, including CPR, Oxygen provision and use of Automated External Defibrillators. Then we moved on to advanced airway management, more in depth shock assessment and management and even providing IV fluids, intra muscular injections and sutures. Of course a great deal of the course focused on recognizing, evacuating and caring for recreational divers with decompression illness. We had a thorough orientation to the SSS hyperbaric chamber facilities at Phuket International Hospital and made two simulated treatments inside, qualifying us to assist in the care of real patients receiving recompression treatment.

The RDMT training is challenging and fun and will promote safer diving and superior care for recreational divers around the world.

Welcome to our new PADI partner – Ocean Breeze Resort

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 11:11:00 +0000

Yesterday Tony Andrews (PADI regional manager) met with Stefan and our business partner Mr Kamran (CEO at Ocean Breeze) to complete the contract for Ocean Breeze to become a PADI Resort and official business partner with Khaolak Scuba Adventures.

We will be working together with Ocean Breeze for the benefit and growth of both businesses. Conny, who has been a PADI instructor for seven years and has been working as a booking agent within Ocean Breeze for two seasons, will continue to promote diving there and assist our instructors at the pool side when they are conducting confined water training sessions. Also, Mr Kamran has generously offered Khaolak Scuba Adventures staff and students a 20% discount when they use the poolside restaurant before or after training sessions :)

By Alex Leeming

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures management are taking care of their staff and the community:

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 04:17:00 +0000

At the moment we are working hard, behind the main dive centre, to install a proper Kitchen with two professional Gas cookers, a big sink, a preparation area, some fridges and a store room. The purpose of this kitchen is to prepare food for Manta Queen I, Manta Queen II, Manta Queen III and Flying Manta I. It will also be available for our Thai staff to cook their own lunch. It is important to us to provide the means for our staff to have healthy food and clean facility to cook in their lunch break. This way they have enough energy for the demanding days of high season. We all know how those days feel ;-)

Our friend (and new colleague) Felix was the Chef Trainer and assistant Head Chef from the Marriott Hotel in Munich, Germany. As you can imagine, Felix was pretty excited to hear about this opportunity from Stefan to work for Khaolak Scuba Adventures and also do some charity work in the Khao Lak Community. Stefan and Felix came up with a great plan to give orphans in the area the opportunity to train to become professional chefs.

We want to give something back to the beautiful Kingdom of Thailand where we are welcome and given the opportunity to live our dreams. We believe that the best way to do this is to invest in the education of local children.

Felix, welcome to the Khaolak Scuba Adventures team and we wish you many successes with your future trainees here!

By Stefan Kasweber

Message from John.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 08:21:00 +0000

Hi everyone...My name is John and I'm the Retail Manager for All 4 Scuba; which is the retail arm of Khao Lak Scuba Adventures.

For the upcoming season we are significantly expanding the range off products that we stock.

These include equipment from Scubapro, Aqualung, OMS, Intova, Sub Gear, Uwatec, Sea and Sea and many many more.

With this expansion, we now have one of the largest displays of dive gear available in Southern Thailand !!!

So, whether you are looking for snorkeling sets, a finger reel or a complete set of dive equipment; stop by and see us at 'All 4 Scuba'. A warm reception and expert advise awaits you.

We are located just above McDonalds on the main street in Khao Lak.

We are ready!

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 05:22:00 +0000

The offices are complete (nearly!)

Now that Annelies has arrived and started working with our full time office staff the team is complete. Alex has moved into the Tech Shop and it already looks great even though the signs have not arrived yet.

So let me introduce the official team to you:

Stefan Kasweber, General Manager, you know this Bavarian already J He doesn’t drink a lot of beer and he does smile a lot, are we really sure he is Bavarian?!

Lars Pohlmann, Operations Manager, we have another German to keep us super organized and on time for everything.

Annelies Fleers, Sales and Agent Representative. From The Netherlands and speaking many other European languages, this lady will keep all our agents happy.

Alex Leeming, Head Instructor and Tech Shop Manager. From England, supporting all the dive staff liaising with the PADI guys and in charge of Khao Laks’s first technical diving centre.

John, Retail Manager. Also from England, will be the “go-to-guy” in Khao Lak for everyone’s equipment needs.

Ryan Scheemaker, Web master. From The Netherlands, this is the man behind our beautiful new website and providing our essential database.

Bee, Manager’s Assistant. This lovely Thai lady keeps us all sane, liaises with the Thai staff and keeps, facebook and our blog up to date.

We all have brand new Macintosh computers to work from and are very excited about the new website and database that Ryan will deliver to us very soon. We are also working with a professional Apple Mac service engineer from Germany who will install our office network, server, firewalls etc.

I am VERY excited to announce that Ben and Simone Reymenants will continue their partnership with Khaolak Scuba Adventures and help me run the Tech centre. They will be opening their new office in Chalong this weekend despite delays to the work from the beautiful monsoon weather!

Of course these are not the only people working here in low season, Pa Faan and Oi are in accounting and Phi Toun and all the Thai taxi drivers are busy with building an extension out the back of the dive centre.

Chris is also busy checking on the progress of the boat refurbishments having already worked hard to service all the dive equipment.

Come high season Phi Toun will be helping Lars with operations, with bookings in the main dive centre and the tech centre and with hotel advice for our guests. Chris will be the technical support offshore, so he is on all the boats making sure compressors blending systems and diving equipment are all in tip top condition.

So, we can’t wait to get all our dive staffs back to Khao Lak for a big celebration in October - we miss you guys! And we will need lots of tourists to take diving and snorkeling too.

See you all soon J

Story by Alex Leeming

Make the boat better for our customers.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:06:00 +0000

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures Boats are at Asia Marina Dry Dock Phuket

During the last month all Khaolak Scuba Adventures Dive Vessels were out of the water for general overhaul to make them better, and nicer. We made massive adjustments to our Liveaboards, Day trip boats and Local Dive boats to make them even more comfortable for our guests in the upcoming season.

On Manta Queen I we installed sound reducers for the generators and the engines.

Some woodwork has been replaced on the upper deck and the whole boat has been

re-painted. We changed one 4 bed cabin into a Twin cabin, less guests equals more space, more quality, more fun J So we have reduced the amount of guests to 22 during our 4day/4night trips to Similan Islands – Koh Bon – Koh Tachai and Richelieu Rock. The Engine has been completely serviced also the Blending Station for Nitrox and brand new Safety Tools like a Satellite Phone have been installed.

Manta Queen II has new cabin windows, just slide to open them, sound reducers were installed and the whole boat has been painted.

All life rafts came off all the boats for service; we never cut corners with safety at

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures.

Manta Queen III was out of the water as well, even though she was in operation just a few months. The hull has been cleaned and painted, we have new floor covering in all cabins and the nicest sundeck in Similan Islands is now partially covered.

We changed the benches on the Dive deck, making it more comfortable to gear up while sitting and equipment can now be stored after the dive, just below the bench in equipment boxes.

As soon as we have all boats back in Khao Lak, three additional air conditioning units are going to be installed in the captain’s – and Thai staff cabins and a new Nitrox Membrane System is going to be put in so that we can keep all our Nitrox divers happy.

All in all we made lots of adjustments and changes. The boats look beautiful

again and we wish our guests and staff an unforgettable dive holiday onboard our Fleet.

Story by: Mr.Lars Pohlmann

We have all you need for your holiday.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:50:00 +0000

What do we know about your dream vacation? Your dream destination? What do you want to do in your free vacation time? Go party, do sports, sight seeing? Do you want to learn about the country and the people and try the local cuisine?

Whatever your dream holidays may look like, Khao Lak Scuba Adventures will be your partner. We are not only focused on diving and snorkeling adventures, we also advise you in hotel bookings – whether you prefere luxury style or a simple bamboo hut, all-inclusive offers or individual solutions.

Together with our experienced tour-partners you can explore the jungle around Khao Lak. Enjoy the amazing experience of riding an Elephant, prove yourself in white water rafting or explore the unspoiled rainforest by ATV/quad bike.

To arrange your taxi pick-up’s, for restaurant recommendations, shopping tours, nightlife or baby sitting ask Monika. She can organise everything.

As our first cooperation partner we want to introduce you to ECO Khao-Lak Adventure with experienced English and German speaking tour guides. With over 12 years experience running professional tours, Eco Khao Lak Adventure can guarantee, your trip will be a safe, memorable & exciting experience.

Good Book.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 09:17:00 +0000

A newly released book by renown underwater photographer Beverly Factor shares with young readers a message about the need for ocean conservation.

Titled “Angelee Saves the Sea,” the 40-page hardcover features Factor’s original full- color photography throughout, with most images running full page to highlight the natural beauty of the underwater environments.

Beverly Factor tells the story of an Angelfish, who intends to save the ocean from pollution and destruction. Angelee’s plan is to create a picture book with photographs of all the friends she meets on a journey through the seas. Each fish that Angelee encounters shares a personal story about why their species is endangered, and how instead their habitats can be protected.

“Angelee’s goal is to give her photo book to the world’s leaders,” Factor says. “She hopes people will take notice of the beauty of the sea and the danger it faces, so they’ll change their ways to protect the ocean environments.”

Jean-Michel Cousteau says “Angelee Saves the Sea” is “certain to help the next generation better appreciate the wonder of the sea, and inspire young people to care for it.” Ocean conservationist Ted Danson calls it “an unforgettable adventure story that educates children about the sea.”

And filmmaker Greg MacGillivray says the story “is a wonderful paean of imagination, beauty and adventure, and helps us all understand the importance of the ocean to our very soul.”

“Through real underwater photographs, I want children to really ‘see’ the beauty of the ocean, and get to know its inhabitants,” Beverly Factor says. “Unlike conventional children’s books with illustrations, the photographs help children learn about each animal, and why it is endangered or threatened.”

Khao Lak Scuba adventures would like to recommend you this book. It's a good idea to make a book like this. For more information on "Angelee Save the Sea" , please click here. Thank you Ric Parker from Thailand Dive and Sail for the information.

Good to be back.

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:30:00 +0000

My name is Dan Slater. I’m from England. I’m a PADI diving instructor. I was in Thailand for 10years before I moved to Indonesia. Thailand became my second home, working in the Similans for 8 seasons and the gulf of Thailand for the rest. So, when I was offered the chance to come back to Khao Lak Scuba Adventures I jumped to the opportunity to work and dive with my friends again.

It feels great to be part of the KSA family again. Khao Lak has a great community feel. The local are so friendly and helpful which is refreshing change from other places I have worked.

I’m a big fan of micro life and I’m really looking forward to finding everything that the Similans has to offer like Frog Fish, Ghost Pipe Fish, Xeno and Candy Crabs, Sea Horse and much much much much more. I’m looking forward to showing you these amazing underwater critters whilst having a safe and fun experience.

Khaolak Scuba Adventures are excited to announce the opening of Khao Lak’s first ever technical dive centre!

noreply@blogger.com (Khaolak Scuba Adventures) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:05:00 +0000

But what is technical diving? Let’s go back to the beginning here. We have commercial diving (people in hard helmets with air supplied from the surface, welding, drilling and generally working hard and not admiring their surroundings!) and recreational diving – the fun stuff! Within recreational diving there is no-stop diving (often called sport diving) and technical diving. No-stop diving refers to the fact that you can come to the surface without needing to make a decompression stop (although you probably do make safety stops). No-stop diving includes your open water certification, advanced open water diver, rescue diver and many other specialty courses, including instructor certifications. Technical diving picks up where No-stop diving ends generally at nitrox (a breathing gas with oxygen levels greater than 21 percent).

I want to try it! Where would I start? Nitrox is often the first step you will take in technical diving but most people have already learned about nitrox in a no-stop diving situation. Entry-level technical diving courses will teach you about diving with up to 100% oxygen and the risks associated with this. For some divers the goal is to “go deeper for longer” so decompression theory would be learned here and all the extra equipment that is required to accomplish decompression dives.

Do I have to go deep for technical diving? Not at all! Although technical diving is commonly thought of as deep, there are courses that stay within the 40m depth range. Closed Circuit Rebreathers for example are becoming popular with photographers and videographers who want to stay shallow for the best light.

And what if I do want to go deeper? At Khaolak Scuba Adventures, we have course curriculums that take you as deep as 100meters! Sounds a bit scary? Don’t worry we do this in a way that each course builds on the last and takes you a little deeper. By receiving training in this manner not only are your skills and knowledge increasing but also your comfort level.

It sounds a bit complicated, how long does it take? We offer courses and schedules to suit your needs, whatever your level of diving. At Khaolak Scuba Adventures you can take the time you need to master the theory, through self-study, classroom presentations and equipment workshops. But your instructor will be keen for you to spend as much time in the water as possible because we know that this is where you really learn to dive!

Is it expensive? With such a variety of courses on offer, and the choice of which of our boats you wish to dive from, we are confident that you will find something that suits your budget.

Story and photos by: Alex Leeming

KSA Tech Instructor