Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everybody,

Thanks for your interest in reading my blog.
Wish you the very best for these days, enjoy and keep an eye on the christmas trees underwater ..

Divemaster in 10 days??

I saw some offers from dive centers, not only in Thailand ..

The dive schools that offer the PADI Divemaster course in 10 days, cheat not just the people who want to make this course, the diving schools act grossly negligent and dangerous!
It is absurd and irresponsible to claim that one can develop in such a short time to divemaster.
To be Divemaster include the highest degree of responsibility, LEADERSHIP, theoretical and practical knowledge and understanding.
Sure, we can acquire the theoretical knowledge in the self-study, however, support courses, assist the instructor and lead parts of a course under the supervision of an instructor, is something entirely different.
This experience, which distinguishes a divemaster, or should mark up, we do not learn in a few days!
No one makes the drivers license and can drive after 10 days of a bus full of people.
What makes a divemaster is much more, as only the theory. It is also about the work in a diving school, such as fill tanks, dive preparation and planning of a day's scuba diving, equipment care and maintenance. Just as customer service and knowledge about diving and snorkeling equipment.
How can that be learned in just 10 days?
Who would certainly want to get lead from such a divemaster?
Which diving school will be responsible, if such a Divemaster makes a rough or even fatal error?
Conclusion:
Diving centers that make such offers are not only unserious, but from irresponsible in the highest degree and only focus on the easy money.
Any responsible diver should avoid such diving schools
Solely because of their own safety.

Surprise

Well you will have to wait a bit .... i will have a big surprise
what you are thinking is it??? If i would tell it will not be a surprise anymore. Around 3 weeks or longer since we are in Thailand and time is relative here, but it is worth to wait!!!
You will see ;)

better late than never

Hi Dennis, Stuart and Ed,

As promised here are your pic's from the dive in Koh Rang.
It was my pleasure to introduce you to the underwaterworld around Koh Chang. I hope i see you all again next year or sooner.
Greetings and keep on diving!!!

High season

So the water is flat and the sun is out to welcome the divers and snorkelers on the Scandinavian Chang Diving Center Boat. About the visibility normaly around Fullmoon it is not perfect BUT today ... let's pictures talk

Situation on Koh Chang

Who is interest in coming to Koh Chang probably looked news or got told about the monsoon and like it is with news they push everything way to much up that it is interesting ...

I do not say that it was dry and nothing happend. No it was raining a lot, the streets was flooding a couple of days and a part of the mountain came down in the night time. So the street was blocked for imagine 6 hours - out of that the news said nobody could leave the island or come to it. YES for a total of 6 HOURS, since we are in Thailand a delay of 6 hours is not a big deal .
To " there is no electricity" yes it was one day between 9 am and 6 pm, they had to fix the cable, but in that time you do not necessary need it.

Still it was possible to go out for diving, underwater everything fine, just the way was a bit raft and it was 'cold' (if you can say that by 26 Celsius). Of course you got wet, and some poor did not felt as good as they should.

AND now since a couple of days the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the water is flat like a mirrow. So all over and it is HOT.

Come down and check it out yourself

website

Sorry for the last week, our website was down .. we did had some changes and like it is sometimes with the internet it is not working like you want it do. BUT anyway the website is on again and you are welcome to take a look at www.changdiving.com
The only thing what have to get changed, still, is the guestbook, so please allow me some more days to fix that ;))

Spanish Dancer

This nice video was taken some days ago on the divesite SECRET REEF. It is close by Koh Chang. Actually we were really lucky, one day before we saw her too, but did not had a camera with us .. like mostly when you see goooooood staff, but she was just waiting for us on the next day. So we got the shoot.

fish attac

This little fellow protect his territory, and keep on attaching my mask. It look so funny because he is only 10cm - luckily

Cuttle Fish

It's so nice to see cuttle fish .. it is not that often that you have the luck to see them - specialy not while ...

diving

just some pictures to remind you ....

Time to build

Since we have some time during the lowseason it is time to build .. so we build the back of our mainshop in Klong Prao, we made the cleaning area bigger and more easy to use. As well as we build the dry area higher, so there is more space for the gear and more shelfs to but our staff in. But let's pictures talk

Rain is sooo good

i know that sounds wired now, BUT i wrote that the sea around Koh Chang and Koh Rang was to hot, to hot for the corals and they started to bleach. With to hot i mean 33 till 35 degree Celsius!! The rain let us wait this year a long time, so the water got hot and hotter and the corals got light and lighter till white/ yellow or a (beautiful but sad) blue.
That's why the rain is good, now it is raining some hours every day, so the water is got colder, by way not cold at all but back to acceptable temperatures like 31 degree celsius. And finally we can see the result of it: The corals get their colours back, of course not from one day to the other, but they start slowly to recover and that is just sooo good to see!

Rainy season

Now it is rainy season, sure it do not mean it is raining all time ..
unfortunately we could not go out today because of the heavy rain with thunder and lightening. We stay on the safety side and decided to stay on the island. I hope all our customers understand our decision and can wait a couple of days to get a nice sunny boat trip to the dive- and snorkel sites.
Thanks and see you soon

See you later ..

Customer and Friend, left today. Wish you a good time working in europe and looking forward to see you next year.
He started to dive last winter, came back for his Advanced Open Water, EFR, Rescue and Nitrox Training. Next time the challenge goes on and we will start the Divemaster Training. We are sure you gonne be a good one.

Warm Water

Now since almost 4 weeks the temperature of the water is .. hot. It have 33 Degree, that's too hot. Nice to dive with out wetsuit, just shorts and a Lycra. BUT it is to hot for a lot of corals, the most soft corals decided to small down and wait for colder times.
It is rainy season, but not rain a lot or it rain to less, we hope for rain to cool the sea.

DSD - Introduction dive

Nice day - 4 people like to try how it feels to dive. The DSD = Discover Scuba Dive , is the best way to do so. If you are a good swimmer and done snorkeling before already .. Than on only one day, on the way out to the divespot you will get some basic theories what will happen, how to use the scuba gear, what to do and what not, after that we will help you in your equipment, and just one big step

and the adventure can beginn, just a few skills that you will need during the dive

and enjoy. Possible already from 10 years on!!!

Good buy ..

Now the season goes to its end ..
and some of our Instructors and Divemasters going back home for the lowseason .. or at least they try to do so. As the news tell the Vulcano in Iceland stopped the flights and closed some airports in europe.
On that way i want to say a big THANK YOU to all who are leaving and good luck with their fly!

Songkran

Or Thai New Year..
or just the 'water festival"
for sure a good party and everybody get wet, if you like so or not. The best is to do not wear good clothes and if you need to take your mobilephone, camera, laptop, cigaretts or what so ever be smart and carry them in a ocean pack a dry bag. otherwise you will be sad .. sure!!
The fest is to celebrate the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. so all start from new .. the New Year begins
and you can bet that Chang Diving Center crew do not let this event pas with out being part of it

Divemaster Party

Ok, it was last week, but between we had Thai New Year, called Songkran and there everything is different ..
but i do not want to talk about that .. not at the moment

Now i want to congratulate ROB who done his cross over to become a PADI Divemaster and he passed successfully his last test .. the snorkeltest !! Of course he passed all necessary skills and so on too and we are proud to welcome him in the biggest family the padi family as a new professional member. Well done ROB we are thankful to have you in our team!!
Congratulations one more time

diving with Kid's

Diving with Kid's is always something special, sometimes happens that they are afraid for some reason but the most of the time it is easy because they are not fear of what could be if ..
Same this jung student of mine easy as it could be. After he done one day of trying called DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING he (of course with the ok of his father) decided to go on and do the Junior Scuba Diver the fist certification!! A day of reading than some theories and of to the pool to do fun skills and try them on the next day of diving in the open water .. just great

WHALESHARK !!

Yesterday was a lucky day for some on the Scandinavian Chang Diving Center Boat. On the close by divesite Blueberry Hill there was a Whaleshark seen. Our Captains were the first who started to jump in the water: 'shark, big shark". And sure the rest followed. Around 5,5 - 6 meters long the biggest fish was circling around our boat and played around. .. Unfortunately no camera .. next time for sure! and hopefully he/she do not let us wait to long for that .

Snorkeling

Happy Birthday.. what a present, to the 60th birthday she got a day snorkeling on the scandinavian chang diving center boat!
We went to Hin Raap and Hin Luk Bat. Both very nice divesits but the snorkeling should not be forgotten .. on Hin Raap there is a huge area with 4 meters depth where corals grow and fish wait to get seen and short on the surfacing rock it is a lot to see as well. On Hin Luk Bat between the 4 rocks we call it 'the aquarium' and you can be sure that there is the right reason for it.. You should come and see it with your own eyes.

Hin Sam Sao

This is a close by Dive/Snorkeling Site. Opposite from Kai Bae Beach, kind of in the middle of Koh Chang and than just a bit outside (of course). The sail with the Scandinavian Chang Diving Center boat is only 25 minutes to this nice site. If you sail with one of the other companys who are leaving from Bang Bao (byside that they do not go there) it would be around 1 hour... anyway that they do not go there means as well that there are no other diveschool boats and with that no other divers ....
Anyway i got off of the point. The divesite is visible through 3 rocks surfacing by low tide 5 rocks are visible. The bottom line is at 12 to 14 meters depht and there is a upper level of 6 to 7 meters. A lot of wipe corals are in the area, on the east part you will find some anemones. Parallel to every rock is a small wall some smaller some a bit bigger covert with some hump- and disc corals. It is a perfect spot to discover nude-branch. a lot of damsel fishes and snappers. And like yesterday a huge group of great barracudas, unluckily i did not got a good pic of those. Maybe next time..

Divemaster Party ..

Yesterday Michi become the titel of beeing a PADI Proffessional Divemaster!!
He was working 5 Month to become one of the best. We are proud to present him to the divers world. Soon he want to make his Instructor and start a great career. We know that he is ready for it as he is trained on instructor level allready. As it should be there was a nice party to celebrate.
One more time congratulations Michi