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As this is my first time ever, getting involved in a web log that is, please forgive uninteresting parts and by all means make me aware of them.
Due to matters of the heart I have moved back to Holland in 2004 from living on Phuket Island, Thailand for the previous 8 years.
As hearts are among the least reliable life support systems and people in general only have one of them, I died July 5th 2005.
Well…….although I really felt like dying, I am slowly getting a grip again and start seeing a tiny spot of light at the end of the tunnel.
As you can see from my profile I am running a small travel agency out in the south of Thailand getting people to enjoy various active outdoor activities such as SCUBA diving, sea kayaking, mountain climbing, jungle (jeep) safaris and such.
Although it has been a horrifying and very sad experience, in which many natives and tourists alike lost their lives, during “our” December 26th tsunami life must go on.
As some of you might have learned, we had huge water problems on the west coast and that did not help business. BUT all is back to “normal” now.
Phuket Island’s main income is out of tourism and so no tourists…….no income.
It has been said many times so one more time want hurt, if you really want to help go and visit Phuket. Stay in their hotels, participate in their daily excursions, go on their live aboard dive safaris, eat in their restaurants and buy your souvenirs.
Okay, so you think that was boring? Well, a guy is aloud to make a living, right?
My story……..
Last living in Holland in the town of Wassenaar, running a fitness center called Aerofit.
Having done that for about 3 years (almost 24/7) I thought it time to move on………
How I got to Scuba diving:
After teaching, the Friday last, aerobics class in Jan. 1992 (in an other fitness center) we all sat at the bar having a drink when one of the class participants complained about business not doing too well at the travel agency he was working at.
We talked some and I got a very good deal traveling to Diani, Kenya at cost price.
One little problem was the flight would be the next Monday and I had no idea of what to expect or do out on a beach somewhere in Africa. In fact I had never before thought of visiting Africa. Grabbed some t-shirts, shorts and got on the way.
Once at Diani I had a really nice hotel including pool and such only this is not my idea of a holiday. I always need to do or explore something. After breakfast and a dip in the pool I started wandering the white powdery beach. I remember how strange it was seeing guards walking the beach carrying riffles in between sun bathing Europeans. Well to get to the point, I stumbled over a sign saying “Scuba introductory course starting NOW”. Bringing back to mind pictures of Jacques Cousteau’s adventures and the frogman from old James Bond movies I though to give it a go. Again, I never considered perusing a scuba license before. Before long they sat me down in a small office like space, and I was watching a video about the first steps into breathing under water. As this holiday hardly costs me a penny I decided to go for it and get my Open Water Scuba license right there. It would set me back some 200 US Dollars but hé, at least I would have a goal in Africa.
It took me 4 days including 2 days out on a boat and actually being submerged into the Indian Ocean. I thought this experience to be unrelated to anything else I had ever experienced before in my life. It became the soul activity of this week, except for a few visits to the “Jungle baby bar” where I drank some beers and got into the “dark African” rhythms (dancing that is for the idea of 1 out of 3 Kenyans being HIV infected did not appeal too much to me). Once back in Holland I browsed around some to find a small dive school in the nearby village of Voorschoten. This couple, who had just enthusiastically started a school in their house, educated me further into the techniques and wonders of the underwater world. Needless to say diving in Holland was not at all what I have experienced in the Indian Ocean of the coast of Kenya. Anyway, I was bitten by the Scuba bug and devoted a holiday to diving. My choice was the Maldives. This was my first intentional leap into the ocean without having an instructor or a known buddy at my site. I do admit being nervous but the excitement won and it became one of the most rewarding holidays I have made so far. In 1992 the coral bleaching had not taken place yet and so I remember the Maldives as an underwater garden of colors and shapes of coral beyond any imagination. Of course the fish as well but I have been told they are still there for anyone to see. While being on a safari Dhoni, cruising the north Male atoll and diving when ever you felt like it, I decided to become a Dive Master myself to be able to show others, in a safe and pleasant way, the wonders of the Oceans. I have worked as a dive guide on Curaçao (one of the Dutch Antilles), east coast Malaysia, Bali (Indonesia) and needless to say all possible sites of the west coast of Thailand (including Similan and Myanmar former Burma).
Okay, now you know how I got into Scuba diving.
Going to Thailand:
As decided I left Holland to try my luck in the sun, Thailand. At the time my sister and her boyfriend got an offer to buy a small bar/restaurant in center Patong and asked me to join them and help set up the business. It was September 1995 and so we still had about two months before high season would kick in. It soon became clear that being in Thailand holding a tourist visa and working was not the best of ideas and so we decided it best for me to work away from the watchful eyes of immigration. The only option was being out on a boat, dive guiding. So I went off living on boats for the better of the next two seasons being on shore for 2 or 3 days every 2 months.
Have to go now but will continue soon (please let me know your findings).
Due to matters of the heart I have moved back to Holland in 2004 from living on Phuket Island, Thailand for the previous 8 years.
As hearts are among the least reliable life support systems and people in general only have one of them, I died July 5th 2005.
Well…….although I really felt like dying, I am slowly getting a grip again and start seeing a tiny spot of light at the end of the tunnel.
As you can see from my profile I am running a small travel agency out in the south of Thailand getting people to enjoy various active outdoor activities such as SCUBA diving, sea kayaking, mountain climbing, jungle (jeep) safaris and such.
Although it has been a horrifying and very sad experience, in which many natives and tourists alike lost their lives, during “our” December 26th tsunami life must go on.
As some of you might have learned, we had huge water problems on the west coast and that did not help business. BUT all is back to “normal” now.
Phuket Island’s main income is out of tourism and so no tourists…….no income.
It has been said many times so one more time want hurt, if you really want to help go and visit Phuket. Stay in their hotels, participate in their daily excursions, go on their live aboard dive safaris, eat in their restaurants and buy your souvenirs.
Okay, so you think that was boring? Well, a guy is aloud to make a living, right?
My story……..
Last living in Holland in the town of Wassenaar, running a fitness center called Aerofit.
Having done that for about 3 years (almost 24/7) I thought it time to move on………
How I got to Scuba diving:
After teaching, the Friday last, aerobics class in Jan. 1992 (in an other fitness center) we all sat at the bar having a drink when one of the class participants complained about business not doing too well at the travel agency he was working at.
We talked some and I got a very good deal traveling to Diani, Kenya at cost price.
One little problem was the flight would be the next Monday and I had no idea of what to expect or do out on a beach somewhere in Africa. In fact I had never before thought of visiting Africa. Grabbed some t-shirts, shorts and got on the way.
Once at Diani I had a really nice hotel including pool and such only this is not my idea of a holiday. I always need to do or explore something. After breakfast and a dip in the pool I started wandering the white powdery beach. I remember how strange it was seeing guards walking the beach carrying riffles in between sun bathing Europeans. Well to get to the point, I stumbled over a sign saying “Scuba introductory course starting NOW”. Bringing back to mind pictures of Jacques Cousteau’s adventures and the frogman from old James Bond movies I though to give it a go. Again, I never considered perusing a scuba license before. Before long they sat me down in a small office like space, and I was watching a video about the first steps into breathing under water. As this holiday hardly costs me a penny I decided to go for it and get my Open Water Scuba license right there. It would set me back some 200 US Dollars but hé, at least I would have a goal in Africa.
It took me 4 days including 2 days out on a boat and actually being submerged into the Indian Ocean. I thought this experience to be unrelated to anything else I had ever experienced before in my life. It became the soul activity of this week, except for a few visits to the “Jungle baby bar” where I drank some beers and got into the “dark African” rhythms (dancing that is for the idea of 1 out of 3 Kenyans being HIV infected did not appeal too much to me). Once back in Holland I browsed around some to find a small dive school in the nearby village of Voorschoten. This couple, who had just enthusiastically started a school in their house, educated me further into the techniques and wonders of the underwater world. Needless to say diving in Holland was not at all what I have experienced in the Indian Ocean of the coast of Kenya. Anyway, I was bitten by the Scuba bug and devoted a holiday to diving. My choice was the Maldives. This was my first intentional leap into the ocean without having an instructor or a known buddy at my site. I do admit being nervous but the excitement won and it became one of the most rewarding holidays I have made so far. In 1992 the coral bleaching had not taken place yet and so I remember the Maldives as an underwater garden of colors and shapes of coral beyond any imagination. Of course the fish as well but I have been told they are still there for anyone to see. While being on a safari Dhoni, cruising the north Male atoll and diving when ever you felt like it, I decided to become a Dive Master myself to be able to show others, in a safe and pleasant way, the wonders of the Oceans. I have worked as a dive guide on Curaçao (one of the Dutch Antilles), east coast Malaysia, Bali (Indonesia) and needless to say all possible sites of the west coast of Thailand (including Similan and Myanmar former Burma).
Okay, now you know how I got into Scuba diving.
Going to Thailand:
As decided I left Holland to try my luck in the sun, Thailand. At the time my sister and her boyfriend got an offer to buy a small bar/restaurant in center Patong and asked me to join them and help set up the business. It was September 1995 and so we still had about two months before high season would kick in. It soon became clear that being in Thailand holding a tourist visa and working was not the best of ideas and so we decided it best for me to work away from the watchful eyes of immigration. The only option was being out on a boat, dive guiding. So I went off living on boats for the better of the next two seasons being on shore for 2 or 3 days every 2 months.
Have to go now but will continue soon (please let me know your findings).
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Dive aholics!
25 Jul, 17:48, 110
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Voor de dive freaks onder ons (die daar ook nog eens een budget voor hebben) hier volgen een paar zeer interessante trips welke alleen een happy few zullen maken. Niet alleen vanwege de prijs maar zeker ook omdat er maar een zeer beperkt aantal plaatsen is.
Adventure Expeditie: De meeste mensen hebben er zelfs nog nooit van gehoord, de Andaman en Nicobar eilanden. Ze behoren toe aan India en zijn pas een jaar of 5 beperkt "vrij" voor toerisme. Sinds ongeveer 3 jaar zijn er een klein aantal schepen dat vanuit Phuket, Thailand duik expedities onderneemt, de meest bekende (en duurste) is de Ocean Rover. In 2008 komen daar een aantal trips bij van een zijljacht en een stalen live aboard. Zonder uitzondering vertrekken ze allemaal vanaf Port Blair dat te bereiken is via Kolkata (Calcutta) of Chennai (Madras) in India en misschien dan ook weer via Bangkok. Het zeiljacht doet de trips uitsluitend als charters terwijl de andere 2 schepen een vast aantal data varen. De Andaman archipel bestaat uit ca. 500 eilandjes waarvan maar 26 bewoond zijn. Het onderwaterleven bestaat uit alles wat je in de Indische oceaan tegenkomt maar dan 10x zo veel. Men zegt dan ook dat je hier duikt in een "vis soep". Gewoon omdat dit gebied nog haast geen toeristen en duik industrie kent. Hier heb je dus echt nog de mogelijkheid om als eerste duiker/ster ter wereld op een duiklocatie te water te gaan, the final frontier! Prijzen voor een 10 dagen en 11 nachten duiksafari zijn er vanaf US$ 3.490 (Euro 2.550). De eerste mogelijkheid is vertrek de 6de april 2008.
Dé top bestemming van Indonesië: Een aantal professionele live-a-board schepen vanuit Phuket, Thailand ondernemen duiksafari's rond Komodo vanuit Bali en Bima. Vanaf 7 juni 2008 starten de trips weer vanaf Benoa, Bali, 6 dagen en 7 nachten in de mooiste duikgebieden van Indonesië vanaf US$ 2.190 (Euro 1.590) per persoon.
Nog een bijzondere bestemming is de Mergui archipel in Myanmar (Birma). Hier worden nog elk seizoen nieuwe vissen, naaktslakken, koralen en ander marine leven gevonden. Ook zijn er nog nieuwe duikstekken te ontdekken. De duiksafari's beginnen ongeveer midden november 2007 en prijzen zijn vanaf Euro 1.580 voor een 8 dagen en 9 nachten trip.
Wat ook nog steeds onveranderd interessant blijf gewoon om haar diversiteit aan duiken en je nooit weet wat je tegen zal komen zijn de Similan eilanden aan de westkust van Thailand. Gebruikelijk zijn de 4 dagen en nachten trips vanaf Phuket of Tab Lamu. Een goede boot met internationale veiligheidsstandaarden kost ca. US$ 650 (Euro 470) per persoon. De trips vertrekken vanaf begin november 2007.
Op de meeste boten is ook Nitrox beschikbaar. De genoemde (vanaf) prijzen zijn allemaal exclusief duikuitrusting huur, benodigde visa, National Park en haven gelden. Inclusief full board, transfer van en naar de boot (vraag vanaf waar) professionele duikgidsen en zon.
Any English speaking/reading visitors please contact blog poster for any information concerning above trips and or destinations.
Adventure Expeditie: De meeste mensen hebben er zelfs nog nooit van gehoord, de Andaman en Nicobar eilanden. Ze behoren toe aan India en zijn pas een jaar of 5 beperkt "vrij" voor toerisme. Sinds ongeveer 3 jaar zijn er een klein aantal schepen dat vanuit Phuket, Thailand duik expedities onderneemt, de meest bekende (en duurste) is de Ocean Rover. In 2008 komen daar een aantal trips bij van een zijljacht en een stalen live aboard. Zonder uitzondering vertrekken ze allemaal vanaf Port Blair dat te bereiken is via Kolkata (Calcutta) of Chennai (Madras) in India en misschien dan ook weer via Bangkok. Het zeiljacht doet de trips uitsluitend als charters terwijl de andere 2 schepen een vast aantal data varen. De Andaman archipel bestaat uit ca. 500 eilandjes waarvan maar 26 bewoond zijn. Het onderwaterleven bestaat uit alles wat je in de Indische oceaan tegenkomt maar dan 10x zo veel. Men zegt dan ook dat je hier duikt in een "vis soep". Gewoon omdat dit gebied nog haast geen toeristen en duik industrie kent. Hier heb je dus echt nog de mogelijkheid om als eerste duiker/ster ter wereld op een duiklocatie te water te gaan, the final frontier! Prijzen voor een 10 dagen en 11 nachten duiksafari zijn er vanaf US$ 3.490 (Euro 2.550). De eerste mogelijkheid is vertrek de 6de april 2008.
Dé top bestemming van Indonesië: Een aantal professionele live-a-board schepen vanuit Phuket, Thailand ondernemen duiksafari's rond Komodo vanuit Bali en Bima. Vanaf 7 juni 2008 starten de trips weer vanaf Benoa, Bali, 6 dagen en 7 nachten in de mooiste duikgebieden van Indonesië vanaf US$ 2.190 (Euro 1.590) per persoon.
Nog een bijzondere bestemming is de Mergui archipel in Myanmar (Birma). Hier worden nog elk seizoen nieuwe vissen, naaktslakken, koralen en ander marine leven gevonden. Ook zijn er nog nieuwe duikstekken te ontdekken. De duiksafari's beginnen ongeveer midden november 2007 en prijzen zijn vanaf Euro 1.580 voor een 8 dagen en 9 nachten trip.
Wat ook nog steeds onveranderd interessant blijf gewoon om haar diversiteit aan duiken en je nooit weet wat je tegen zal komen zijn de Similan eilanden aan de westkust van Thailand. Gebruikelijk zijn de 4 dagen en nachten trips vanaf Phuket of Tab Lamu. Een goede boot met internationale veiligheidsstandaarden kost ca. US$ 650 (Euro 470) per persoon. De trips vertrekken vanaf begin november 2007.
Op de meeste boten is ook Nitrox beschikbaar. De genoemde (vanaf) prijzen zijn allemaal exclusief duikuitrusting huur, benodigde visa, National Park en haven gelden. Inclusief full board, transfer van en naar de boot (vraag vanaf waar) professionele duikgidsen en zon.
Any English speaking/reading visitors please contact blog poster for any information concerning above trips and or destinations.
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