Scuba Scribe - Diving Elephant Rock and the Shimmering Night - Part 1

I would like to wrap up my adventures backpacking in Thailand in 2010, with an excursion that had perhaps the most impact on me of any in my adult life. My first Liveaboard dive experience. In writing this dive report the word count has crept well over three thousand words. So I have decided to publish it in three consecutive parts.

Having just passed my Padi Open Water certification in Koh Phi Phi, my instructor offered to sell me a four day liveaboard trip at a 30% discount. The catch, there was only a day to get from Phi Phi island to Phuket, then up the coast to Koh Lak where the boat was set to depart.

The dive operators inspected my log book, and after seeing that I had only completed 4 open water dives, declared that I wasn’t experienced enough to make the trip. I was shocked to hear that they were considering not allowing me on board, apparently the shop in Phi Phi shouldn’t have sold me this advanced-level trip. My guide for the trip, Silvia, told me that a lot of the dives were below 18 meters which is the maximum depth for open water certification. I calmly let her know that I wasn't going anywhere without a refund. Things were getting a little heated with the manager of the outfit, but Silvia was an angel in a wetsuit. She promptly rang the dive shop on Phi Phi, spoke to my instructor, and confirmed that I had good buoyancy and had come from a decent referral in the UK. We agreed that I would pay an extra thousand Thai Baht to take my deep specialty which would allow me to dive to 30 meters and we were golden.

I boarded the boat all set for an over-night trip to the Similian Islands. As I introduced myself to my fellow divers I remember the captain saying there would be some choppy weather on the crossing. No problem, I thought, I'll sleep right through it.

I awoke at 1 am sick as a dog with the cabin rolling like the proverbial drunken sailor. This was my first experience with sea sickness. I sat in the toilette for hours completely failing to be sick, I am convinced that my body was acclimatizing to the cyclic rolling of the ocean. After 3 hours the intensity of the nausea receded and I managed to sleep until 7 am when we were all awoken by a call of 'diving'.

I emerged, hangover free, sea sickness gone and feeling floaty in the gentle rocking of the swell. We sat and ate breakfast while the Sylvia ran us through the dive plan.

N.B. I didn't own any type of underwater camera at the time but I do have my dive log book and memories to draw from. I will source a few creative commons pictures to highlight the more interesting creatures we encountered.

I finned languidly in the light current, following my buddy through the winding paths between the boomies. The panicky feeling of constantly checking depth/air faded with my profound calm, there was nothing but red, purple and blue coral stretching along the seafloor. Speckled flights of glass fish reflected the defuse sunlight while psychedelic smears of yellow trumpet fish hung above barrel sponges. This picaso-esque landscape of life and living light left me in a place I can't quite explain adequately - dive nirvana ☯

As this first dive drew to a close and we reached the edge of the reef a shoal of adolescent tuna shot past, silver slicing the deep indigo of the Stygian depths. I remember thinking there might be sharks about and straining my eyes out into the distances away from the reef.

My first days diving ended in that peculiar bliss that descends when you first get your sea legs. When your body embraces the constant sway and salt spray.

A big part of the liveaboard experience is making new friends. Everyone is bonded in a common interest and there is never a quiet moment as people recount thier dive stories. After dinner, we sat with a beer and played poker in the warm breeze that swept the ocean from the lee of the north side of Koh Pa-Yu Island. I mainly listened to the stories from my more experienced dive buddies. All of these people were friendly and encouraging, full of praise for me taking on an open ocean liveaboard at such a beginner level.

I remember one of the Portuguese guys saying that I was better off jumping in at the deep end like this, never a truer word has been spoken. I learnt so much on that trip, not least because of the steep learning curve and the knowledge that we all held each others lives in our hands. There are no excuses with diving, if you make a mistake in a buddy pair it can mean life or death for both of you, this fosters a unique conscientious camaraderie among divers that I have experienced nowhere else.