Wolf Wolvekamp, NATO Scuba Diving Club Brunssum, The Netherlands

Finally Koh Tao!  After a week  I was back on the “Turtle Island”.  This time not alone but joined by my wife Sylvia (not diving) and daughter (Iris) , finalising her Dive Leader training.  I clearly remember my previous stay. SE Asia explorers club was based at DJL which was still in Mae Haad.  A tiny shop, two instructors (Les and Tim).  I found the SE Asia Explorers club on the internet when I was looking for a BSAC centre with an Advanced Instructor.  I wanted to finalise my Advanced Diver course and the required AI are very scarce in the Netherlands.  This time was great.  Les went through the theory and he did part of the practical lessons.  Together with Tim I did the Expedition planning which we executed the next day.  We dived on a just discoverd wreck ‘The Unicorn at 48m and that experience was the reason for my return this year.

But many things had changed.  Mae Haad had become Sairee Beach.  The tiny shop had become a well developed dive centre, teaching almost all BSAC courses.  Two staff had become a pool of instructors involving single courses and internships; what a surprise. Not that I really needed BSAC instructors because in the past year I became an instructor myself and only recently passed the Advanced Instructor exam, so signing off Iris certification book could be done myself. I did enjoy their knowledge, expertise, equipment and boats. Especially the comradeship and the help of the instructor team was great.

Just a few more days before we need to move on, but I am sure that it will not be three more years before we return. When I return I may do some more technical diving where I again will need their teaching support. Looking forward to the future here at SE Asia Explorers Club.