Koh Nang Yuan

When I arrived in Koh Tao, Rhys was at the pier waiting for me. He helped me get settled in a cheap bungalow, and we made plans to meet Kelly on the Pier at 3 p.m., since that is where she was getting dropped off by a boat from work. I really knew nothing of her new job, but couldn't wait to find out!
I napped, showered, and met them at the pier. We immediately went for a tropical drink on the beach at the Sea Mermaid Bar. Once we sat down Kelly asked me when I was going to get my advanced open water diving certificate. I told her I wanted to..... She said, "check this out! I now work as a dive instructor and underwater photographer on what's rated as 1 of the top 10 best dive islands in the world according to Dive magazine. It is the only island in the world where 3 islands are joined by a pristine ivory white sand beach, and you can have the best dive of your life anywhere around the island. The only thing on the island is a 5 star dive hotel with gorgeous views in every direction. I can hook you up with a free bungalow at this 5 star resort, and sneak you free food. The only thing you have to pay for is the course, but I can get you 20% off with my discount. The course is 2 days, but I'll get you the bungalow for 5 days, and you can snorkel, book extra fun dives, do yoga, and meditate in your free time. How does that sound?!" :)
What could I say to such a generous offer? I said: Yes Please! :D I want that more than anything. Thank you!
I'm sharing the room with her friend, who is a really cool Canadian girl, named Corrie.

I was given a book to study with hw to be completed before each dive. I also had to choose 3 specialties besides the required deep dive and navigation dive. I chose a night dive, naturalism, and underwater photography. Yay!

Yesterday morning I met Rhys and Kelly at the dive shop by 7:30 a.m. We boarded the boat with all of our equipment, and set off. I had to set up my own tank, which I haven't done in 10 yrs, and after being shown once I had it down! On the way out to the deep dive I started to feel anxious. I initially learned to dive to overcome a fear of deep water, and although I've been on 12 dives and my fear is much less, it is still there until I stick my head under the water and see the wonders and beauty of the ocean. You see, I get nervous when I can't see underneath the surface. I began to cry, and Kelly put her arms around me until I felt calm. Then I was excited for the new adventure, and I was happy.
We went down to 30 m/100 ft. for a max of 20 mins. I saw a free flowing moray eel, which is rare during the daytime, many different types of fish, a gray reef shark, and amazing corral and reef formations. Wow!
The 2nd dive was a navigation dive. I had to use the natural environment and a compass to know where I am at all times, and navigate under the water, which is a very useful tool to reduce anxiety, and to avoid feeling disoriented. I passed with flying colors. I noticed when I'm challenged that I put everything I have into the challenge and excel. Maybe I'm slightly competitive, or maybe I just love to be challenged to keep my mind sharp. ;) We navigated around 3 large underwater pentacles and saw amazing colorful fish and coral! We swam between narrow crevasses, and I mastered my buoyancy! My dad would be proud. I finally realized that I was naturally inhaling to go over the coral, and exhaling to gently drop down. That use to be the most difficult part of diving for me, and now I'm a fish! No gills yet though. ;)

When we docked the pier I learned that that night I was going on my night dive. Wow! I couldn't believe it. I was tired, but amped at the same time.
That night we suited up, loaded the equipment on our backs, and walked out into the dark water. We swam out to the reef and dropped down into the darkness. I wasn't scared at all. I felt like James Bond! I learned that if you cover your light and wave your hand around that you will create phosphorescent light in the water from the particulates that you stir up. I saw a free flowing moray eel, a black tip shark, hermit crabs the size of my head, 2 blue spotted manerays, beautiful coral reefs and little red worms attracted to the light that you could wave over the tubular coral and they would be devoured and spit out looking like steam. It was so cool! The current was strong though, and after awhile it was tiring.

This morning I met at the dive shop at 7:30 after a delicious 5 star breakfast. We grabbed our gear and headed off towards the s.w. part of the island. This was my favorite dive, and it was my naturalist dive, which is understanding and respecting the symbiosis of the underwater world and being able to identify the life that you see. I saw so many gigantic grouper fish(4 ft. long!), and I even saw an enormous Napoleon rasse. This site was so gorgeous and the visibility was excellent! Unbelievable, really. I saw so much. Yay!
On my last dive I swam around and took pictures. Unfortunately the visibility wasn't so great, but I got some lovely pictures. I think my favorite is of the anemone fish nestled in the purple anemone. He looks so happy. :)

I booked a fun dive for tomorrow at 5:15 a.m. for a feisty shark dive. At this time no one is out there, and the sharks are most prevalent and active. I can do this now as an advanced diver, and I'm only 13 dives away from being able to begin my master course, which I decided I will do. I LOVE scuba diving. There's nothing like being inside the mysterious and beautiful abyss.
My life is changed forever. I was thinking today that if I decide to go back to school I'd like to get my degree in ecology.... maybe. :)
hahaha!