I completed my
PADI Open Water SCUBA certification through
Mermaid's Dive Center in Pattaya, Thailand. The course was 4 days, one in a classroom, one in a pool, and 2 days in the open water in the gulf of Thailand. My primary instructor, Russ, was from New Zealand and had been diving for years and was quite the pro around the dive school. I also worked with Rich, a British diving instructor doing an internship at the school, and Frank, a Belgian diving instructor. Everyone at the school was friendly, helpful, and encouraging. It was a very international group of people. We sailed out to some islands about 1-2 hours from Pattaya beach, where we could do some coral diving. The boat provided lunch between dives and gave us a chance to relax. The most exciting part of my dive was when I stepped on a spiny sea urchin. Luckily none of the spines were embedded in my foot, but it sure did hurt!
Our tanks lined up on the boat.
Fish (probably Sergeant Majors) playing off the side of the boat.
Getting ready to go with my BCD (Buoyancy Control Device) vest on and lifting the tank from the rack.
Getting encouragement from my instructor, Russ (from New Zealand).
Giving the "OK" sign after jumping in the water.
Post dive celebrations with my other instructor, Frank (Belgian), and some Scottish instructor who jumped in our photo.
