Dive Asia Taucher Blog

Erika and Leo's experience

2011-06-13T14:26:56Z

Dear Dive Asia Team,

I would like to thank you and your staff for making my daughter's, Erika and my diving in Thailand a truly wonderful experience.

Erika is 12 and after doing a lot of internet research I chose Dive Asia as the facility for her initial instruction. All the positive reviews just scratch the surface in complementing the Dive Asia operation. The positive experience started with the detailed program you offered for both of us via email, it was explicit and flexible enough to adjust to our travel parameters. It allowed her to learn independently while I had the opportunity to dive with my daughter.

When we arrived in Karon Beach we stopped into the office where we were greeted by a friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff. They treated my daughter with respect and in a way that gave her added confidence for the upcoming experience. When they realized I had not dove in more than 4 years they insisted in a refresher course for me. I truly appreciated that aspect as my re-qualification was done alongside Erika which demonstrated to her the importance of keeping one’s skills current. I enjoyed the refresher and just to let you all know Erika could “ride” the cylinder and re-don her BCD faster than Dad.

You matched my daughter and I with Vicky, she worked wonders with her gentle ways and patience, while at the same time displaying an extensive knowledge in diving skills and how to transmit that knowledge to both a 12 year old and 59 year old. Vicky is to be commended for both her water skills and teaching ability.

The last 2 dives were with Simon, he gave Erika the space she needed to boost her self confidence in the water and yet was close and surveyed her movements and technique like a hawk.

The boat crew and all dive masters worked as an efficient team, I have been on a lot of dive boats and have never seen the efficiency and teamwork that was demonstrated by all aboard Dive Asia II.

We have already recommended Dive Asia to other potential customers here in Dhaka and rest assured you will see Erika and me again in the near future. Your team have awakened the underwater world to a 12 year old and rekindled the passion for diving in her father.

Thanking all of you at Dive Asia

Leo and Erika :)

Tauchausbildung mit Dive Asia

2011-02-07T11:46:02Z

Dive Asia bietet euch das komplette PADI Kursprogramm für Anfänger und bereits zertifizierte Taucher - vom PADI Open Water Diver über PADI Divemaster zu PADI Tauchlehrer. Unser professionelles Team, bestehend aus drei PADI Kursdirektoren und erfahrenen PADI Tauchlehrern, sowie unser spezielles Trainingszentrum mit klimatisierten Klassenräumen, Multimediaeinrichtung und speziellem Trainingspool, garantieren euch sichere, entspannte und komfortable Tauchkurse.

Geschlossene Tauchplätze in der Andaman See

2011-01-26T02:07:05Z

Momentan hört und liest man viele Neuigkeiten über geschlossene Tauchplätze an Thailands Westküste.

Wir möchten euch nach bestem Wissen und Gewissen eine paar Fakten dazu erläutern.

Es ist richtig dass im Frühjahr 2010 eine Korallenbleiche Thailand und Malaysia befallen hat. Am meisten waren Hartkorallen im Flachwasser bis 15 Meter der Saumriffe betroffen. (Ein Saumriff erstreckt sich entlang der Küste des Festlandes oder einer Insel.) Glücklicherweise sind die farbenfrohen Weichkorallen weniger betroffen worden und Granitfelsen, an denen wir oft Tauchen, in keinster Weise.

Die Thai Behörden haben sich nun entschlossen einige der betroffenen Riffe für jegliche Art des Wassersports zu schließen und wir, die Tauchgemeinschaft, unterstützen dieses Vorhaben zum Schutze der Riffe.

Die Behörden haben nun mit sofortiger Wirkung 17 Plätze entlang der Thailändischen Westküste geschlossen. Von diesen 17 Plätzen befinden sich zwei im Similan Nationalpark und keiner im Gebiet von Phuket‘s lokalen Tagestauchplätzen. Weitere Informationen (leider nur in Englisch) könnt ihr auf einer speziellen Webseite der TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) erhalten.

Keine der gesperrten Plätze sind Tauchstellen die wir in unserem Fahrplan haben.

Besucht unser Archiv der täglichen Tauchbedingungen. Dort findet ihr eine tägliche Auflistung von Sichtungen die wir während unserer Tagestouren gemacht haben.

Auch die hier veröffentlichen Bilder sind aktuell und aus der Gegend.

„Grünes“ Tauchen sowie Hinweise zum Schutz der Riffe durch unsere Erfahrenen Guides und Instructoren während der Briefings gehören für uns, wie ihr wisst, schon lange zur Selbstverständlichkeit. Um die Zukunft eine der schönsten Tauchreviere der Welt sicherzustellen unterstützen wir die Bemühungen der Behörden. Die Schließung dieser Tauchstellen hat keinen Einfluss auf unserer Tagestouren oder auf Tauchsafaris die von unseren Partnern durchgeführt werden.

Wenn ihr weitere Fragen zu diesem Thema habt dann zögert bitte nicht uns zu kontaktieren. Wir möchten euch auch herzlichst bitten nicht alles zu glauben was in der Presse veröffentlicht wird. Manche „Quellen“ behaupten das alle Tauchstellen der Similan- und Surin Nationalparks geschlossen seien, ja sogar die ganze Andaman See gesperrt wäre.

Alle Bilder mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Nathaporn Chotmaneepithak und Khao Lak Scuba Adventure

Tauchen für den Guten Zweck

2010-10-24T00:53:04Z

Unsere Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltung "Dive for Dogs" war ein großer Erfolg. Dank Melanies Idee und der Teilnahme von 21 Tauchern aus aller Welt waren wir in der freudigen Lage 22439 Baht (ca. 550 Euro) an Soi Dog Foundation zu spenden. Wir alle hatten viel Spaß für den guten Zweck zu tauchen und wir hoffen das wir nächstes Jahr mehr Spendengelder sammeln können.

Hier könnt ihr mehr über Soi Dog erfahren!

Dr. The und Fergie von der Soi Dog Foundation erhalten den Scheck von Melanie & Jürgen.

Werftgeschichten

2010-08-08T14:34:40Z

Geschafft! Nach knapp zwei Monaten in der Werft sieht nun eure M/V Dive Asia II besser als je zuvor aus. Neben den "normalen jährlichen Wartungen" haben wir diesmal unser Augenmerk auf eine Neugestaltung des unteren Salons und einer größeren Küche gerichtet. Ihr könnt nun tolle Unterwasseraufnahmen auf einen Großbildschirm bestaunen, gute Musik über ein Surround Stereo System anhören, anhand unserer ausgiebigen Fisch- und Riffführer Bibliothek identifizieren das was ihr eben beim Tauchen beobachtet habt und die originale Royal Thai Navy Seekarte "308" für den exakten Kurs zu Phuket's besten Tauchplätzen studieren. Kommt, genießt gute Tagestouren mit uns und eurer M/V Dive Asia II !

Shark Savers

2010-08-05T08:00:37Z

Dive Asia became a proud Supporter of Shark Savers today. Join and sign the petitions too.

Shark Savers was founded in 2007 by six long-time divers driven by a shared passion and fueled by decades of business, marketing and media expertise. As divers, we felt an emotional connection to the oceans and in particular, sharks. And, we all witnessed what we came to love begin to disappear. We realized we had to take action. Today, over 10,000 members from 99 nations share that sense of urgency.

We focus on action and results, designing our programs to result in saving the lives of sharks. By leveraging professional experience and expertise, Shark Savers brings the issue to the masses in many compelling forms, motivating people to stop consuming sharks, serving as the voice for a maligned species, and focusing their attention on locations where sharks need to be protected.

Shark Savers enables people to make a difference and take a stand in their home, their local businesses, and throughout shark hot spots all over the world.

Please visit http://www.sharksavers.org/index.php and sign today!

Photo by Chris Gawel at Shark Point!

And The Winner is:

2010-07-01T05:27:21Z

Thank you to all of you for participating in our Quiz all month long. We received more than 900 answers from close to 200 Players and I believe that all of you had some fun and maybe learned a bit about the sport we love.

Here are all daily Winners:

1   Nasser Al-Khanjara
2   Jaquelene Teo
3   Marcus Krueger
4   Lisi Pokorny
5   Steve Gibbins
6   Cris Fraga
7   Jaquelene Teo
8   Nina Ho
9   Caroline Boysen
10 Alyson Hilbourn
11 Steve O Stewart
12 Doug Heil
13 Sabine v.d.w. Schroth
14 Scian Ray
15 Aurelia Schenkl
16 Herrebaut Dimitri
17 Alyson Hilbourn
18 Alexander Kleppe
19 Jens Bo Christensen
20 Paul Harker
21 David Hilbourne
22 Mats Kaellman
23 Peter Moeck
24 Wilda Oberacker
25 Britta Dildei
26 Bernd Sannemueller
27 Peter Henfling
28 Luke J Cox
29 Christa Himmelmann
30 Neil Parson

And the Winners are:

the 4th Prize goes to David Hilbourne
the 3rd Prize goes to Britta Dildei
the 2nd Prize goes to Jens Bo Christensen
the 1st Prize goes to Mats Kaellman

Congratulations to all of you from the entire Dive Asia Team.

Enjoy your Prizes and we look forward to welcome you here in Phuket.

Final Question No. 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 30th of June 2010:

2010-06-30T05:08:02Z

Your last chance to win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

To choose the last Question was very though. We choose Questions from various PADI Exams, diving history and some were locally related - but not about Dive Aisa - so I dedicated the last and final question to our great Staff.

The final question: Who is the Man in the picture below:

A: Chris
B: Lann
C: Dani
D: Marcello

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 1st of July at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we draw the four lucky winners.

The Correct Answer of June 29th Quiz is: A: Ted Nixon. Today's Winner is Christa Himmelmann from Germany. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 29 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 29th of June 2010:

2010-06-29T05:09:20Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: Who introduces in the mid 50s the red and white "Divers Down" flag?

A: Ted Nixon
B: Lloyd Bridges
C: John Cronin
D: Dick Bonin

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 30th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

The Correct Answer of June 28th Quiz is: A: small bubbles in the bloodstream after a dive that do not cause decompression sickness. Today's Winner is Luke J Cox from Oxford in England. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 28 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 28th of June 2010:

2010-06-28T05:07:07Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: Silent bubbles are:

A: small bubbles in the bloodstream after a dive that do not cause decompression sickness.
B: bubbles that accumulate under the skin and causes subcutaneous emphysema.
C: bubbles that interfere with the nerve transmission and cause narcosis.
D: bubbles found anywhere a barotraumas occurs.

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 29th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

The Correct Answer of June 27th Quiz is: B: Austria vs Germany. Today's Winner is Peter Henfling from Hamburg in Germany. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 27 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 27th of June 2010:

2010-06-27T10:43:59Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: World Cup Fever! The first international underwater soccer game* which ended 10:5 took place on the 26th of April 2008 with _____ vs _____. *(SOCCER not polo or rugby and without scuba gear)

A: England vs France
B: Austria vs Germany
C: Italy vs Spain
D: The Netherlands vs Denmark

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 28th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

The Correct Answer of June 25th Quiz is: D: if it fails, it free-flow rather than shuts off all air. Today's Winner is Bernd Sannemueller. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 26 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 26th of June 2010:

2010-06-26T05:11:56Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: "Fail safe" in reference to a modern scuba regulator means:.

A: the regulator is so reliable, it is nearly impossible that it can fail.
B: the regulator will shut down if a diver exceeds safe limits.
C: all known instances of failure have not caused an accident.
D: if it fails, it free-flow rather than shuts off all air.

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 27th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

The Correct Answer of June 25rd Quiz is: C: 43th / 1982. Today's Winner is Britta Dildei from Zermatt, Switzerland. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 25 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 25th of June 2010:

2010-06-25T05:16:05Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: The Similan Islands were designated as the ___ national park of Thailand in _____.

A: 28th / 1979
B: 39th / 1982
C: 43th / 1982
D: 47th / 1986

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 26th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

Q 24 is closed! The Correct Answer of June 23rd Quiz is: A, B, C & D. Today's Winner is Wilda Oberacker from Germany. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 24 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 24th of June 2010:

2010-06-24T05:09:47Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: Artificial reefs benefit natural reefs by: (choose all that apply)

A: providing additional hard substrate
B: reducing diving and fishing pressure on the natural reef
C: gathering scientific data on reef development
D: creating new dive sites

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 25th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

Q 23 is closed! The Correct Answer of June 23rd Quiz is: A: 200 / 8 - 12 hours. Today's Winner is Peter J. Moeck from Germany. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.

Question 23 of 30, Dive Asia June Quiz, 23th of June 2010:

2010-06-23T05:11:29Z

Join and win fantastic prices. More details at: diveasia.com/blog/2010/05/dive-asias-june-giveaway.html

Today's question: Carbon monoxide bonds with hemoglobin over _____ times more readily than oxygen can, and takes _____ for the circulatory system to eliminate it:

A: 200 / 8 - 12 hours
B: 100 / 4 - 6 hours
C: 50 / 2 - 4 hours
D: 20 / 30 minutes

Send your answer to info@diveasia.com or post it here. The Winner will be announced, tomorrow 24th of June at 12:00 noon Thailand time, just before we post the next question.

Q 22 is closed! The Correct Answer of June 22th Quiz is: B: the exhaled air is released directly into the water. Todays Winner is Mats Kaellman from Sweden. Congratulations on entering the final Lucky Draw on July 1st.