Another 762 bends and we were back in Chiang Mai with Alex and met with her friend Bee. Only a night was spent there before we said goodbye to them both as we headed to Koh Tao down south, north of Koh Phangan. One 12 hour bus journey to Bangkok was enough to ake our skin crawl with sweat and stickyness, so at 4:30am when we were dropped off on Koh San Road, we found a hostel to sleep in and finally have a SHOWER!!!! Another 12 hour bus journey later and we were waiting at 3am on Chumphon pier for the ferry to Koh Tao which left at 7. A final 3 hours later and we had arrived!!!! Diving was so close. We went and got a place with Crystal Dive (recommend to anyone, they're freaking great there) just as it started to rain... AGAIN. The next day we started our course (cost us 10,000 each, so around 210 pounds, cheapest place in the world to do it) in the classroom doing some theory. The second day was spent doing a it more theory, then a 50 question exam that no one stayed with us for... so it was more of a discussion of what answers everyone had... and then 3 sessions in the pool DIVING! Well both never forget the first time we started breathing through the regulator underwater. it's a facinating feeling, knowing that usually you'd be chocking, but somehow this feels normal. We went through some excercises underwater such as mask removal, blind swimming, out of air procedure, fin pivots, equalizing etc. This went fine, the funny highlight being Tim, who after cleaning his mask with fairy liquid (stops it steaming up) he didnt quite rinse it well enough, and so whilst underwater... as you do, he let out air through his nose... creating bubbles. At first it was fine, just a few bubbles, then it got a bit ridiculous with the whole mask filled with bubbles. I didnt know if I should go up and clear it because I didnt want the instructors to worry I was drowning or anything, so I just stayed there until they came to me to do the regulator removal exercise and then they just laughed. A lot. Sighhhh. The next day we were hitting the big blue ocean. Excitement!
Okay so no hitting the Ocean. A massive storm came and flooded the island. Waves were 4m high out at sea so no boats came or left for 3 days. The island ran low on eggs and beer. Tragic! So yeah, we didnt dive for 3 days. It rained, solidly, and very hard. Luckily our hut was on a slope so we had no trouble with leakages or flooding, but other parts of the island were hit badly. And indeed a navy warship came on day 2 to take stranded people off the island who needed to get off. We had a dive course to finish so we stayed, and headed to see the helicopters that were airlifting people to the warship out at sea. It was really cool. Apparently the news hit back home in the UK – flooding devastates Thailand, Koh Tao specifically was mentioned as being badly hit and that people had died and were stuck on the Island, apparently the british embassy had issued a message telling all tourists to get off the island. This was not the case. Indeed there was some flooding further north of us, no one died, they did on the mainland but not with us, people were not stuck, they;d been taken off by the warship if they needed to, and the embassy ahd said no such thing they'd said if you have to get off, get on the warship. When the island got internet back on the night of day 3, Tim had a few erratic and intense skyping sessions with his rents who'd been in contact with the embassy back home and been very worried as we'd had no way of contacting them. Bloody british news exaggerating everything!!!
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