Kho Tao (KT) is an island in the Gulf of Thailand, part of a chain of 3 islands along with Koh Samui and Kho Panyang. KT, meaning turtle island in Thai is only 21 square kilometers in size but in the last 15 years has developed from a sleepy fishing island into a busy dive resort. In fact we are told that approximatley a quarter of all the worlds divers come to KT to learn how to dive. Our journey here from Bangkok was very eventful. We weren't able to get the train we wanted as it was full and ended up taking a later train which only had 3rd class seating for the 9 hour journey to the ferry. This train was bound for Hat Yai in the far south of Thailand, on the border with Malaysia, which in recent months has been the centre of Islamic terrorist activity. They recently blew up the airport and supermarket and the local police stations have taken to surrounding their buildings with landmines to deter would be bombers. As a result the train was packed with almost as many armed police as it was passengers. However, this did not deter the party atmosphere among the local people. The fact that we are foreigners did not prevent them from taking pity on us and involving us in their evening meal, as they passed around the sticky rice and pork followed by some very strange looking but very tasty fruits. The ferry journey was a 3 hour affair from the mainland town of Chumphon but once here we were really glad that we made the effort to visit this tiny island where everyone seems to know everyone else in the diving community. We are staying at one of the key dive operators resorts to make it a little easier. To make life even more idyllic we are in a small bungalow right on the beach that overlooks some wonderful sunsets out at sea. Waking up in the morning to the sea lapping on the shore is definetley the way to go. This is the season for seeing whale sharks in the bay. These can grow to up to 50 feet and are actually classed as a fish rather than a shark. Nonetheless they are still immense when you find that one has creeped up behind you! For our first few days we went out looking for them, alas without any luck, but we haven't given up hope yet and will do a few more dives in the hope we get to see them soon. As KT is one of the premier teaching locations in the world we decided to take the opportunity of doing the next level in our diving certifications and move from Advanced to Rescue level. This is a four day course with the emphasis on medical training, search and rescue and recovering divers from the water. Our first day was learnig medical techniques such as mouth to mouth, CPR, accident scene management, oxygen administration and even using electrical de-fibrillation machines to restart the heart. However, the most demanding part of the course were the practical aspects which included rescuing panic divers and unconscious divers. Before you can get the diver to safety you have to find them first so we had to learn underwater search and rescue techniques over a reasonabley sized large area. Once we found them we then had to bring them to the surface in a controlled manner where we would administer breathing support whilst towing them back to a boat some distance off. The real challenge was then getting all theirs and your own equipment off in water, before lifting them onto the boat, unaided. So the final two afternoons were when we had to take our practical exams and with incredible bad luck the weather turned. With rough seas, rain and dark clouds approaching the conditions were more like the North Sea than the Gulf of Thailand. Trying to locate a body at the bottom of the sea and give them emergency treatment on the surface with waves breaking over your head, challenged us to the max. However, the worst was yet to come when we had to drag their bodies through the rough seas back to the boat, whilst continuing to give them breathing support. Our victim was a 6 feet 4 bloke! Trying to carry him on to the boat, which was lurching violently in the rough swells of the sea, was no mean feat and left us exhausted at the end. We had to do 3 rescues each and completed them successfully. So after 6 additional written exams, which we also passed, we can now officially call ourselves Scuba Rescue Divers, which is only one level from the highest possible level scuba certifications for non- professional divers. Baywatch here we come! After all that exhertion and training we are taking a few days to relax with some normal fun dives before heading off the island and out of Thailand altogether. This is David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson signing off!!!!