Ok..the second installment is here - Advanced Open Water Diving on Koh Tao tropical Island in the Gulf of Thailand. On the accompanying photo album I've included a map of the Island with Dive sites, a map of the Gulf of Thailand and pictures of the fish seen in this area which you can magnify on your computer. Firstly diving has taken it's toll on me physically - its so tiring and afternoon naps are required to get through the day! Plus there is more "homework" with the Advanced certification. I had to learn dive pressures and how long it is safe to stay underwater on for a no decompression dive. You don't want to get decompression sickness which is basically too much nitrogen in your body - otherwise known as the bends due to it making you bend over in pain! Nice. Also sea sickness is rank - Miffy was throwing up off the side of the boat and I felt rough too - the sea was "choppy" - to put in mildly! Dive sites included Chumporn Pinnicle, Japanese Garden and Laem Thain - you can see Koh Tao is a very small Island. Chumporn Pinnicle was amazing - diving to 24 metres in good visability was unreal. The pinnicle is basically a huge underwater rock about 24 metres wide. Aquatic life included : Blue ringed Angel Fish, Yellow tail Barracuda, tall Fin bat Fish, Moorish Idol, Long Fin Bannerfish, Hon Kong Butterfly fish, Moorish Idol, Malabar Grouper, Spanish Flag Snaper, Puffer Fish, Titan Trigger Fish and Parrot fish ( all the colours of the rainbow!)..er I think thats it!! Five dives make up the advanced certification - Deep Dive -yep a deep dive to 30 metres - there you feel the effects of Nitrogen Sarcosis - you basically feel really calm but lack judgement - a little drunken. We had to add up some numbers before we started the dive and then another set on the sea bed - I got it wrong on the surface and right underwater! Guess I'm a fruitcake! Multilevel Dive - diving at different levels - starting with the deepest and getting shallower to increase dive time due to air running out quicker the deeper you go. Peak Performance Buoyancy - having the right set of weights so you can maximise your Neutral Buoyancy - neither ascending or descending - being able to "hover in the water as well as pivot on your fins whilst they rest on the seabed using your lungs. Navigation - swimming out and finding your way back again as well as navigating a square underwater ... and a Night Dive. I really have to dedicate a whole paragraph to the Night Dive - setting out about 6 pm into choppy water freezing cold I remember laughing at myself thinking - what the hell am I doing!! Is this fun!! The answer is yes. We were armed with underwater torches - alot of different aquatic life comes out at night. The coral comes out to hunt and singrays swim around with bright eyes - glare from our flash lights. Orientation is difficult because you can't tell where the surface is! I felt lijke I was in a James Bond film - the water was warm, eerie but also very peaceful. Squid darted around and we saw a Porkupine fish attached to two shark suckers!! ( apparantley thats what it was anyway!) The last 3 dives were in one day and I was shattered..shattered but happy. So now I'm a certified Avanced Open Water Diver! Time to leave this Island I think...............