The past day has been a whirlwind of intense diving training, meeting many new people and a couple of beers in between.

By a couple of beers I literally mean two! That's our quota if we are to remain hydrated for the 7am diving trip the next morning (which is truly recommended).

For those that have taken your open water PADI course, you'll know exactly what I went through by watching the introductory video yesterday.

Boring isn't really the word for it. I literally felt like tearing my hair out at some stages!

Unfortunately this is a necessity for the course and without it, you can't go out n see all the beautiful aquatic life Ko Tao has to offer.

After the introductory video last night a few of us went out for food and made the most of our two beer quota.

The resort is literally on the beach which was a perfect setting for the fire displays (pictured). We were also entertained by a live band and some second honeymooners set off Chinese lanterns.

It was so tempting to stay out longer, but as I've forked out a significant bit of money for this course, I'd be crazy not to take it seriously.

After a 7am wake up, we went through the safety procedures, set up the equipment and before I knew it I was breathing under water in the hotel swimming pool.

While this doesn't sound quite so exotic as diving amongst beautiful coral, it was a fantastic experience to breathe underwater (although strange at first).

We learned all the basic skill sets for diving which included taking off your regulator (the mouth piece you breathe in) and putting it back on underwater. We also had to remove our masks, put it back on and clear the water.

I didn't find it too challenging, although to understand it required a significant amount of concentration.

This afternoon we had another lecture which included a multiple choice quiz.

Tomorrow (and by the time this is published) I'll have gone in the open seawater for the first time. I'm eagerly anticipating this despite talk of the sharks we're likely to see!

I never thought I'd take to diving, however I'm already getting a taste for it and I haven't seen any fish yet. It's also a great way to meet new people (as is travelling in general)