A quick change in Phuket we were straight on a bus up the coast to Khao Lak. Cheap accommodation at seaweed hostel sorted we only had one thing to do, booking our much anticipated dive trip!!!! After sensibly asking around we knew that Silvan at Khao Lak Explorer had the trip for us. 4 days, 4 nights live aboard and 3 dive courses between us, we were giddily buzzing with anticipation all evening. There was no messing around, the same night Martin watched 3 hours of instructional videos back to back and competed all his knowledge reviews for his Open Water Course. Not such a welcome challenge after 17hours on 2 buses with virtually no sleep but he passed with flying colours! Next stop, the pool. All the basic skills practiced and completed we were ready to set sail. 1 Russian, 1 Israeli, 1 Germans, 2 French, 2 Austrians, 2 others (She got sick, he had tats) 4 Canadians, 7 Chinese and us!!! The instructors, Julien, Ismael & Alaitz, (Spanish) Natasha, (French) Joe, (American) Chehab, (Egyptian) and Marcus (English). The boat crew, 1 captain, 1 engineer (crazy man), 2 chefs and 3 boat boys all clambered aboard and we began what was to be a very intense but incredible four days of diving.

As the Similian Islands were 4 hours away the captain sailed through the night so we all awoke bright and early ready to throw ourselves graciously into the blue! First dive 'Anita's reef' just off island number 5. After an introductory briefing of what to expect on the reef and a short run through of our route from our instructor Marcus, we were all systems go. Excited legs, anxious bellies, smiling faces, sweaty palms, and incredible thoughts we suited and booted on the dive deck. Here we go - Martins first dive...ever, and Emily's first in 3 years!!!

For the next four days it was a case of dive, eat, sleep, repeat!!! And we have the t-shirts to prove it! A total of 14 dives in the space of four days from 6 metres to 30 granite to limestone, calm waters to ripping currents, barracudas to clown fish, it had it all. Adding a top ten world dive spot to the list didn't hurt - Richelieu Rock, "discovered" by the infamous Jacque Cousteau and his dynamite mid century! We jumped in 3 times just to make sure it was thoroughly explored! Walls of fish of every conceivable size, shape and colour, a rare encounter with a frog fish and a humpback unicorn fish was bettered by a clumsy sea turtle. The instructors were going mad over the Durban dancing shrimps, all 2cms of them, we found ourselves simply loving just diving. The removal of gravity is an incredible feeling, only a trip to the moon could compare, we were the lead couple in a James Cameron blockbuster! Just amazing.

Our last dive of the trip was the Boonsung wreck just off the coast Khao Lak, scuttled in the 80s as an insurance job the tsunami in 2004 had ripped it into several pieces and it was over run by nature, you couldn't see the boat for the fish, incredible. A sad goodbye to the boat and one last group picture we left divers for life! After making good friends with the German we were invited for celebratory beers and a good schnitzel at Khao Laks answer to Octoberfest. The night started off slowly but ended up with an amateur rendition of Country Roads at the local tourism festival. If you don't ask you don't get! Oh the locals faces!!

Having waited the obligatory 24 hours (due to the nitrogen build up) we had a well deserved Thai massage and foot scrub. Still feeling land sick and with popping ears we had a pizza at the Viking restaurant and toasted the imminent arrival of our own two Vikings Abi Brown and Lucas White. Let's Party!!!