[Phi Phi, Thailand] Uugh. Woke up at 4am with the runs. Last nights Mexican (that should be a sign in Thailand) food did not agree with me and today I have my last two qualifying open water dives. Oh well hope the imodium works.

Was feeling pretty grim by the time we got on the boat. Sim reckons I need to learn when to say enough and cancel instead of just carrying on and being miz (aka stubborn).

The ride out to our first dive spot (Viking cave) was very calm, but my upset tummy meant that I still got a case of sea sickness. Wasn’t sure I should be diving but after we got in the water I felt much better. After completing a couple of tasks we were cruising around an artificial reef at 18 METERS (that’s a long way down to me). I must say I was feeling much more comfortable in the water and was able to pay more attention to the fish and the coral. We saw lots, including a large Giant Puffer Fish with a cleaner fish suckering onto him. Also saw a big Moray eel entwined around a piece of coral. Lots and lots of little Nemos. It was lovely.

Our second dive was at Palong. I was feeling pretty grim during the break, but again felt better once in the water. My last few tasks included BCD and weight removal (easy), hovering (also easy) and the dreaded mask removal. I absolutely detest this task and for me it is always the hardest. Once done though, it meant that I had completed all my skills. Stephan then let Sim and me buddy each other and lead the way while he trailed behind keeping an eye on us. It was great. Visibility wasn’t as good as the other dive site, but it was nice to cruise around and get used to just swimming near each other and checking out the sights at our own pace. We both got a bit of a fright when we spotted a black tipped reef shark, and then another and another – they were surrounding us! There were probably half a dozen of these ‘harmless’ adult sharks maybe 10m away from us. Scary and awesome at the same time. We finished off our dive exhilarated and completely knackered in my case (also with numb thumbs and toes again).

Back at the bungalow I was feeling even worse than earlier. That damn Mexican food really did me in. Slept for a few hours then set off with Sim to find some celebratory Scotch. We found one of our favorites (Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban) at a local bar. It was yummy and worth the price. Then off to go get my certification signed off at the dive shop.

Stephan has been an excellent instructor. Turns out I am his first Open Water Diver that he has qualified. Barakuda divers have been pretty good. Their gear and boats are not as nice as Seadragons but I was more relaxed doing the confined water dives in the shallows by the beach. We also didn’t have to worry about getting things done in time for a visa run. The sunny weather helped too.

I am so grateful to Sim for encouraging me to try again. He knows me so well and knows when to push and when not to. My darling man is a wonderful companion and after 200 days of traveling together I still love him to bits and always will.

Tomorrow we are off to Koh Lipe. Well to Pak Bara the ferry point at least. We will have to overnight there before taking the ferry across in the morning. Not looking forward to the long minibus drive – the direct speedboat is just too expensive.

[Pictures: A little taste of the views on the ride out. V’s log book and temporary PADI card – yippee]

– Posted from my iPhone via WiFi