I always wanted to try scuba diving but for some reason, I’ve been putting it off for a while. Either I didn’t have the time or wasn’t in the right mood. Last week I told myself, it is a time to go for it.
And I really don’t have any excuse not to. I live on Phi Phi Island, which is one of the best scuba diving spots in Thailand and my husband is a diving instructor!
People say you will either love it or hate it…and I was ready to find out what category I fall into.
Can you dive without a scuba diving license?
Yes, you can!
When you decide to go scuba diving for the first time you can start your Open Water Course, which will allow you to fun dive anywhere in the world with a dive buddy. This course takes a minimum of 3 days.
In case you don’t have the time or you are not sure and only want to try first, you can sign up for DSD Discover Scuba Diving, which is what I did. This is a two dive course in a national park under a close supervision of your instructor, who will also teach you couple of basic skills.
In the evening we watched a short video, tried on the wetsuit and fins so in the morning we were ready to rock and roll.
How to choose your instructor?
When choosing the right shop to dive with, have a chat with a couple of people and see how you feel.
You need to trust your instructor and feel confident in his or her abilities to take care of you and guarantee your safety. This is very important, as you will have naturally some concerns as a newbie diver and will be little nervous.
Once you click with someone, then you know you found the right place. It doesn’t hurt to ask the instructor about the level of experience and knowledge of the local sites to assure yourself that you are in safe hands.
First dive at Bida Nok
We met with everyone else in the dive shop around 7.30 am and after some prep talk and a coffee, we were ready to leave around 8:00am. I chose to go on the morning trip as I am a morning person and also the visibility is usually a bit better.
The first dive was in Koh Bida Nok which is part of the Phi Phi archipelago, around 30 minutes away from the Tonsai pier.
I love water, swimming, and everything which comes with it so I wasn’t nervous. My only worry was being able to control my body underwater and not kick into any coral. But as a novice diver, your instructor will keep a close eye on you and hold on to you, if necessary.
My husband is well aware of my clumsiness so he had me at short leash, which I was grateful for.
Within a minute of jumping in we spotted a black tip reef shark, casually swimming few meters away from us.
We also saw many different types of fish, clown fish, barracudas, cuttlefish and many types of coral. The underwater world is so magical that after a minute under the surface you will forget all your worries and concerns and be in awe of the extraordinary beauty you will be witnessing.
Don’t worry about breathing underwater. It actually feels surprisingly natural and using breathing regulator is no science. With more time spent underwater I learned more about how to control my breathing and instead of heavy and short breaths I started to breath more regularly and concentrate on longer inhales and exhales.
Concentrating on your breathing will also help your body and mind to relax underwater.
After coming up from the first dive I was feeling very cold, which is not unusual for me. So was happy to relax on the top deck of the boat and bathed in the sunshine. The captain took us back to Phi Phi Lay Island and parked the boat in Maya Bay, which was a stunning place to have a lunch and chill on the boat.
Second Dive in Malong Bay
After some quick lunch and recharging my energy levels, we jumped in for the second time. This time we went to Malong Bay, just around the corner from Maya Bay.
After about 3 minutes underwater we saw a beautiful sea turtle. It was so used to having divers around that it didn’t mind us at all and appeared very unbothered and relaxed, letting us take a close look.
There were many beautiful sea fans and coral walls on our second dive and I even made a friend.
A cleaning fish remora decided to stuck onto me for the rest of the dive and kept us a company. At first, I was a bit unnerved having a fish nibbling at me and sticking to my bum but at the end, I was sad to say goodbyes to my new friend.
Scuba diving in Koh Phi Phi
Koh Phi Phi is not the cheapest place to dive in Thailand but in comparison to the other places in the world such as the Mediterranean or Mexico, it is still a bargain.
You will get your money’s worth here, as the courses and dive trips are very private. You will be in a group of one to maximum two people which will allow some amazing one on one time with your instructor.
Did I hate it or love it?
I absolutely loved the whole experience and can’t wait to go again.
I had only two small issues during the dives. One was getting a cramp in my toe which was down to me kicking like crazy and not controlling my fin movements and apparently not being hydrated enough. So drink loads of water before your dive.
My second issue was being cold after the first dive. But that can be fixed by wearing a thicker wetsuit.
The feeling of being a part of the underwater world and having a sneak peek into the unknown is awesome, but it has one downside- you will most likely end up loving it and wanting to go again and again!
