Koh Lanta - Blue Planet Divers

For some videos from the Andaman Freediving Competition 2012

2012-02-22T15:59:00.002+07:00

Some selected videos from the competition, for more information, check out our Freediving Blog:

http://freedivingthailand.blogspot.com/

Our Freediving Competition

2012-02-14T12:50:00.000+07:00

We have just had our annual freediving Competition, for the results click here:

http://freedivingthailand.blogspot.com/

And now Adam!!!! Gotta love my staff

2012-02-07T18:50:00.000+07:00

Some days I realise how lucky I am with my staff xxxx to your all

"Hi Melissa,

I must thank you and your wonderful team for making the DSD course the best part of my Thailand trip.

Adam, our instructor, was amazing. The whole time, he was ever so watchful and patient with us. Though I don't have a yardstick to compare him with, I can safely say that there aren't many who can check our buoyancy, repeatedly teach us how to drain water from the mask, excitedly point out different species of underwater life, all the while taking in an enormous number of hits from our fins.

Taking the plunge with Adam (figuratively, of course) was one of the best things I have done so far and I can't wait to get back to Lanta.

Special mention to Sass and Carolina too, who helped us get in and out of our gear and making it an awesome experience.

Thanks,

Sudarshan"

Coca Cola you are the best!

2012-02-07T14:47:00.003+07:00

Well done to Coca Cola (Karolina) for getting a marvellous review from a customer:

"Hi,

I just wanted to take some time out and thank Karolina/Carolina/Coca cola for making DSD so comfortable for me.

I am not a very strong swimmer (read: I can barely keep my head over water) and it is safe to say that I was quite skeptical about staying calm under water. My instructor did a fabulous job of making me feel secured. I almost bailed out twice in my second dive due to acute ear pain but Carolina helped me through; by coming up and going down; again and again; to aid the acclimatization, so to speak.

I did not get a chance to thank her in person. Please convey my best wishes to her and I hope to see you guys soon for open water. :)

Cheers! Amritanshu "

Well done Adam

2012-01-04T13:14:00.001+07:00

Adam got a fantastic review from a lovely family we had dive with us for a while. We would like to say that they were a lovely family and we hope they are back real soon.

I wanted to thank you, your team and especially Adam for an absolutely fantastic welcome in to the diving world. The boys and I really had a wonderful time and are bringing back some fantastic memories of Thailand and Blue Planet Diving. I especially wanted to mention how hard Adam worked to make our last day of diving fresh and new even though we had to return to Koh Ha instead of our original destination. He and James did a great job of dropping us in new places so that it wasn’t repetitive at all. We were rewarded with seeing two sea snakes, some squid and an octopus (all a first for us). At the end, Ben offered us a discount because of the change of plans but there was no way I could accept it given what a fantastic set of dives we had. It seems like all of your employees are fantastic but I can say for certain that Adam is truly a gem!

All of us I think will dream of returning to Thailand some day!

Christmas at Blue Planet

2012-01-04T11:57:00.000+07:00

Sorry for such a delay in blogging since Christmas, but we have been really busy with loads of lovely guests and lots and lots of partying!

Santa visited us all on the 23rd December 2011 (we get a special early visit as we are all working on Christmas Day) and he also joined us for some diving on Christmas Day, well even Santa needs some time off after his big night.

Kevin and James fun diving with the DMTs

2011-12-05T14:14:00.001+07:00

Kevin and James had a lovely day at Hin Daeng with Angela and Krystina and I thought we should share some of Kevin's Photos.

James

Angela

Kevin trying to look scary I think!

Calling all British Citizens

2011-12-03T12:04:00.001+07:00

https://submissions.epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/588

If you are British, please take 30 seconds to sign this petition to ban the use, sale or import of Shark Fin products.

This Shark is happy that people are signing this petition ;-)

Please stop this now!

2011-12-02T09:02:00.001+07:00

Captain Wee saves the day!

2011-12-02T08:31:00.001+07:00

So today we had planned for the speedboat to go out to Hin Daeng but the Big Boat to stay on the island so that our staff could fix the pier. No problem full speedboat to Hin Daeng is great.

Unfortunately, when I woke up this morning, I had a bad feeling, the wind had not died down. So I popped over to the pier to check the Captain's view. Yeap he agreed, weather not good enough and we were just about to cancel the trip when Captain Wee offered to take out our big boat! But with no fuel, tanks (on the speedboat) and boat boys asleep how late would we leave?

When the customers arrived we offered them to cancel (and possibly rearrange for tomorrow) or dive off the big boat and do some special dive sites at Koh Haa (at the obviously reduced price). They all jumped at the chance as I, organised breakfast, Wee, got the boat boys, the staff, loaded the tanks from the speedboat, and En went to get the fuel for the boat.

Boat left at 8:06am!!!! Totally awesome guys, well done, weather looks better for tomorrow so maybe Hin Daeng tomorrow.

It really is great having 2 boats, I love you Geddis!!!

Thought for the day!

2011-11-29T09:55:00.001+07:00

Plenty of Big Stuff at Hin Daeng & Hin Muang

2011-11-20T08:49:00.001+07:00

This year Hin Daeng and Hin Muang have started early with both Whalesharks and Manta Rays seen by us in the last week.

Normally our trips to this dive area are relatively quiet with maybe 10-15 divers on board, but obviously this year the word got around that there was some interesting stuff to see and we had over 30 people on the boat!

Now with our sexy new Speedboat we should be able to offer far more trips to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang.

Wow it is so big and beautiful!!

2011-11-19T16:48:00.001+07:00

Finally our custom built Dive Speedboat is on the island and ready to take you in complete luxury diving!

Yet to have the logo added, the boat is beautiful to behold and has 2 of the largest engines I have ever seen on a speedboat.

Whaleshark at Hin Muang

2011-11-13T15:10:00.001+07:00

Yes, I can confirm that today we saw a Whaleshark at Hin Muang!!!

Purple Rock (Hin Muang) is my personal favourite dive site and it is superb when the big stuff is there, because it is very hard to miss it. The site is completely submerged, giving an excellent viewing area above the reef to see any Manta Rays or indeed Whalesharks.

I am totally gutted, wished I had been on the boat ;-(

I finally get to go diving

2011-11-05T11:54:00.000+07:00

Well it has been a long time coming, but yesterday I felt strong enough to try diving again. James Hoyland, on his day off, generously took over my Boatmaster duties and put together my gear for me. Wee, Lop and Ya all helped me get kitted up in the water and I went for a lovely 20minute dive.

Need to carry a bit less weight these days (as I have weights now integrated into my body) and the braces on my teeth don't help, but nevertheless it was a lovely dive.

Day only marred by James headbutting my beloved boat, but luckily Choksomboon 9 only has a small dent (pity about James nose though!)

thanks guys for making it possible,

Mellisa xx

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T10:26:00.000+07:00

So in true Blue Planet Divers style, we all got involved in the dressing up for Halloween, with the team deciding our theme should be 'The Addams Family" and 'The Munsters.' However Sam decided to opt out of the team activity and decided to go in Camouflage.

Clearly we are not going to win any awards for Beauty, and I was slightly perturbed by the amount of fuss the guys made, all night, about their make up.

I am however happy that Jim has found himself a new lady, not the most prettiest but she definitely has personality!

Big up to Cheeky Monkey Bar, for a fab party, Sam particularly liked the chicken drum sticks.

Happy Birthday Nin!

2011-10-30T20:37:00.000+07:00

Last night we all surprised Kevin's girlfriend with a birthday party.

She then entertained us with some lovely singing, but unfortunately then handed the microphone to us, and lets just say we dont sing quite as good as her!

If only the Blue Planet Team could sing

Jim and James the new Liam & Noel

Not sure why they YMCA'd

It's tough being the boss!

2011-10-27T10:45:00.001+07:00

For the first time this season, I was able to actually go on my boat for a day!

Whilst I am not able to dive yet, I had some fantastic snorkelling with Suzie and we saw 3 baby black tip sharks, loads of Barracudas and some huge lobsters.

As is also traditional, I always have a staff meeting after my day on the boat and whilst there are always improvements to be made, I was really pleased with the way my team are working together on the boat.

I was also pleased to see the feedback forms for the day; all the customers said their instructor was "Extremely professional & very helpful" and that they were definitely considering another day with us.

Thanks guys xxx

Well Done Caroline

2011-10-18T15:16:00.000+07:00

Looks like Caroline is already getting fans here on Koh Lanta. She took 2 people diving at Koh Haa yesterday and this is what they had to say:

"Caroline was excellent - made us feel very comfortable and at ease. It made the whole experience that much more enjoyable, merci bien!"

"We had Caroline, she was excellent, she made sure our dive was right for us and explained everything well. I would definitely use her and Blue Planet again."

Well done Caroline, looks like you are a real asset to our team ;-)

Mellisa

Boat Trip on Monday, first of High Season

2011-10-08T09:54:00.000+07:00

We are pleased to announce that if the weather is good, our lovely boat will be on it's way to Koh Haa on Monday morning, unfortunately Mellisa has a date with the dentist so she will be missing the trip, but that is good news for Ben!

Blue Planet Divers fight it out!!

2011-10-08T09:51:00.001+07:00

Today is a very tense day in the Blue Planet Office, as the French take on the English in the World Rugby Cup. Will we be a team by the end of the afternoon? Will the French get bored of the English singing rugby songs? Will Mellisa be able to stand the tension and watch the whole match? Will England please win? (sorry English person writing this blog, expect the French one to say something different)

All will be answered by 5pm today,

Bon Chance to both teams

Bonjour Caroline et Benoit

2011-10-06T17:50:00.001+07:00

A huge welcome to our 2 new staff this year, Caroline & Benoit. They have lots of experience from their time in Egypt and being French they are a welcome addition to the team.

The only2 problems is that they will be supporting France in a rather important rugby game on the 8th and now we have 2 French Bens!!!

Bienvenue guys xxxx

Choksomboom 9 is back.... Whoop Whoop

2011-10-06T17:46:00.001+07:00

We have been trying for nearly a week to get our lovely boat back, but the weather has been so bad she has been stuck in Kantang. Today the sun shined and she returned at 5:30pm. I made sure I was on my deck to welcome her home.

The boat is wet again!

2011-09-29T20:46:00.000+07:00

Today was our last trip to the boatyard and it was lovely to see the boat returned to the water. It has just a little painting left to do and then it is sailing back to Koh Lanta.

Kev and Captain Wee check out the boat

Captain Wee is delighted to have a new flashy light, the engine is stunningly shiny, and the boat is being repainted from top to bottom. It looks beautiful!

Our shiny engine

Kev enjoys putting the boat back into the water

Never have I seen him so happy!

Getting ready for High Season

2011-09-27T18:40:00.000+07:00

Kev and I took a visit yesterday, to Kantang, to see our lovely boat. Currently it is undergoing its yearly service and we are all on track for its return on Monday (3rd October) and hopefully out diving on the Thursday (6th October). We are still open for diving up until then, but we really need a reason to take the boat out on Thursday, so make sure you book some diving that day.

Just got to check they spell the name right! Almost missed the Blue Blanet divers last year!

Gordon Ramsay Explains Why We Want A Ban on Shark Finning

2011-09-11T13:28:00.000+07:00

90 UK Pounds for a soup that is destroying shark populations and tastes of.......... NOTHING!!!

September - the lull before the fun!

2011-09-11T11:22:00.001+07:00

September on Koh Lanta is always a strange one for us who live here; the place gets quieter, there are very few guests, it is quite wet and we start to get excited about High Season.

The lovely Choksomboon 9 (our boat) has just gone for its regular service, so by the beginning of October, our boat will be shiny and new and docked on its new improved pier. Our staff are booking their flights for their return and we are having many requests for professional and recreational courses.

So if you are planning to see us, drop me a line and we can give you advice on how to get here, where to stay, what to do etc

Looking forward to seeing you this High Season

Mellisa x

Too much of a close encounter with a whale shark.

2011-08-10T19:29:00.013+07:00

On a day when a manta ray was seen at Hin Deang, I was having a normal day working, starting an advanced course with Deborah and Natasha at Koh Haa.

Kneeling down on the sand doing skills in front of Koh Haa 4 (away from the lagoon) Natasha signaled to look behind me. There, no more than half a metre away, a turtle was munching on coral. "ok, lets watch the turtle" I signaled. After about a minute, as we watched it swim away, I signaled lets carry on with the skills. Two minutes later, Natasha again signals me. This time "look up". It took me a moment to comprehend the dark silhouette of a whale shark swimming about 15m above us surrounded by maybe 20 Cobia. "OK, finish the skills, lets ascend". Coming up to 14m the 4-5m Juvenile whale shark starts circling closer and closer to us. My golden rules as people who know me will testify, are no touching coral, or marine life. The whale shark is coming closer and closer to us so I back away from it with my divers. Its then I realise that I have had to back up so far I am now literally against the wall of Koh Haa 4, Natasha to my left and Deborah to my right. Now I am hating the fact that my tank is backed against the wall and inevitably, against the coral. What makes it worse is that the whale shark has turned in such away it is now swimming up my body so close by the time its head passes me, I can now feel its weight pushing against my body. My right arm is across my chest and I have no option but to break another golden rule. With the its huge weight bearing against me, I begin to push the weight of the shark away from me with my forearm. It may be a juvenile, but damn its heavy!!!! After a few seconds it passes, and thinking that this must be a little intimidating for my students, I swim left shoulder back towards the lagoon. Looking back I get a shock to see the juvenile, literally less than a metre away behind us, following us into shallower water. At one point I see it move closer to Deborahs back, and at the last minute open its mouth. Its bottom lip touching the base of the tank, and the top lip touching the face of the tank, with Deborah displaying a visible 'jerk' from the impact. It then passes us on our left shoulder as I continue into the lagoon to do our safety stop. Now in 6m of water, the juvenile came up to us for one last time, within half a metre as we hovered at 5m to do our safety stop. It finally turned away and headed back towards Koh Haa 4, following it right shoulder out of sight and ending the most amazing dive I have EVER had.

I would like to stress that whale sharks are in no way aggressive or dangerous. Circumstances beyond my control put me in the position I found myself in. This beautiful, amazing creature which at 4-5m is STILL just a juvenile was just showing an inquisitiveness that in my now five encounters with whale sharks is unsurpassed.

I wish to be adamant that I have learned, agree and actively promote that we strictly passively observe marine life and do not touch, and my doing so was strictly to protect my divers and myself from any harm that this gentle giant might have unintentionally caused.

Unfortunately, this was the only image captured

that day. Taken by a snorkeler at the surface.

Make the informed choice

2011-08-07T13:39:00.004+07:00

I read an article recently that described how British tinned tuna distributors have all now agreed to only use tuna from sources that DO NOT use purse seine fishing techniques. Purse seine is when a large net circles a school of fish and is then closed off at the bottom. The catch is then pulled in. Unfortunately sharks, turtles and many other species are also pulled up, with little hope of survival. While congratulations to British companies are in order for signing up to this agreement, one thing struck me as ironic. Princes is one such company that has signed up to this agreement and I fully congratulate them on this, but Princes is a company owned by Mitsubishi who have cornered 40% of the Blue Fin tuna market. Blue Fin tuna is an endangered species but is highly sort after especially for the sushi market. Just this year a blue fin tuna sold in Japan for a record $396000. As such proper steps to limit numbers caught to ensure the sustainability if not recovery of the species are not being properly implemented. With the scarcity of this prized catch increasing every year, Mitsubishi have a vested interest in continuing to fish, hoard and sell this endangered species with an increasing profit guaranteed while numbers decrease. People who know me know I do not eat fish but I do not dictate other peoples personal choice. What I would recommend though is that through a little research people can make a difference by checking the sources of the fish they purchase and making an informed choice.
Greenpeace created a leaflet in August 2008 discussing tinned tuna and a pdf file can be read or downloaded at:
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/files/pdfs/oceans/Tinned_Tuna_Final.pdf

Oh the diving is just awful!!!

2011-07-22T21:02:00.001+07:00

So after a stormy week, the weather calmed down really quickly and we were able to go diving again.

Kevin went out on Tuesday and whilst I thought the visibility would still be poor, I could not have been more wrong, Kev report better than 15metre visibility which was incredible considering the storm.

2 days later and Ben is out, yes he finally made it! I was absolutely gutted, as I found out that I had given Ben the diving work, on the only day this low season we had a power cut all day!

But Ben thoughtfully sent me a text on his way back from Koh Haa.....

"Bad day, 30m visibility, 5 Turtles, 1 Marble Ray, SeaHorse and a Leopard Shark"

Sounds terrible Ben!!!

You can really go off people ;-(

Blue Planet Divers

Please watch till the end.....

2011-07-17T09:30:00.000+07:00

Andaman 2012 Freediving Competition

2011-07-16T11:22:00.000+07:00

We at Blue Planet Divers, are please to announce that both our Sponsors for our Freediving Competition in 2011 have agreed to back us again in 2012.

Our Freediving Competition is open to all and an ideal starting competition for those new to the sport. You will find everyone on our team, the judges and other competitors, more than willing to share tips and ideas with you on how to improve your performance.

Andaman Freediving Competition 2012

9th - 12th February 2012

Day 1 - Sea Practice and Competition outline (on the Blue Planet Divers Boat)
Day 2 - Depth Competition (on the Blue Planet Divers Boat)
Day 3 - Pool Practice (Royal Lanta Resort)
Day 4 - Pool Competition (Royal Lanta Resort) and Competition Party!

We recommend planning to come early to the event as competitors can take advantage of the reduced fee on the boat for the week leading up to the event.

Thought for the day - Just 2 bags!

2011-07-10T20:23:00.000+07:00

So today, I was really disappointed when I walked the dogs on the beach and saw the amount of rubbish that the wind and waves had brought ashore. The usually pristine beach was full of rubbish, foam, polystyrene, flip flops (so many and never a pair), bottles, plastic and of course lighters. You hear about these plastic islands that are floating around our oceans and it is so sad when you see it what we humans have done to our environment.

It is sad to see this on the beach, but imagine the damage it is doing to our aquatic life as turtles and other mammals eat the rubbish we throw away. Unfortunately we don't have to imagine because researchers all over the world are finding it in the stomachs of dead turtles.

Luckily the storm also washed up some bags, including 2 rather large rice bags, and so i did a mini-clean up, to be honest it didn't really make a difference but it did make me promise myself that each time I go on the beach i will take at least 2 bags to fill up before I return. 2 bags is not going to make a huge difference, but it did make me feel like I was doing my bit and will stop a lot of rubbish going back into the sea when the storm subsides. Maybe if we all took just 5 minutes every time we got on the beach to just fill 2 bags then we could make a difference. Just because you didn't throw the rubbish away isn't an excuse not to pick it up, it is our world and we all have a responsibility to it.

Maybe you don't want to do 2 bags but how about instead of just picking up your own rubbish, that you take just 30 seconds to pick up a few more items on the way to the bin? It's not much is it? but imagine if everyone did it, what a difference that would make!

Mellisa

A good article, pity they had to use the term "Jaws" in relation to sharks.

2011-07-07T08:53:00.001+07:00

Why Jaws needs protecting: Bahamas bans shark fishing as THIRD of all species now face extinction

By Fiona Roberts From the Daily Mail

They're supposed to be the ultimate hunters - but it turns out they're really the hunted.
A U.S. report has revealed shark numbers have declined by as much as 80 per cent worldwide, with a third of all species now threatened by extinction as millions are killed each year for their fins.
It comes as the Bahamas announced it has banned commercial shark fishing in its territorial waters, the latest in a long line of countries anxious to protect the ocean predator.

Protected: Divers off the Bahamas proudly advertise the country's new ban on commercial shark fishing, as it is revealed their numbers are declining

It turns the island chain's 243,244 square miles of territorial waters into a shark sanctuary, designed to protect the 40 species which inhabit that part of the Caribbean.
The move will also be good for the Bahamian economy. The country is one of the world's premier shark-watching destinations for divers, and the industry brings in $78million each year.

It was already a shark-friendly country - 20 years ago it banned longline fishing, stopping sharks becoming caught in fishermen's nets and allowing the predators to thrive in its waters.
Famously, the final Jaws movie was filmed on 'Jaws Beach', on the archipelago's New Providence Island.

Sanctuary: Jaws Beach on New Providence Island in the Bahamas. The archipelago's waters are home to 40 different species of shark

But elsewhere sharks are increasingly under threat, according to a new report published by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
It revealed shark numbers have declined by some 70 to 80 per cent, and a third of all species are threatened or near-threatened by extinction.
Part of the reason is food. Each year, 73 million sharks are killed by fishermen to supply a growing market for Chinese delicacy - shark-fin soup.
Their fins are usually sliced off then the bloody carcasses are thrown overboard.
On top of that, tens of millions of the predators are killed every year when they are caught in lines or nets intended for other fish.
Shark-fin soup has traditionally been served in China as a way for people to show off their wealth.

Image problem: Experts say shark numbers are declining in part because they are now thought of as the ultimate human enemy, after the the 1975 film Jaws

As the country's proportion of rich people grows, so too does the demand for shark fins, which can be worth up to 100 times more than the meat itself.
And unlike, for example, tuna fish, which produce 10 million eggs each year, female Great White sharks produce just two to four live young every couple of years, so their numbers can fall dramatically in a short space of time.

Delicacy: The demand for shark-fin soup is growing every year

Experts say part of the issue is an image problem - since the 1975 movie Jaws enshrined sharks forever in popular mythology as the ultimate enemy, fear of the predators has grown.

But in fact unprovoked shark attacks are incredibly rare. Just six people were killed by the animals last year, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Sharks don't even like the taste of human beings, according to Christopher Neff, an Australian shark researcher.

In a new book on sharks by Juliet Eilperin, the Washington Post's natural environment reporter, she says part of our horror stems from the way many species of shark swim with their mouths open so they can breathe.

She writes: 'This is one of the reasons people see sharks as scary: cruising along as they display their sharp teeth, they look as if they're poised to attack at any moment.'
Now many countries are trying to stop their decline by protecting them.
Earlier this year Palau, the Maldives and Honduras banned commercial shark fishing.
Hawaii, which has one of the biggest markets for shark fins outside Asia, has banned all shark-fin products, and California, which also has a huge market for them, is in the process of doing so.

160 Sharks killed per minute.... something to thing about!

2011-07-05T15:04:00.000+07:00

Still makes me cry ;-(

Thank you Kat & Sophie

2011-07-01T08:44:00.000+07:00

You can imagine, that when I saw the note stuck to our shop shutters surrounded by flowers, I only had one thought.... unfortunately for me, it was not some hot guy professing undying love, but 2 really lovely Rescue students letting Kev and I know that they had a great time.

So did we guys..... so did we!

Happy travels and see you real soon,

Mellisa & Kev xxx

Conservation in Thailand

2011-06-24T09:53:00.003+07:00

Most people know that overfishing is a global problem, and Thailand is in no way exempt. Thai fisherman petitioned for help to solve the overfishing problem, and Her Majesty, the Queen of Thailand responded by commissioning the dumping of 25 old tanks, 198 old garbage trucks and 273 old train cars to create artificial reefs to encourage the increase of fish stocks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6zAZ-nHQuo&feature=player_embedded

The Thai Government has come under attack for not responding fast enough to the problems Thailand faced after last years bleaching incident which effected about 80% of the corals around the country. Measures have not been able to be put in place due to funds not forthcoming which in some areas has caused the problems to worsen. Luckily for us on Koh Lanta, Koh Haa and Hin Deang/ Hin Muang, have been mentioned as a few of the places which stand a good chance of recovering from last years high sea temperatures.
http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/06/thailand-slow-action-to-save-coral.html

Our Latest Advanced Open Water Divers

2011-06-22T20:00:00.001+07:00

Congratulations to Sophie and Kat who qualified as Advanced Open Water Divers today. Today they did 3 dives (Deep, Navigation and Peak Performance Bouyancy) and passed with flying colours!

But they are not satisfied with that, tomorrow they start their Rescue Course with Kevin........

Good luck girls, you are gonna laugh a lot over the next 3 days!

Whoop Whoop Mellisa Goes Diving!!!

2011-06-22T19:50:00.001+07:00

Yes, that is right, I actually went diving!!! Seems that I am always stuck in the office these days, but luckily for me Rick and Barclay turned up and there was simply nobody else to guide them :-)

Well of course the wind decided to get up, so the journey out was a bit choppy! but as soon as we got to Koh Haa Lagoon, the surge disappeared and we got a lovely first dive. After a yummy lunch, our second dive was to Koh Haa Yai to see the caves. It was beautiful and so nice to be the ONLY people there today. Thanks guys for a great day out!

Mellisa x

Let's go diving!

2011-05-28T11:28:00.000+07:00

Wow the conditions are absolutely fabulous right now, the sun is shinning and it is really hot, there is a slight breeze which is cooling us down a little but my low season tan is coming on a treat!

Kevin has been blown away with the visibility lately, so what are you waiting for? Right now we are having some of the best diving of the year, so get here and lets enjoy it together!

Something to make you smile today

2011-05-19T17:38:00.000+07:00

Made by one of our Divemaster Traineers this year, miss you all xxx

hmm hot, a bit wet and quite a few whalesharks!!!

2011-05-19T12:08:00.000+07:00

Yes that is right, the weather is quite nice right now, hot but not too hot and very very wet at night but the wind is small, so the diving conditions have been great with a few trips out to Hin Deang to see WHALESHARKS..... Yes that is right, we seem to have had a few great sightings in the last week, some right up close and personal. Dingo actually thought the Whaleshark was gonna kiss him!!!! Thankfully the Whaleshark thought better of that!!!

Well Done Big Jim

2011-05-19T11:57:00.001+07:00

Big Jim, who has been one of our longest serving SCUBA instructors at Blue Planet, qualified as a AIDA Freediving Instructor last week. Jim had his first ever Freediving course with Marc, our Freediving instructor, over 3 years ago and gained a huge appetite for the sport.

He has competed in 2 of our Freediving Competitions, being placed 2nd in both and he decided this year, that he wanted to take the next step. So Jim has been studying hard in Dahab, Egypt, for his AIDA Instructor rating and despite falling sick during his training, Jim persevered and we can not wait for him to get back and start helping Marc next year.

Well Done Jim, see you soon

xxx

The Power of the Media

2011-05-09T15:02:00.006+07:00

Conservation issues are being brought to the forefront more often these days, none so more, than via television and the internet.

Sharkwater, a feature length documentary released in 2006, brought attention to the rapid diminishment of sharks due to the practice of shark finning, which in recent times, due to public opinion and pressure, has become illegal in many places.

Whale Wars, a documentary now into its upcoming fourth season, follows the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in their efforts to defend whales in the Antarctic Whale sanctuary which has brought increasing attention, support and public pressure to end this practice, IN ALL FORMS.

The Cove, a feature length documentary released in 2009, shed light on the brutal slaughter of dolphins that occurs every year in Japan. A practice which even many Japanese people did not realise existed.

One you may or may not heard of is The End of the Line. Again a feature length documentary released in 2009 which shed light on the how the fishing industry, through targeting unsustainable sources and overfishing has endangered fish stocks for the next generation. Not only did it raise individual awareness but also that of European governments, and since its release has seen many major businesses now switch to sustainable sources for their catches. Also many people have now changed their purchasing trends in favour of sustainable. You can read this article at: http://endoftheline.com/blog/archives/1337

Whale Shark!

2011-05-09T09:37:00.001+07:00

We are really happy and pleased to announce that after three years working in and around Blue Planet, Dingo Dave FINALLY got to see his first Whale Shark yesterday on a trip to Hin Deang. When he told me on the phone, he was obviously stoked by it, and I'm betting not even the nudibranch's could have drawn his attention away!!!

Well done, and also to his customers Goran and Julien

Nudibranch of the Week

2011-05-03T13:21:00.000+07:00

All of you that have dived with us before, know that Dingo Dave has a small passion for nudibranchs! So we have added a new section to the blog just for him.

Dingo has selected Chromodoris Geminus as his nudibranch of the week. "One of the prettiest nudibranch's i have seen around here, often found at Hin Muang and Hin Daeng." So whilst you are off watching the Manta Rays, Dingo has his head in the rock looking for these little darlings.

AGAIN??!!

2011-05-02T22:03:00.003+07:00

Believe it or not fans of Blue Planet, a manta was spotted today on the boat trip to Hin Muang. We are so happy that these gentle giants have returned to our corner of the world, they just cant seem to stay away this season. Now we are into low season and we have Manta and Whale shark sightings! As Mellisa likes to say 'Happy Days'!!!

Reefs at Risk

2011-05-01T18:09:00.005+07:00

I have just been reading an interesting report I found on threats to our reefs, called Reefs At Risk Revisited. A report by the World Resources Institute (WRI) (available for download at www.wri.org/publication/reefs-at-risk-revisited ). You are probably aware that reefs are under threat from local pressures such as over fishing, pollution, and coastal development, but did you know that CO2 levels are not only warming our seas but also making them more acidic. 15% of reefs world wide are already under threat but by 2050 almost all reefs will be under threat. We can stop this though if we act now by limiting CO2, curbing over fishing, and stop polluting our oceans. More on this later.

PS Just a quick note after something that a customer said at the shop yesterday. Please, when you are snorkeling (or diving), act responsibly. There should be no reason for you to stand on the coral. Full feet protection, (like gloves), does not enable you to touch these delicate systems without causing damage.

When I used to hike we said leave nothing but footprints, in the ocean though, remember, leave nothing but bubbles. Cheers for reading.

29th April 2011

2011-04-29T10:36:00.000+07:00

First things first, the weather..... well surprisingly it is hot today, not super hot, because we had a lot of rain in the middle of the night that seemed to clear the air, looks like it is going to be another spectacular day!

Speaking to the team, we are going to have a few regular spots on this blog, Kev is going to provide some enviromental blogging and Dingo.... well he is only interested in one thing..... Nudibranchs! so we are going to get him to come up with his Nudibranch of the week. Maybe then we will all be as knowledgeable as him on the subject. Ben doesn't know it, but he will be providing our French updates and i would like some suggestions on what else you would like us to cover.

Weather - 28th April 2011

2011-04-28T12:36:00.000+07:00

Well surprisingly it is bloomin' hot! We had a little rain last night but that has not cooled the island down one bit.

The sea is still very calm, so diving is not a problem and the forecast predicts that this should continue for the foreseeable future.

Welcome to Our New Blog

2011-04-28T12:12:00.000+07:00

With Low Season nearly upon us, I decided to start our new blog page. Here I hope to give you up to date news and weather on Lanta as well as all the local gossip.

So I am going to start by introducing the Crew:

Office Staff
Mellisa - Sometimes known as the boss, I am the pasty one normally found in the shop!
Gin - Always known as the boss!
Gediminas (Geddis) - My Lithuanian Business Partner & Dive Instructor
Kai - Our lovely Thai cleaner
En - The cheeky taxi driver

The Animals
Pot Pearrt - Gin's beloved poodle - the boss of all our animals and the most pampered
Sam ("3" in Thai) - My black mongrel who keeps my feet warm when I am working at the desk
Munchie - My adopted beautiful fluffy dog who has a habit of biting your bottom if she has missed you!
Gizmo - My cat that likes to come to the office, is convinced he is a dog and generally likes attacking the dogs (not Pot Pearrt though!)

The Boat Crew
Captain Wee - Quite simply the best captain on the island, he can turn our boat on a 1 baht coin
Ya - Our Boat Engineer, he makes sure the tanks are full and the diver's are safe
Kay - Our Boat Boy, learning to freedive and great with snorkellers

Our Guides and Instructors (Currently working)
French Ben - Dive Instructor (French and English) - Been with us forever, now going to work part time in the office to help with all our French Customers
Kev - Dive Instructor - Worked with Blue Planet for 3 years and he often quoted as "handsome" by his guests! we only give him the short sighted ones!
Dingo - Dive Guide (French and English) - Actually called Dave and from England, we have no idea where the nickname came from, but he is the best dive guide ever.