With a near death experience (at least in our minds) in Phu Quoc, we needed to battle the fears of the unforgiving sea and finally become one with it and not in some fish food sort of way. After a few weeks of overland travel in the hot sweaty humid Southeast Asian jungles, new adventures await in a more refreshing climate.

KOH TAO….the diver’s island of Thailand where cheap diving adventures, certifications, and lady boys performances can be found. Vanessa has never been fully comfortable in water (especially underwater) and I like to believe I am Aquaman. It is now Vanessa’s time to find her inner Aquawoman and plunge literally into the vast sea sinking to a depth of 30 meters (90 feet).

Memories from him – 

The gentle rocking of the dive boat is a calling sign to gear up, the boat has anchored and it is time to explore the marine environment. Squeezing into an already tight wetsuit and strapping up the BDU, I run through a mental check of the diving protocol…

• air tank turned on: check
• air gauge working: check
• fins: check
• dive mask: check
• understood all hand signals: check

Slowly approaching the boat’s edge with full dive gear….one hand on the mask and air regulator and another firmly placed over the weigh belt, as I creep forward to the wooden edge ready to walk the plank.

monkeys can swim!!!

With one giant space man step and the momentarily air suspension before gravity pulls you down plummeting you and your heavy gear under a fury of bubbles as the ocean parts way to swallow you into the raw beauty of the sea. A quick re-surface above the water to signal the ‘okay’ and re-grouping with your dive buddy. With acknowledgement of the dive master we deflate the air and slowly sink into the mysterious blue ocean. As I am settling my nerves from the wild thoughts of the lurking clown fishes that swim around the coral and that I am no longer breathing fresh surface air, my mind quickly drafts to the sound of my breathing and the inhaling and exhaling of the compress oxygen.

Losing myself to a different world, I feel like I am “Darth Vader” as I continue to slowly inhale and exhale and listen to the deep breathing sounds that are so iconic to the lightsaber wielding villain from a galaxy far far away.

As the ocean floors comes into better view…the colorful life darts in and around the coral reef. As you weightlessly swim through the blue ocean, the variety of fish over take the visual senses as you forget time itself ever existed. The ‘brain’ look coral, the spikey black ‘thingy’ (very technical fish term indeed) you avoid for dear life, and the other aspects of the sea make you realize how insufficient you are in the grand scale of life and the universe. How insufficient everyday problems are which tend to cause more frustration, stress and pain for majority of the world. Beneath the sea there is a magically aspect that transpires which takes ahold of you and locks you completely in the moment…just you, the vast ocean, and the sea life that has complete disregard for you and your problems. You lose all consideration of the madness happening on the surface which is a breath of fresh air, ironically given that the air is compressed gases and transported with you to a depth of 90 feet below the surface.

– Jason

Memories from her: 

The weeks leading up to our diving adventure in Koh Tao, I was mentally preparing for this feat. All I could think about is what if my regulator falls out of my mouth and I inhale a mouth full of salty sea-water, or I get too anxious deep down under the big blue sea and panic.

I panicked initially during my confined pool training while trying to get comfortable with breathing underwater; this dang regulator is a new yet foreign concept of breathing.

The rumble sound coming from my mouth startled me, but my instructor Annemarie coached me through the anxiety as I eased into a rhythmic breath under the water. Every night for four days I dreamed of the next days challenge on how I would succeed and remain calm. Each day we went deeper and deeper into the ocean and our instructor always had a challenge up her sleeve to push us to our limits, but to our benefit. Thanks to my amazing instructor Annemarie at Big Blue Diving and my dive buddy Katie Nelson, I was able to successfully complete the skills required by the course. By the end of the program, I was able to maintain control of my breathing at nearly 40 feet under the surface, able to effortlessly remove my mask/regulator and purge all water out of it in order to effectively re-use it again. This is a major accomplishment as I couldn’t envision myself capable of doing this a month ago. YAY…what an accomplishment. I feel empowered, fearless and excited to dive with my forever dive buddy, my husband.

Fearless!!! Empowered!!!

While at Big Blue Dive Resort we met several people from all different places and backgrounds all sharing the camaraderie of diving.  One of our favorite couples and newly made friends; Pauline and Driss, who were French medical students on holiday for the summer.  We enjoyed their company celebrating a day of successful diving over drinks and food throughout the week while comparing and contrasting America and France discovering the shared flaws and accomplishments in each country.  It is beyond rewarding to connect with people from different countries and learn about our similarities and differences.  You realize how similar we truly are.

While traveling we have continually run into the same people in different Asian cities since all foreigners have a similar travel itinerary. However, for Jason and I we have routinely been stumbling upon a nice family from the Netherlands and surprise surprise we ran into them again on a beach in Koh Tao, so we all decided to meet for dinner and drinks. Come to find out they are both consultants similar to Jason and share obviously the passion of globe trotting the world.  It was inspiring to me to see a family of four backpacking together. The children enjoyed it as it opens up their eyes and broaden their perspective on the world and the parents seem to be soaking in each moment they could with their children. I hope someday Jason and I can emulate this family and see the world without limitations.

Like many places we were sad to leave Koh Tao since we made so many new friends while enjoying cheap and easily accessible food, but we’re ready for some much needed relaxation at our next destination – Sheraton Samui Resort.

– Vanessa