Helpful Diving Info
Do I Need to Know How To Swim to Scuba Dive?
This is a question that I often get asked, and really it is not as simple as YES or NO. Here is some explanations and reasons why.
If you want to become a certified scuba diver by doing the PADI Open Water Diver Course, the answer is yes. In the PADI Open Water Diver Course it is specified that you have to be able to swim continuously for 200 metres. This can be with any stroke however it does need to be continuous without stopping. There is alternate option and that is you do a 300 metre mask, fin and snorkel swim. Some do find this easier to the 200 swim.
You also have to be able to tread water or float for at least 10 minut [...]
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Instructor Profile Ashish Chhabria India
Another Instructor profile and this time Ashish Chhabria from India. Born and raised in Mumbai. Ashish presently resides in Phuket and working with Aussie Divers Phuket. They are Thailand's most reputable PADI Instructor Development Dive centre.
Favourite Phuket Dive Site: Racha Noi
Favourite PADI Course: PADI Discover Scuba Diving
Best Underwater Conservation: Aware
Most Missed Home Meal: Butter Chicken and anything his mother can cook.
Languages/Dialects Spoken: Hindi and English
Favourite Underwater Creature: Spotted Frogfish
He spent a decade of working in diverse fields such as IT, finance, marketing, real e [...]
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Helpful Diving Info
Good Dive Deck Preparation
Here is a blog to assist with good dive deck preparation and hopefully make you dive day a little easier.
The day trip scuba diving boats in Phuket are large often wooden boats. These boats can hold up to 50 scuba divers. The dive decks at the back of the boat are often crowded and leave little room for scuba diver preparation. More importantly enough space for instructors tutoring students. If dive deck is not planned in an efficient manner it can become unnecessarily crowded. Not allowing scuba divers to properly prepare. In a worse case scenario be dangerous and lead to accidents both on the dive deck and upon entry to the wat [...]
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Helpful Diving Info
Travel Times in Phuket to Chalong Pier
Phuket Island is a lot larger than most new visitors believe. It is around 50km in length and about 12km in width. It takes in about 576 square kilometres of land. The travel times in Phuket to scuba diving pier in Chalong are longer than often expected.
The island is also a lot busier than some new travelers expect. Official reports have the local population at almost 400,000 however some unofficial reports say that there could be up to 1 million people on the island at any one time.
The large number of locals and visitors on the island and the long travel distances creates quite dense traffic conditions and at times can hamper tra [...]
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Working in Phuket Scuba Diving Instructor Divemaster
Here is some information about working in Phuket as a scuba diving instructor or divemaster.
As a scuba diving business owner in Phuket hardly a day goes by where I don’t get an email requesting employment opportunities here in Phuket. Here is what you will need to do to work in the Phuket Scuba Diving Industry and a Instructor or Divemaster. And why not, Phuket is one of the best places in the world to work, live and teach scuba diving.
These requests come from both PADI Divemasters and PADI Instructors and often emails also have them wishing to work for free in lieu of course fees or even just for free diving. However, T [...]
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Courses
The Typical PADI Open Water Course
Here is some step-by-step information on a typical PADI Open Water Course with Aussie Divers Phuket.
Your PADI Open Water Course will begin with some online theory that you can pre-study in your own time, it is best to have 100% of the theory completed prior to the first day of training. The first day of the course begins at the Aussie Divers Chalong Training center at 8:00 am, hotel pickup times vary between 07:00 - 07:50 depending on location in Phuket.
The PADI Open Water course online theory component is divided into five chapters. Each chapter consists of some videos, knowledge review questions, and a quick review qui [...]
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Courses
Nitrox – What is it and What are the Benefits?
The air that we breathe on the surface and the air from a scuba tank have the same mixture gases (minus some trace elements of other gases). Air is essentially 21% Oxygen and 79% Nitrogen.
Nitrox is a term used for the mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Recreational scuba divers use a blend of Nitrox that is usually a mixture of 21- 40% oxygen and 60-79% nitrogen.
A particular mixture of Nitrox is referred to by the percentage of oxygen in the mixture.
The most common blends of nitrox mixtures, Nitrox 32 and Nitrox 36 contain 32% and 36% oxygen respectively.
Air could be considered Nitrox 21 as it contains approximately 21% oxyg [...]
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Diving Health
Medical Fitness for Scuba Diving
For all of those that have started a PADI scuba diving course you will be familiar with Medical Fitness for Scuba Diving form. For those about to start a course it will generally be the first piece of paperwork you see.
The purpose of establishing fitness to dive is to reduce risk of a range of diving related medical conditions associated with known or suspected pre-existing conditions. This has no reference to their diving skills.
Scuba diving does involve some risk and pre-sexisting medical conditions can make the risk of a fatality while diving much higher. As a result, the regulations, requirements and medical standards relatin [...]
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Courses
PADI Advanced Open Water in Phuket, Thailand
Are you planning to go scuba diving in Thailand? Thinking about taking your PADI Advanced Open Water Course in Thailand? Here’s why scuba diving in Phuket must be on your list!
Scuba diving in Phuket is everything you would expect from diving in Thailand – beautiful coral reefs, an abundance of fish and stunning underwater scenery. With a range of dive sites to explore, taking your PADI Advanced Open Water in Phuket gives you the chance to explore deeper (up to 30 metres) and see even more.
If you are Open Water certified this is your chance to enhance your skills, practice your techniques and experience some of the best scuba d [...]
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