I have been a diving instructor for many years, but since selling my dive centre and starting our own resort, I have dived very little, despite the fact that Nick learnt to dive so we could dive together.
It has been a busy high season, and as it quietens down, Nick and I have some more time to ourselves, so Nick suggested we going diving. As we were short on time, we needed to be back to work at 3pm, we decided to opt for our favourite speedboat dive centre, Dive and Relax, so we could be back with plenty of time to spare.
Dive and Relax is an excellent, well run and professional dive centre, who many of our customer's dive with, either from our recommendation, or because of their high rating on TripAdvisor. We were told to join them for a briefing at 8.30am at their shop on the beach. Greg, their Boat Manager, and an old friend of mine met us, gave us a wonderful cup of coffee and briefed us on the day. My dive gear was taken off me, a real luxury for someone who is used to carrying the tanks and dive gear, and all set up for me.
After a short boat trip on their well organised speedboat we were at Koh Haa. Koh Haa is one of the top 3 diving destinations from the island and a genuine hit for new and experienced divers, as it has calm, clear waters, great visibility, caverns and caves and much flora and fauna to view. We jumped off the boat at the Caves, on Koh Haa 5, which although I must have done a thousand times is still a favourite of mine. There are 3 large caves which, because of their size, are well lit, so no need for torches, 2 of the caves connect, so you can swim from one to the other. After the caves you can explore the many large boulders housing all sorts of aquatic life, including something I had not seen in a while, a seahorse.
After the dive, we were quickly picked up by the friendly boat crew, our tanks changed for us, and lunch and drinks served.
The final dive was around Koh Haa 6, another favourite of mine. As soon as the water touched my face and I breathed my first breath underwater, I relaxed, I forgot all about the resort and remembered why I loved diving so much.
Half way round the dive, our guide signalled to us that he had seen a turtle, my favourite underwater animal, and the reason I became a diving instructor. They are truly beautiful creatures and no matter how many times I see them I cannot get enough. They effortlessly glide through the water, with seemingly no care in the world and are not bothered by divers, unless they get too close. It was a magnificent end to a wonderful day off.
We were back on Lanta just after 1pm, which was just enough time to have a small rest, shower and change for work.
Nick and I would like to thank Cameron (the dive centre owner), Greg and his wonderful team for a lovely day and I really hope I can repeat this again real soon. I happily recommend this dive centre to our guests, because of their professional attitude, attention to safety and happiness of their guests. They truly deserve their TripAdvisor rating!
Thanks Guys
Mellisa & Nick
