One day when we were in the pool at the Hilton, a young woman named Kerry had some scuba equipment: a tank, breathing apparatus, mask and jacket. She was a trained diver and was letting people use the equipment for free. Naturally, Lance was first in line, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. So much so that he decided that he would like to do a dive. There are lots of diving companies here and lots of options including 3 or 4 nights on a boat with dives each day, one day trips and introductory dives right from the beach. Lance chose the latter.
While every diving business is required to hire Thai staff, the drivers and trainers are almost exclusively foreigners with PADI certification. He talked to a few people, picked a date, and the activity was set. On Dec 29, we walked to the beach, and Lance got fitted for all the equipment, answered the skill testing questions, had a brief introduction to the effects of water pressure on the lungs and the breathing system, and was off. He seemed content to entrust his life and well being to a young man with a fit body and a good tan. But in fairness, the staff was very thorough, competent, and experienced. Of course, I can say that calmly since he did return safely as you can see from the pictures below.
While every diving business is required to hire Thai staff, the drivers and trainers are almost exclusively foreigners with PADI certification. He talked to a few people, picked a date, and the activity was set. On Dec 29, we walked to the beach, and Lance got fitted for all the equipment, answered the skill testing questions, had a brief introduction to the effects of water pressure on the lungs and the breathing system, and was off. He seemed content to entrust his life and well being to a young man with a fit body and a good tan. But in fairness, the staff was very thorough, competent, and experienced. Of course, I can say that calmly since he did return safely as you can see from the pictures below.