TDI Trimix Instructor Course

In terms of training this season Khaolak Scuba Adventures have been very busy. We have now issued over 100 certifications ranging from PADI Scuba Diver through to (the most recent) TDI Trimix Instructor!

With a large team of multi-lingual instructors and a combined experience of over 100 years of teaching, Khaolak Scuba Adventures offers the most diverse course options in the region.

The latest course on Manta Queen III was taught by Ben Reymenants and was attended by Alex Leeming (taking Trimix instructor course) and Larry Smith (taking TDI closed circuit rebreather, trimix level).

 

At this level of training, nothing can be taken for granted. As a diver on open circuit (regular style scuba) I have to take two tanks (minimum) of the gas mixture to breathe during the dive (either air, nitrox or trimix, depending on the depth) and then two or more nitrox mixes to breathe during the decompression stops. For Larry (on the Megalodon CCR) the dive requires not only the rebreather unit and its two tanks of oxygen and diluant (diluant can be air or trimix depending on the depth of the dive) but also two or three bailout tanks. Attached to all these tanks is a regulator, looking a bit different from a normal scuba regulator, with only one second-stage per first-stage, a pressure gauge and sometimes a low pressure inflator. Then we need a BCD to control buoyancy. These look a bit different from the recreational ones and mine has two inflation cells inside and a harness to hold it all together. Larry has his BCD and harness all together in one unit. We also carry multi-gas dive computers, surface markers with spools, dive knives, lights and back-ups of all of these. Then we work really hard to make it look neat and tidy and streamlined in the water! 

In reality getting in and out of the water can be the toughest part of the dive!

Analysing and labeling ALL tanks.

This kind of diving takes a lot of practice and demands a good deal of planning and attention to detail. If you make a mistake, you know it’s going to hurt! We have to practice, practice, practice.

 

Skills with tanks and a CCR rescue scenario.

So why do it at all? We made some amazing deep dives on sites that may not have been dived before. At 60m we found pristine sea fans, soft corals, sea whips and barrel sponges, not to mention all the trevallies, groupers, rays and fusiliers. We felt like pioneers discovering new dive sites and new parts of well established dive sites like West of Eden. I can’t wait to go again :D

Great Feedback

To whom it may concern,

My girlfriend, Amanda and I, Dean, had the pleasure of staying on the Manta Queen III Live-aboard for 2 nights recently for some diving around the Similan Islands.  I'd just like to pass on our congratulations on running Khao Lak Scuba Adventures as such a smooth operation.  From the moment we were picked up at our hotel, transferred to the speed boat, stayed on the Manta Queen III, transferred back to the mainland and then back to our hotel we felt very welcomed by your staff.  Special mention must go to one of your dive guides, Jerome, who really went out of his way to assist Amanda.  She unfortunately had been struck down by a minor cold just before the trip and in addition to not being too experienced in the water, having only recently become a certified OW diver, Jerome made sure she was comfortable and safe at all times.  Furthermore, Jerome was very flexible with me, being a DM, and allowing me to switch back and forth between dives with his dive group so I could dive with Amanda, and with the advanced dive groups so I could experience certain dive sites more challenging parts.  And of course the Thai crew on board the boat were a definite highlight of the trip...with their always smiling faces and willingness to help it made the whole trip an enjoyable experience for us.

Hoping to dive with your company again in the near future.

Regards,

Dean

Message For Our Customers

Khao Lak Scuba Adventures PADI Dive Centers in Thailand are open for business and -NOT- affected by the flooding.

Over the past several weeks, seasonal rains that are heavier than usual have resulted in widespread flooding in Thailand. While the flooding is having some impact, most key tourist destinations and attractions throughout Thailand have not been affected by the floods and almost all remain open. The flooding areas are Bangkok and some surrounding provinces.

Tourist destinations in southern and eastern Thailand remain fully accessible.

Major tourist destinations such as Khao Lak, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Sukhothai, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Pattaya, Ko Chang, Phuket, Ko Phi Phi, Krabi and Ko Samui, Ko Tao, and all provinces in southern Thailand, are not affected by the floods. They remain fully accessible and are experiencing normal weather conditions for this time of year.