Dear Divers,

Time has past pretty fast again, so it's getting time for some updates on our side.

The year 2009 has been quite a difficult one for us here in Samui as well as for many other places in the world. The political problems in Bangkok, the worlds economic crises and the swine flu have affected tourism a lot, so Koh Samui has been very quiet throughout the entire year.

The diving has been beautiful during the months of April and May, sea conditions were stunning and we had again quite a few whale sharks around this year. At the moment we had a bit of a windy period and the full moon also affected the visibility a little, but it is still very  nice to dive the Gulf of Thailand.

On the 26th of April we organized another cleanup event in the Angthong Marine Park - we were 22 divers and snorkelers who managed to remove about 320 kg of debris out of the dive site Koh Wao. The day was very successful and tons of fun.

The additional highlight was that two of the snorklers managed to collect 5 bags full of item at the surface only! They won our price of the day - a snorkelling tour for free with our M/V Seastar ;))

Our staff these days are Thierry from France, Somkid from Thailand, Toddy from Germany, Guenther from Austria, David from England, Mario from Holland, Sascha from Germany, Ed from Holland, Diaw from Thailand, Kasia from Poland, Luis from Portugal and Sabine from Germany.

We hope that you guys are all doing fantastic and we hope to see you again here on Samui to blow some very happy bubbles!

Marita, Wolfi and Andy & the Easy Divers Team

Dear Divers,

First of all we hope you had a fantastic Christmas and a great start into the year 2009! May it be full of joy, luck and health for all of us!

Between midst November and midst December we had three heavy monsoon hits - which means lots and lots of rain. Our centre in Lamai was almost flooded again, but since the island was much better prepared this year, the floods were much less than they used to be the years before.

During the rainy time we conducted an Instructor Development Course with two  very successful candidates.  Sascha Kraft and David Norman passed their Instructor Examination in Koh Tao with excellent scores - well done!! We are looking forward to two excellent new team members.  

Christmas and New Year was a busy time for us - we didn't even expect it to
be that busy on our island after the airport being closed at the beginning of December, so we were quite surprised. Since a few days it's has slowed down a bit now - which is a shame since the weather and water conditions are getting better each day. Yesterday there were 15 m visibility at Shark Island and all the divers were very happy :)

THE GULF OF THAILAND IN JANUARY

Since we are still in the north/east monsoon season, there might be some windy days with sometimes a bit of rain. But the big advantage of tropical climate is that these conditions can change fast and after a rainy day the next morning can be nice and sunny again. As the rain doesn’t affect the diving that much, you still have the chance to do some great dives in the warm waters of the Gulf of Thailand.

DIVESITE OF THE MONTH     DRAGON ISLAND - KOH WAO

Heading up to the north/west of Samui Island, direction to the Angthong Marine Park you will reach after a nice boat ride an island which seen from a further distance has the shape of a sleeping dragon. This is why it was given this spectacular name. But not only the landscape above the surface is a piece of natural art.

In the shallow and protected bay there are lots of big stone coral boulders surrounded by many different kinds of pelagic reef fish. Have a good look under these boulders and you might find some blue spotted sting rays.

Diving along the reef you can descent to a maximum of 20 meters and in the deeper area there is a good chance to see some big snappers and groupers. And a big school of yellow tailed barracudas is always around.

Dragon Island is an excellent dive site of novice divers and people who haven’t dived for quite a while, but even an experienced diver can enjoy a relaxing dive in calm waters with mild currents.

If you are travelling with a friend or partner who is not a diver, this place is fantastic to combine a nice day diving with a great snorkeling experience.

We send you millions of sunbeams for warm up the cold and freezing winter!

Take good care and hope to see you soon again on lovely Koh Samui!

Marita, Wolfi and Andy & the Easy Divers Team

Dear Divers,

A long time has passed since our last news update.

We had a very busy season during July and August, so we were out diving a lot and did not spend so much time at the computer. In the meantime it has become a lot more quiet so it's getting time for a few updates.

This year we had lots and lots of whale shark sightings - so far at least 16 times! That is almost a record - compared to the year 2007, where we had only 3 whale sharks throughout the entire year! Here a photo of the baby whale shark at Southwest Pinnacle coming real close to the divers:

On the 15th of September we conducted another underwater cleanup according to the 'International Cleanup Day'. We were 30 divers and snorkelers and headed out to the National Marine Park, where we visited the dive site of Koh Wao, a place which is frequently visited by fishermen to find protection during rough sea conditions. So under water there is lots of thing so find, eg. bottles, food wrappers, clothing, fishing nets and ropes etc. We managed to collect about 250 kg of debris - very successful!

These days our team consists of Thierry from France, Somkid from Thailand, Toddy from Germany, Guenther from Austria, Will from England and Mikael from Sweden as Instructors and Diaw from Thailand, Sascha from Germany, Sabine from Germany and David from England.

THE GULF OF THAILAND IN NOVEMBER

November is usually the month with the most rainfall of the year. But never mind – especially when you are interested in doing a diving certification. Instead of staying on the beach while it’s raining, it’s much more fun to be under water – as you’ll get wet whatever you do ;)) Luckily the tropical climate offers many sunny days throughout the month as well, so November still offers an enjoyable time here on Samui.

DIVESITE OF THE MONTH - SAIL ROCK

Sail Rock is known as one of the most beautiful dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand – and this is not just a rumor! Located in the middle of the ocean north of Koh Phangan Island this big granite rock formation comes out of the sea from a depth of 40 m – and it offers a big variety of marine life to see. Besides big schools of barracuda, king mackerel, batfish and groupers, there is a good chance to spot whale sharks – this year we had 13 whale shark sightings so far!! If you have a closer look at the rock, which is covered in hard corals and anemones, you might find moray eels, scorpion fish, nudibranches and hermit crabs.

We wish you all that autumn and winter won't be too cold and hope to see you very soon on Koh Samui!

Millions of happy bubbles and tons of sunbeams

Marita, Wolfi and Andy & the Easy Divers Team

Dear Divers,

Thank you very much for visiting our news page! We hope you all had a fun time with the European Football Championship! Here on Samui there were also quite a few football enthusiasts around.

We had a few changes in our team recently. Alistair returned back to England and Mario took some months off to live and work in Holland again. We miss them a lot, since they are fantastic dive instructors and we hope to have them back in our team soon!

At the moment we do have Thierry from France, Somkid from Thailand, Toddy from Germany, Guenther from Austria, Tarn from the USA, Ton from Thailand and Will from England in our instructional team and Diaw from Thailand, Rainer from Germany, Amanda from Switzerland, Tong from Thailand and Norman from Germany working as Divemasters.

THE GULF OF THAILAND IN JUNE

In the month of June we do have the lowest tide throughout the year, so there are days, when there seems to be almost no water left at the beaches. The weather- and sea conditions are usually perfect – calm seas with almost no currents, ideal to do some great dives with good visibility. Occasionally the South-West Monsoon brings short, but heavy rain showers – usually in the afternoon.

DIVESITE OF THE MONTH - SHARK ISLAND – RED ROCK

Located in the South of Koh Tao there is a big granite pinnacle formation  known as Shark Island. This spectacular name was given to this site because of the reef sharks that you can observe in the very early morning and the late afternoon.

Besides these sharks there are lots of other amazing creatures to observe – such as blue spotted sting rays, great barracudas, Christmas tree worms living in big stone corals and as a highlight there is a resident turtle that can be seen frequently.

The landscape underwater is quite unique as well. Diving down along the rock on it's east side heading to the north there are lots of big square shaped rocks looking quite unnatural - but being formed by nature. Have a look under these rocks and check out what is hiding in all the crevices - you will find a lot of aquatic life to discover!

Once you have reached the northern part of the site, there is a beautiful area full of pink and purple colored soft corals.  Heading back to the boat making your way slowly up to the safety stop you will find an amazingly beautiful hard and soft coral garden at shallow depth.

If you are traveling with a non-diver, this stunning place also offers a great opportunity to explore its beauty simply by snorkeling.

The depth ranges from 0 to 25 m, which makes it an excellent dive spot for all levels of divers.

We wish you all a wonderful summer time and hope to see you very soon on Koh Samui!

Millions of happy bubbles

Marita, Wolfi and Andy & the Easy Divers Team

Mai 2008

Dear Divers,

Welcome to our news page – here we would like to inform you about the news and events in our dive centre. So if you had a good time with us and you are missing Koh Samui and the diving in the Gulf ofThailand, visit our homepage and get updated :)

Since the 1^st of March 2008 you find our new sales and booking shop at the south of Chaweng, opposite ‘The New Villa’ close to ‘First Bungalow’. Our old shop on the Chaweng Beach Road next to Mc Donalds is not existing anymore – so if you like to visit us, come over to our new shop!

The diving is great at the moment – there are a few Whale Sharks around these days – we saw one last Friday at Sail Rock and a baby one on Tuesday at Southwest Pinnacle. The baby was very cute and it enjoyed playing with the divers and snorkellers. It came very close and when we left it even came to the boat to see, where all his new friends were going ;)

We hope to see you again on Koh Samui to blow some more happy Bubbles with us!

Lots of sunshine from the Isle of Smile

The Easy Divers Team

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