Hi, I’m Howard and I’m from the UK. I am currently staying in Kamala, Phuket and training to be a PADI divemaster with Merlin Divers. I hope you enjoy reading my blog about my experiences and impressions of scuba diving on Phuket, Thailand.

My first few days in Kamala – Phuket

My first few days here have gone smoothly and easily thanks to the help and support of the team at Kamala Diving Center. The other Divemaster interns have welcomed me to the team and have been great in helping me to learn my way around. Settling in to a new place is largely a part of finding where all the local amenities are that you may need and getting to know your way around. The other interns have helped me to get set up with my apartment and a scooter. They have helped me to find where the local grocery stores and mini mart stores are and where I can get my laundry done. They have also taught me which local restaurants are the best and the cheapest and have helped me to settle in in no time at all. In only a few days I feel relaxed and comfortable here and know my way around.

My first few days have largely been spent waiting for the weather. It is the very tail end of the monsoon season here and so there is still quite a lot of waves coming in to the beach. The dive boat that we will use is a yellow long tail boat which can seat at most about 10 people. It has been too rough here in recent weeks to take the boat out so the other interns and I are waiting for the weather to improve so that we can all go diving. I hope that my Open Water course will start in the next few days.

A large part of the lifestyle here seems to revolve around the bars and drinking. Kamala on Phuket island is quite a touristy area and it is obvious that the local economy is all driven by the tourist income. There are probably over a 100 bars in Kamala and just as many restaurants. The dive team all go out after work and have a relaxed evening drinking the local lager “Chang” and playing pool at their favourite local bars. On Saturday I went to Patong with Graham, Tove and Marcus (some of the other Divemaster Trainees). Patong is the centre of the nightlife and tourist attractions on Phuket and is a city compared to the small town that is Kamala. The shopping centre is huge and has all the familiar brands that you’d expect. The heart of the nightlife scene is a place called Bangla Road. It is almost non-stop bars and clubs all the way along and is lit up in neon like a mini Las Vegas. After only one afternoon in Patong I was ready to go back to the quieter and more civilized Kamala.

I am starting to make a routine for myself to make time for my studying and writing. I would like to find a local Muay Thai camp where I can train during the evenings so that I can continue with my martial arts training whilst I am here. I’m sure that over the next few days and weeks that the diving season will begin in earnest and that I will be diving almost every day.