Humans have done a marvelous job at defying physical limits.
Lost a leg? You can get a metal alternative. Kidney’s shot? Chances are you can find a guy. We can’t run at 70mph, but we can drive. We can’t sprout wings and fly, but we can hop in an airplane or helicopter. And we can’t breathe underwater, but we can scuba dive.
My fascination with the latter started circa 1997 when I saw The Little Mermaid for the first time. I watched my prized VHS recording of it on repeat, dreaming of life under the sea. (Although, my dad taped over the first 7 minutes with an episode of the Price Is Right. An offensive crime I’ve been able to forgive, but not forget.) The idea of an undiscovered world awaiting below the surface sent my imagination into overdrive. Developing gills wasn’t an option. Plan B was scuba diving.
And 20 years later, I finally got my open water scuba certification at Sairee Cottage Diving on Koh Tao, Thailand.
Here’s a rundown of what the experience entailed to help you either 1. decide if it’s right for you or 2. live vicariously through the experience because only a crazy person would actually want to breathe under water.
Why get your open water scuba certification on Koh Tao?
Great weather. Warm, clear water. Abundant reefs close to shore. And, most importantly, it’s one of the cheapest places in the world to dive. SOLD! (Not to mention the island is totally charming and wonderful.)
Besides, I already went skydiving in Thailand. So why not go scuba diving too?
Why Sairee Cottage Diving?
There are more than 70 dive schools on Koh Tao, and choosing one can feel like mission impossible. Many people advise not to book anything in advanced, and to scout out the options upon arrival so you can get a feel for the vibes. Or you could skip that process and go with Sairee Cottage Diving.
The facilities are beautiful and the staff are professional. It’s laid back enough to make you feel relaxed, but not so laid back that you’ll question safety. At 12,000TBH/$330usd, it’s not the cheapest option on the island. But out of all the experiences in life to go cheap on, diving maybe shouldn’t be one of them.
Let’s dive into a full rundown of the PADI open water scuba certification process at Sairee Cottage Diving Cottage.
Day One: Finding Our Pool Legs
Itinerary: Morning classroom session. Afternoon pool session
Pre-Session Homework: Watch the first three sections of the PADI open water certification training videos (which were quite dated with a heavy handed dash of fear mongering.)
A group of six travelers congregated at the Sairee Cottage Diving office at 9am sharp. We met our instructor, Martin, signed paperwork, and headed up to the classroom. Martin exuded experience and knowledge. I could tell he was passionate about diving and not the type to cut corners to ensure a safe, positive experience. As a stickler for the rules, I was thrilled.
The next 90 minutes were dedicated to going over the basics. We learned about the science of pressure when going under water, the basics of our equipment, how to equalize and breathe to avoid lung and ear injuries, how to monitor our oxygen levels, and problem solving skills we’d be practicing later in the pool.
Next, we headed outside and learned how to assemble our regulator, oxygen tank, and buoyancy control device (BCD). What seemed complicated in the videos and in the classroom made much more sense in practice.
Before breaking for lunch, we had to pass a swim test that involved 10 minutes of floating/treading water and a 200 m swim. (Seems like an important test to pass prior to getting started, if you ask me). Luckily, I passed.
Getting in the pool.
It was time to breathe underwater. We assembled and dawned our equipment and jumped in. The following four hours consisted of Martin and Axel showing a skill that we would then practice. Key skills included what to do if we lose our regulator. How to clear a mask that’s flooded with water. How to signal we are out of air to use our buddy’s secondary regulator. Breathing techniques to maintain buoyancy. Buddy towing. Removing and putting on our equipment in water. Among other things required by PADI to demonstrate readiness to hit the ocean.
By the end I was totally exhausted and my fingers looked remarkably like shriveled grapes.
Day Two: Finding Our Sea Legs
Itinerary: Morning classroom session, two 12 m ocean dives in the afternoon
Pre-Class Homework: online knowledge reviews and quizzes for section 1-3.
The squad gathered at 9am and dove right in. Classroom time was dedicated to reviewing the skills and how to perform buddy checks. There was an extra emphasis on how to avoid and manage potential underwater problems– important things that can’t be communicated underwater with hand signals. We also got a crash course to dive computers, and how to use them to plan and monitor a dive.
After a lunch break, it was time to hit the ocean for two open water dives.
A group of 35 divers, all skills levels, piled onto a Sairee Cottage Diving boat and headed to the dive site. Despite having done a “fun dive” in 2019, I was still buzzing with nerves. Would my ears equalize? How would my lungs feel? What if I forgot everything?! Could I get stung by a jellyfish? WHAT IF I DIE! I’ve mastered the art of worst-case scenarios.
Dive 1: You want me to do WHAT?!
Martin gathered us on the top deck, went over the skills we’d need to demonstrate, and told us to suit up and get ready. Jeremy and I helped each other through the equipment set up and diligently performed our buddy checks. Then, one by one, we jumped into the ocean.
“Everyone ready? Let’s dive!”
I held my BCD tube overhead and slowly descended as the air released from my vest. Breath in, breath out was my mantra to stay calm amidst the bombardment of sensations. The sound of waves were replaced by the ruckus of bubbles exiting my mouth. Cool sea water tickled my skin as it shinnied into my wetsuit. Deep blue water was everywhere with speckles of sediment wafting around. I looked up to see a massive school of silver fish. I looked down to see Martin leading the troops lower.
My ears struggle to equalize to the growing pressure. I froze. The PADI videos instill a deep sense of fear in you if you fail to equalize with tales of popped eardrums and barotrauma. Martin swam up to me and I pointed to my ears given the “not okay” signal. He showed me a few techniques, my ear squeaked open, and I signaled “Okay” before finally reaching our 12m depth limit.
We let go of the rope, and swam out into the open water. Pure elation consumed me as I swam past fish, admired coral, and realized I wasn’t going to die breathing under water.
Martin took us over to a patch of sand where we knelt to demonstrate a few skills. One was taking out our regulator and finding it again. Being asked to take off your source of oxygen 12m under the surface seems preposterous. But part of the magic of scuba diving is defying the seemingly impossible.
Everyone passed all the tests, and we swam back to the mooring line to descend up one someone reached a certain PSI on their oxygen.
Dive 2
After a 45ish minute break for fruit, water, and an oxygen tank change, it was time for dive 2 at a new dive site. The process was the same, but with different skills to demonstrate. I settled into the sensation of breathing under water, and was able to notice and enjoy the fish.
45 minutes went by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it we were back on the boat coasting towards shore.
Day 3: Officially getting my open water scuba certification.
Itinerary: Morning classroom session with the final exam, 2 18m ocean dives in the afternoon.
Pre-Class Homework: Videos for section 4 and 5 plus the knowledge reviews.
We gathered one last time at 9am for the final classroom session. The main focus was decompression sickness and how to plan your dives to avoid it.
What is decompression sickness, you may ask? I’d love to tell you! When scuba diving, the air in the tank is a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen. Nitrogen gets into your body, and if you go too deep for too long, you’ll rack up excess nitrogen in your blood. If you proceed to ascend too quickly, the nitrogen won’t have time to leave your body. This can cause serious health complications. Dive computers provide you the information you need on when to ascend and how slowly to ascend to avoid it. (Learn more HERE)
Then it was time for the final exam, which we all passed!
After a lunch break, we headed to the boat for the final dives.
Dive 3
Just like the day before, we assembled our gear, did our buddy checks, and headed into the water We descended without the rope, but swam over to the rope to demonstrate the final two skills. One was taking our mask completely off, then putting it back on and clearing it. The second was demonstrating how to inflate our BCD orally to maintain buoyancy in the water. Both were immensely scary. But the cool thing about doing scary things is that you feel pretty darn proud afterwards.
The dive lasted for 35 minutes before getting out, eating fruit, drinking water, and getting ready to do it all again.
Dive 4
Our final dive was all about enjoying scuba. We dove around impressive coral and saw hundreds of fish. I was consumed with awe over the beauty of nature and excited over the prospect of further exploring what lies below the surface.
And just like that, I was a certified open water diver.
This open water scuba certification experience was flawless. Martin was an impeccable instructor and I felt perfectly prepared and immensely safe every step of the way. The group was great. The challenge was hard enough to make me feel accomplished afterwards, but no so hard to spiral me into a ball of stress.
The big question is: where will I go diving next?
