ADI & MALA DIVERS - KOH SAMUI

Diving With A Personal Touch
There have been changes to our dive operation location. We had a good time working with the hotels and meeting all of the wonderful guests and sharing some great bubbles underwater.

Now we have decided it is time to get back to the essence of our diving which is traveling and taking more underwater pictures especially since we are working on a book.

We still operate the same diving services as before and can be contacted by email/mobile as below. We would love to show you the underwater life in the area in a personal way as many of you have already experienced and enjoyed.

Dive Center is open :

- 22nd December to the 22nd May

- 10th July to 22nd October

However this may vary so please contact us directly for accurate information.

• If you need to contact us call us: mobile: +66 810848762 (Adi) or +66 872690263 (Mala) from 4.30 pm onwards as during the day we are diving. The reception will also be happy to help you call us during this time.

• Adi evolved with the diving industry, from the hookah to the re-breather, in his 20 years of diving.

• Mala has a Masters degree in Marine Biology, and together we aim to tailor your dive adventure to your needs.

• Experienced, beginner or on your first bubble underwater, we have a package for you!

• Interested in the marine environment? Love snorkeling and want to do more? Let us guide you into the aquatic world!

• Your husband and wife dive team are also underwater photojournalists who contribute regularly to various dive magazines. Read articles and learn more about the amazing ocean and the life it supports.

Marine Life:

The Elusive Crocodile Fish

Thai Diver Magazine

Vol. 1 No 6, October 2002

Crocodiles, the very name conjure pictures of ferocious teeth and wicked smiles. However there is a more docile animal bearing the same name, the crocodile fish. Crocodile fish belong to the family Platycephalidae which means flatheads and have been aptly named as they indeed have very flat heads. We have found these strange fish in almost all habitats ranging from rubble bottom, to coral reefs, jetties and wrecks. Their favorite pass time seems to be blending perfectly with their background and remaining motionless for as long as possible even with strobes flashing around them. I even put camera framers close to a few of them to photograph their beautiful skin patterns and this fish neither moved nor seemed bothered by my presence.

Close up of the crocodile fish head

Perfectly camouflaged waiting for its next meal

The Flatheads (picture above) are closely related to the scorpion fish and contain about 60 species. Distinguishing between species is difficult and based on the distance between the eyes of the fish. They live from the temperate to tropical regions of the world and are found mainly on night dives. Not much scientific information is known about this species especially the giant member the crocodile fish.

The crocodile fish; Cymbacephalus beauforti is a favorite of ours. Unlike its other family members, our encounters with this fish have occurred during the day. Its head with bony ridges, a rounded snout and bulbous eyes bears a strong resemblance to its namesake the crocodile. It’s elongated mouth is lined with sharp teeth and can be as much as a quarter of the body length. The small sharp teeth help them to crunch on crabs, shrimps and smaller fish that pass them by unsuspectingly. The beautiful intricate eyelashes that resemble lacework and are called umbraculum/dermal papillae and in adults, one can find 10-12 such projections from the eye. These projections help break up the black pupil of the fish, and thus improve its camouflage.

The crocodile fish can grow up to a meter and look quite menacing. However it is a timid fish, preferring the concept of ‘if I don’t move, you will leave soon’. The crocodile fish differ from most Flathead, as they are larger, have elaborate frilly fins and dappled color pattern that helps camouflage them against the reef. They are so confident of this ability that they can be approached and photographed quite easily. They are also easy to follow, as they do not swim very far after being spotted and tire easily. Although found usually alone, they can be quite sociable as our recent visit to Mabul Island, Malaysia revealed. We saw seven of this fish half buried in the sand in an area less than 3 meter squared waiting to ambush unsuspecting fish.

When looking for one, the 2P method; patience and perseverance seems to work best. Of course a good dive master and a suitable dive site clinches the deal. Dive sites with rubble and wrecks in shallow warm tropical waters (5-20m) are ideal. Once you meet these crocodiles of the sea, you will find yourself looking forward to the next meeting. Happy bubbling.

Personal Instruction

Learn with experienced multilingual dive instructors (Swiss-German, German, English, French, Malay,)

Personal instruction with Adi or Mala at a ratio 0f 1:1 or 1:2 (instructor/ student) is available, guaranteeing individual attention.

As with other sports, like tennis or golf, private instruction builds skills and confidence in a secure and friendly environment.

All PADI Courses available.

Diving With A Personal Touch

Adi & Mala

We offer all PADI Dive coursers as follows:

Discover Scuba Diving
A great way to give diving a try and get to know the underwater world. This is an experience course and results in no certification. Involves some basic dive theory, instructions, basic skills and 2 dives with Adi or Mala. Dives take place in shallow bays in water no deeper than 5 - 6 meters on first dive and maximum of 12 meters on second dive.

It takes 1-1.5 days.

Scuba Diver Course
The PADI Scuba Diver course is a 2 day certification course teaching you the basics of scuba diving up to a maximum depth of 12 meters. The course involves watching a DVD in the hotel room/video with us and then a pool session to learn the skills needed before the 2 open water dives in the sea.

This course results in a PADI Scuba Diver certification card that allows you to dive anywhere in the world similar to your training conditions.

The course takes 2 whole days to complete.

Open Water Diver Course
The PADI Open Water diver course is a 4 day course teaching you all you need to know about diving and resulting in a PADI Open Water Diver certificate and card that allows you to dive anywhere in the world similar to your training conditions.

-The first day involves academics where you get to learn the theory and concepts used for diving.

- The second day is in the swimming pool where you get to breath underwater for the first time, practice skills and have fun doing it.

- The third day is a beach day where you will use the skills you have learnt on two dives, learn basic underwater navigation and get to meet some interesting underwater animals.

- The fourth day may be the last day but it will open your door to many more bubbles in the underwater world. On this day you will take a the dive speed boat to one of the many dive destination around Samui and complete your course with another two dives. You are an open water PADI diver now and more adventures await you with fascinating underwater creatures to meet and places to go.

Advanced Open Water Diver Course
In this course you will get to learn more skills that will make you more confident underwater and help you appreciate the underwater realm. The course consists of 5 dives of which a Navigation and Deep dive is compulsory. Besides this you will learn more about the underwater inhabitants with the underwater naturalist course. There are various options to choose from.

Underwater Photography
We also offer underwater photography coursers using still and digital cameras. This course is designed for the more advanced diver with good buoyancy control. it is a fun course to do and of course you can display your master pieces at home or show them to your friends.

Other Coursers & Professional Levels

For Your Own Dive Adventure CD

ABC DIVERS can also provide you with a CD of your dive day with special moments to share with family or to use as a screen saver. A great way to capture your dive memories with us.

Already a diver?
We have a great way to teach you more about the animals you see on your dive. Dive with Mala the marine biologist and learn to recognize and understand the animals you see on your dive.

Aquatic Awareness Program

Dive with Mala, our marine biologist, and learn more about the marine environment and its residents.

We offer you a diving experience which is fun as well as educational. Slide shows available on request

Our slow diving style ensures you have a relaxing dive with lots of time to observe the underwater life.

Interested in Underwater photography? Want to learn how to snorkel? Don’t know where to start? Begin with us and enrich your dive adventures.

Dive trips

- Diving from Samui are day trips starting from 7.30 am with pick up. It is a 2 dive day trip with lunch provided in between the dives. Guests return to the hotel between 3-5 pm depending boat, dive site and weather.

- Dive trips to Sail Rock & Marine Park are available depending weather and dive conditions. Dive trips to Koh Tao 5 times a week.

- For Licensed Divers, day trips cost between 4,500 bhat to 4,800 bhat per person including equipment, transfers, boat trips, soft drinks, water , lunch and dive master service.

Children & Diving

- Children can participate in dive coursers when aged 11 and above with parents.

PADI Dive coursers

- Dive coursers are as follows:

ABC DIVERS are members of the Hyperbaric Chamber on Samui and Koh Tao and guests have dive insurance coverage.

All coursers are done with a maximum of 2 students unless other options have been discussed or there are bigger family groups or friends who want to do the course together.

A) Discover Scuba Diving - Cost 5,5000 Bhat

- A day course for guests who have never tried diving and do not want to get a dive license. The course aim is to give the participant the experience of diving. It is a good course for those unsure if they will enjoy diving and do not want to invest too much time.

B) Scuba Diver Course - Cost 12,500 bhat

- A 2 day license course up to a depth of 12 meters. The participant will watch a dive DVD, practice skills in the pool, do dive theory and 2 dives in the sea usually in Koh Tao to obtain their Scuba Diver license which is internationally recognized.

C) Open Water Diver - cost 16,500 bhat

This is a 4 day license course up to a depth of 18 meters. The participant will watch a dive DVD, practice skills in the pool, do dive theory and final exams and 4 dives in the sea to obtain their Open Water license which is internationally recognized.

D) Advance Diver - cost 16,000 bhat (only open water divers can do this course)

This is a 2 and a half day course with 5 dives in the sea. This course helps a diver increase their skill level so they can enjoy a larger variety of dive environments. Two of the dives are fixed/mandatory which are the deep dive and the navigation dive. The other three will be recommended by the instructor after discussions with the participant.

Samui Island

Koh Samui has become one of Asia's famous holiday destinations. It comes as no surprise as Samui has beautiful seaside sanctuaries. However this is only one of it's star attractions. There are waterfalls, elephant riding, relaxing massages and great food as well. It has also become a centre for various water sports such as sea canoeing, snorkeling and diving all of which ABC DIVERS can offer you.

Samui covers an area of 250 square kilometers and is situated 400 kilometers from Bangkok. To the north lies Koh Phangan and Koh Tao and then there is the Anthong National Marine Park to the west.

Samui has many beaches, Bays and coves that offer beautiful views and great swimming. When you want some night life or shopping there is Chaweng a 4 km white sand beach in the south of the island. There are various types of accommodation, food and entertainment available here.

Maenam Beach (Adi & Mala are based) is located in the north and is a great area as it is only 15 minutes to Chaweng or Nathon and Bophut is literally at your door step being 5 minutes away and Big Buddha beach about 10 minutes away. These 3 bays; Maenam, Bophut and Big Buddha are quiet and serene and excellent sites for Rest and relaxation.

Nathon the thriving port town of Samui is on the west coast. Here is located the governing bodies, banks, ferry stations and various shops and restaurants as well. A day in Nathon is a great way to get the local feel for Samui.

There is plenty to do on Samui besides relaxing on the golden beaches. A visit to the Big Buddha temple is a must and if you love Thai food enroll in one of the two cooking class offered on the island. There are also monkey shows showing how these animals harvest coconuts and much more. When you have done all that and still find time on your hands, call us up for a dive or learn to dive and enjoy other beauty of Samui; the underwater world.

Gallery

Adi & Mala Divers

Koh Samui , Suratthani 84320 Thailand.

Mobile: +66 810848762 (Adi) or +66 872690263 (Mala)