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an urban primate with a conscience
Browsing All Posts filed under »A new beginning…..«
Mabul and Sipadan
“Your dive gear has been left in Semporna,” came the reply after the radio response ended. I squinted at the manager. I could feel the exasperation building. “WTF,” I let out under my breath. “I specifically asked the woman at reception this morning, “Is everything on the boat?” and she told me “Yes, yes take […]
Borneo
May 1, 2019
I’ve taken ten days off work. Suicide for freelancers some might say. But I need a break. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from three years of living in different countries, is you have to have a change of scenery to survive Island living. I love what I do, and I want to keep it […]
Nice as PIE – not quite….
April 17, 2019
I left Thailand in January and headed to Sulawesi in Indonesia for ten days. It was a trip I was hugely excited about because it would be my first proper taste of macro diving. Scouring the sea bed for small critters with my nose pressed up to the black sand. These are the underdogs of […]
Mikko Paasi – A Knight Of The Thai Kingdom
April 15, 2019
When Mikko Paasi got the call about a dangerous rescue operation in Thailand he was thousands of miles away in Malta. A tech diver specialising in cave and wreck exploration he was part of a niche group of divers that were the only hope for 12 young boys and their 25-year-old coach, trapped deep inside […]
Ten Cars
January 18, 2019
“No one ever spells my name right,” came the clipped German accent. “I tell students it’s Ten Cars but the other way around. This way they get it right.” Carsten has been at Crystal Dive Koh Tao since 2005. Originally from Dortmund he arrived in Thailand in 2002 on a world ticket and bounced back […]
Pabuk – tropical storm at best
January 4, 2019
The last of the ferries left Koh Tao on Jan 3 in the afternoon. The strained faces of worried tourists loaded up like human mules headed for the pier. As the hours wore on, residents and those left behind, waited for the impending cyclone/typhoon to hit……it never came. Thailand is still very much a developing […]
Cyclone Pabuk
January 3, 2019
The last few days on Koh Tao have been chaotic. Locals are laying sandbags, nailing tarpaulin in place and concrete shutters are coming down fast. Tourists are stockpiling water and essentials and all ferries have been cancelled. Cyclone Pabuk is due to hit Koh Tao tonight. Meteorologists say it’s the first time in more than […]
Eco Koh Tao
December 28, 2018
“In a utopian world I’d limit the number of dive schools, dive boats and divers allowed in these waters,” came the reply. I’m sat cross-legged on a paddle board on the floor of the rooftop of Crystal Dive Koh Tao across from its manager Jennifer Dowling. She’s got a small window to chat before heading […]
Crystal Clear
December 16, 2018
Crystal Dive Koh Tao is the third biggest dive school in the world. When I bought my plane ticket to Thailand, I wasn’t actually prepared for how big a beast this operation is. Despite its size, it runs like a well-oiled machine. At least from the outside. My year working as a fledgling instructor has […]
Koh Tao
December 9, 2018
The reputation of Koh Tao is not rose tinted. It’s been plagued with negative headlines following a number of high profile crimes including the murder of two 20-something British backpackers in 2014. They were bludgeoned to death. There was a messy public trial under the eyes of the international media, where two Burmese migrants were […]
britaine.co.uk
whogivesamonkeys 
May 1, 2019
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