Pipeline Surf Point

Koh Sac is a small almost kidney shaped island lying just to the North of Koh Larn. It is very popular with the large numbers of Asian tourists that come to Pattaya, and the waters can be very busy particularly in the mornings. From midday onwards the tourists tend to depart, leaving the divers and snorkelers to enjoy the beautiful bay and plentiful corals. This bay is well protected from the prevailing winds for most of the year and the water is calm and clear.

There are numerous dive sites around the island, most being in the 3 – 15 meters range although on the eastern side some deeper corals are to be found at around 26 meters. The North East corner starts off with clean white sand progressing to the usual range of hard corals as you approach the island. Here the corals are at depths from 1-6m and as you round the corner they progress deeper, extending to 18 meters. This corner is home to a few Hawksbill and Leatherback Turtles as well as numerous Grey Nurse Sharks. The sharks are however hard to find as they tend to be very shy and divers need to search them out, usually under the coral heads.

As you round the corner and the depth increases the area abounds with whip corals, barrel sponges some soft corals and gorgonian fans. Once round this corner, the corals continue right round the Southern shore of the island.

An interesting dive site as you approach Koh Sac from Pattaya is to be found directly off the small cliff face about 100m out at a depth of 26 m. This site consists of predominantly soft corals and hydroids on a flat sandy bottom and is home to numerous colonies of sea horses, pipe fish and dragon fish. Unfortunately the diver must catch this dive at the right time of day when all the soft corals are open, to really enjoy the myriad of beautiful pastel and fluorescent colours present.

In the sandy bay of Koh Sac as you head out in a North West direction away from the island there are no corals to mention. The area is home to some very unusual species, including the above mentioned two, as well as Sea horses, Pipe fish, short spined Urchins, Sand dollar Urchins, Star fish Tube and Banded Tube Anemones. Flat fish, Spider crabs, juvenile Octopus and the Periclimes shrimp.

At the West part of the bay there are large areas of shallow corals (2 – 4 meters) with abundant marine life that are suitable for the snorkeler and diver alike, although the snorkelers must beware of the large amount of surface traffic, jet skis, banana boats and speed boats. The best time to be here is from midday onwards, when the hordes of tourist leave the island to return to Pattaya. It is a great pity that we do not have any regulations that are enforced to protect these corals and the visitors viewing them.

Moving on to the North West corner of Koh Sac, leading off from the corals in the bay, the corals extend deeper down to about 15 meters as the divers round the corner. The corals here are in excellent condition, and the area is categorised by huge Boulder Bommies, as well as Tiered Staghorn , Plate, Encrusting, Brain and Mushroom corals. The marine life is plentiful and includes various Damsels, Banana fish, Copper Banded Butterflies, Bantayan Butterflies, Wrasses of all types, Puffers, Squirrels Jacks and Fusiliers. There are also a few Turtles. Grey Nurse Sharks, small Morays and Blue Spotted Stingrays to be found.

This is an excellent site for divers (novice and experienced) and snorkelers alike.

The whale surfaced directly in front of the boat “head on” (I had judged the position correctly) looking me in the eye as it seemed to twist it’s body while half out of the water to avoid colliding with the boat, it passing on the starboard side. My team jumped for it. Using there experience as scuba divers, staying calm and working purposefully they simple grabbed hold of the net and rope pulling themselves along closer and closer to the whale and the point at which the rope and net was attached around the tail. The dive team remained calm and controlled ensuring that they themselves did not get caught up and entangled in the net and rope. As the whales tail completed it swimming movement through the water the dive team where being dragged down to a depth of around 15 meters and then back up to the surface again. Three of them managed to hold on and continued to cut through the rope and net at the point at which it had been cutting its way into the whales flesh. I had turned the big boat around and was searching the surface to have some sign of what was happening down there. Some of the other divers where still in the water slashing around on the surface and others had given up and were puffing and panting, sitting on their small boats dotted around the bay. The next 30 seconds seemed like an hour as I could not see my team or the whale. I had cut the motors and let the boat drift to be sure that the two big propellers would not become entangled in the rope and net pieces still floating just below the surface. I was scanning the surface of the water for any sign of them. Another few seconds passed and then I saw them. Close to the entrance of the bay. There they where on the surface amongst a mass of floating white buoys, rope and net. Their faces beaming as they laughed and spoke all at the same time, each explaining what had happened.
What a great moment! The Prodive Mauritius team had done it again. Our reputation as the best was in tact and reinforced.

Everybody was back on board and we had pulled all the rope, net and buoys onto the diving platform and dive deck of the boat. For how long had over a hundred buoys and what seemed like tons of entangled rope and net been dragged around by that suffering whale?
And where was it now?
Everyone was so excited and busy telling their version of what had happened that we had all forgotten about the whale. We decide that she was ‘free’ and had probably raced out to deeper waters.
As we started to make our way back to the north I saw her. Just breaking the surface around 100 meters to our port side. She was following us, swimming with us. Keeping her distance to the port side but she was staying by our side.

As professional Scuba Divers we do practice conservation on our dive sites. Each month we take hundreds of divers down there. We need to ensure that the coral reefs remain healthy and are not damaged by divers. But, we are not the type person who wants to save the world. Or save the whales of the ocean. We respect the ocean and practice conservation.
On this day on the 26th September 2001 we were able to give back to the ocean.

The Whale stayed by our side all the way back until we reached the pass in the barrier reef to enter the bay and proceed to our mooring place at Trou aux Biches.
As I turned hard to starboard to enter the pass The Whale said “Thank You”
She surfaced and sprayed a very big fountain of water as she turned away to deeper waters in the direction of the north/west.

Reef diving can be one of the most exhilarating experience of your life. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is considered as one of the most popular destinations for reef diving in the world. Situated near Queensland in Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is about 185 miles away from the mainland on the southern side. Not only is it the largest reef in the world but the most beautiful one too.

The calm and lucid waters around the reef make it the best location for scuba diving in the world. Water may run deep at certain places, but is generally moderate for amateurs to dive in. For beginners, diving should be in shallow waters – about 60 feet in depth. However for experts, there are reefs around the Coral Sea where the depth is about 300 feet.

Wreck diving is a favorite scuba diving activity and is widely undertaken by both amateur and experienced divers. Amongst the many wrecks are Captain James Cook’s ship “Endeavour”. Another famous wreck is that of the HMS Pandora, which met its fate in 1791. There are about 30 shipwreck sites; most of them are opened to wreck divers. If you are interested in wreck diving, it is imperative that you hire a guide to take you. In fact, you should never attempt a reef or wreck dive on your own.

It is important to remember that reef diving is just a branch of scuba diving and all the gears or equipments are the same! Reef diving is among the most popular for divers of all experience levels. Due to the freshwater run off from many river system’s, coral reefs do not grow close to the shore and all coral reef diving is available only from islands or dive boats at a distance of 35 to 50 km (20 to 30 miles) offshore.

Reef diving is an experience of its own and you will get to know it once you undertake this amazing sport! So go ahead and plan for a reef diving vacation in Australia.

Scuba Diving “ Imagine ”.

Imagine a tropical sun kissed Island, white sandy beaches with crystal clear waters, an abundance of natural beauty.

The wind rustling through the palm trees and the sound of the ocean waves trickling up the beach. See changing tones of colour as the reef  progresses to the deep blue drop off and coral wall.

Below the surface the sunlight illuminates the soft coral blooms, contrasting an array of colour with the hard coral garden and the sandy sea floor, all highlighted by the clouds of darting reef fish going about their usual business. Follow the slope of the reef down, as the water gets deeper sunlight has less effect and the colours appear darker and more subtle, if you go deeper the spectrum of colours disappear and everything seems to be different shades of brown and grey.

Scuba Diving requires expert and professional training, you can choose from several world renowned dive training agencies and associations. More experienced highly trained expert Divers can enjoy different aspects of diving, ranging from exploration of ship wrecks, underwater cave systems, to studying coral reef’s, endless forms of marine life, or even scientific research of complete eco systems.

The fast moving pace of digital Underwater Video and photography has made capturing these amazing images more easily and affordable, before digital technology most hobby divers trying to capture underwater images probably only achieved a few usable pictures from the limited 36 frames possible. Today’s underwater photographers are able to view their photo’s underwater and have thousands of frames available to try to get it right.  

Scuba Diving allows you to experience a whole new world, with a feeling of freedom and purpose. A very tranquil and quiet

parallel universe, a totally alien experience.

If you haven’t tried scuba diving for yourself, I would recommend giving it a go. Not everyone can cope with the concept of breathing underwater, but if you can, and you enjoy the experience, chances are it will become a passion.

Perhaps Diving is not for you.

Maybe you would settle for the white sandy beach in a blue lagoo.

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When you have a good amount of money invested in scuba diving equipment, it’s only logical to maintain it properly to last you many years. Not to mention your safety and well being are dependent on the same scuba gear used in every dive you make.

Are You Neglecting Your Scuba Diving Gear

Nothing shortens the life of your scuba equipment more than salt water, where the majority of scuba diving is done. If not properly rinsed off after a dive salt crystals (that are extremely abrasive) will be left on your gear, and will begin to destroy it.

After a dive, be sure to rinse (with fresh water) all your basic equipment like your mask, fins, boots and snorkel.

The buoyancy compensator (BC) must be rinsed inside and out. After completely rinsing off the outside of BC the bladder must washed out. This is very important and probably the most overlooked step in the preventive maintenance of your scuba gear. First drain out any salt water trapped in bladder. Then put some fresh water in bladder and shake vigorously letting water run out of mouthpiece. Repeat this process 2 or 3 times. Be sure all water is out of bladder.

If you use a wetsuit it’s very important to rinse this in side and out. Turn the suit inside out to insure getting all salt off. The regulator must be rinsed and purge air thru to get any water out.

Make sure your scuba diving gear is completely dry before storing in a cool dry place. Don’t dry your scuba equipment in direct sunlight; the rays also shorten the life of scuba gear. Keep your mask in a protective plastic box so the lens doesn’t get scratched. Store your buoyancy compensator on a sturdy hanger and fins in flattened state.

Make It a Habit

Once you have made this routine a habit, you will see how quickly and easy preventive maintenance on scuba gear really is. Save yourself money and aggravation when on vacation trying to relax and enjoy.