Archive | Uncategorized

By admin on August 16, 2015 in Best Dive Job in the World, Blue Season Bali, diving, Diving in Bali, GoPRO Bali, Uncategorized

Best Dive Job – Before coming to Bali

Lorena Espin – Winner of the Best Dive Job in the World 2014/2015

After I was announced as having made the Top 8, I did what any self-respecting adult would do: I celebrated for a week straight. Next, I did what any self-hating adult would do: I got two part-time jobs. I had to save up for the uproot of my life to Bali.

One tends to work a lot when one has to save up for an uproot, and soon it felt like all I was doing was working. I forgot what I was working towards. Even though my flight was booked, Bali and the Divemaster training began to feel like an illusion. Every day I expected to check my email and find out that the Best Dive Job was cancelled, or that it never existed, or that it was some elaborate and cruel Internet joke.

What if the Best dive job page had been a fake?

Closer to departure, it became real to me that I was going to Bali. What also became real to me were the million and one things I all of a sudden realized I had to do to prepare.

I also realized that going to Bali meant having to leave Montreal. This made me sad. Montreal was coming into the summer months, I had been enjoying spending time with my friends and family, I did not want that time to end, and I had no idea when I would be coming back.

Friends and family

To get an idea of why Montreal is special to me, check out a couple of videos I made as part of the Best Dive Job pre-arrival challenges:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOJO-df_8-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwRxDAdiXFw

Sad or not, there were no employment opportunities in Montreal that excited me, so I knew this was a move I needed to make and I couldn’t wait!

Next time – arriving in Bali!

Who can find the most fishes?

By admin on July 17, 2015 in Best Dive Job in the World, Uncategorized

Challenge time! After organizing social events and raising money for Project AWARE, we had another group challenge coming up: Fish ID. Group A and B competed with each other for a great price . . . curious?

The task was not easy: Taking clear pictures of as many fish species as possible during three consecutive drift dives. Have you ever tried to take a clear picture of another moving object during a drift dive? If you want to challenge yourself, try it! We did our best to enjoy flying with the current at Nusa Penida and taking snapshots of fishes at the same time.

At the end of the day, we realized how divers Bali’s fish population was: We took hundreds of fish-pictures and had to identify as many as possible. Every one of us stayed up late to produce our own little identification guides. Guess what I dreamt of: fishes!

I liked this challenge a lot, as it was a great opportunity to get to know Bali’ fish species. Plus: Four of us were the lucky winners of a brand new Suunto D4i dive computer! Suunto’s latest model is not only stylish but also equipped with many useful features.

A big THANK YOU for the very generous gift!

http://www.suunto.com/

Divemaster so far

By admin on June 21, 2015 in Uncategorized

Here it is, 3 weeks on the island of the Gods with Blue Season Bali taking my divemaster course. So far we have been to so many dive sites in Tulamben, Penida, Amed, Padang Bai and Sanur. Every site has it’s own “awe” factor and they just keep getting better everytime I see them as I am getting better and batter at spotting marine life. In the DM course we have been learning so much from a basic regulator recovery all the way to advanced dive theory. My favorite topic so far has been ‘Search and Recovery’ I’m a rescue junkie what can I say! This has been a very rewarding and extremely memorable course and trip all together. Want to find out more, click here! Http://www.baliocean.com/en/goprointernships/divemaster-internships

Journey to the North

By admin on June 21, 2015 in Uncategorized

The best dive job candidates went on a journey! We had the opportunity to travel to the north-west of Bali, where the Menjangan National Park is situated.

Our first two days (and nights), we spent on the “Markisa”, a lovely wooden vessel operated by Abyss World Indonesia. Our hosts Dan Stilwell and Claudine Daigneault did not hesitate to fulfil all our wishes and teach us a lot at the same time! They run an amazing innovative boat operation, combining diving with Balinese culture. No matter if on land or underwater, there is always something to explore with Abyss World.

The Markisa took us from Permuteran to The Menjangan, an eco-resort situated in the heart of the Menjangan National Park. This four star resort is absolutely worth a stay! The definite highlight so far. I felt at home and comfortable instantly. Retreating from our busy everyday life and relaxing in a purely natural environment: heaven! Diving, horse riding, massages and celebrating Denny’s 20th birthday were our only obligations.

These four days went by too fast and we all wished we could have stayed longer. Nevertheless, back to reality!

http://www.abyssworld.com/diving

DM so far

By admin on June 12, 2015 in Contest, Uncategorized

If you want to be a PADI Divemaster, member of PADI, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, you will learn in your course how to be a good role-model for others. This includes excellent dive skills, exuding confidence and prioritizing personal safety, demonstrating care for enviroment, reading people and situations etc.

We are very busy with learning all the new things from this course. Our days begin at 6 A.M. – we set up equipment for our group and the Blue Season Bali’s guests, make sure that we have tanks for all dives, weightbelts, towels and water.

Next necesarry part of divemaster work is to do bus briefings and dive briefings before the dive, so we are practising and strengthening our self-confidence every day as well as learning new things about local dive sites.

Time to go to the ocean! But don’t forget to open your tanks and do buddy check ;). My favourite part is here… As a PADI Divemaster you can guide a group of divers on their underwater adventure, share with them your experiences and point out aquatic life. During this awesome time I still have to remember that it is my responsibility to check air through out the dive and keep an eye on the depth, dive time and no deco time.

After the dive I do debreafing about the aquatic life we saw and tips about how they may increase their diving skills such as buoyancy control. What a great diving experience for all of us!

Want to find out more about PADI Divemaster course? Click here!

Working on the Best Dive Job 2014/15 – making it all happen

By admin on April 6, 2015 in Uncategorized

Hello everyone, things are building up so I thought I’d write a just a short piece filling in some of the behind the scenes details regarding the preparation for the Best Dive Job in the World competition 2014 /2015.

My name is Chris and I wanted to share the experience of being a part of putting this year’s competition together. As a team we looked at what we did before and this time around decided to split the project into 3 phases to build on the successes we had from previous competitions.

Phase 1 was getting it all off the drawing board and getting it all going. Phase I saw Rob Scales in the role as project manager (hi Rob!) and he worked closely with the directors of Blue Season Bali in defining the competition this year around. The structure of the competition this year is very different to previous competitions. Previously one lucky winner made it to Bali for some awesome training opportunities, all generously donated by the various sponsors. Super cool, but this year things have really moved up a gear (or 8!). The structure has changed, instead of 1 person coming we have all 8 finalists!

All of them will be receiving free training as in previous years but the difference this year is that for one lucky person their training will continue on and then they will be given, wait for it………, a full time job as an instructor at Blue Season Bali. An absolute dream job here in Bali, the Island of the Gods.

So back to the planning of it all…. Phase I was to run the online portion of the competition, reach out to potential sponsors, set up web pages, social media, set up an online competition platform, marketing so the message was out there and interest was generated and a bunch of other fine details that needed to be covered. We had people from the four corners of the globe generating media campaigns of their own and spreading the message, “the competition is on! Vote for me!” Newspaper and magazine articles, people appearing on national TV, charity drives for Project aware raising a huge amount of money, a remarkable effort which went directly towards safeguarding our precious ocean environment and so many other efforts

Moving into phase II has seen me getting more and more involved. We have out finalists and they, and I, are all full speed ahead gearing up for their arrival in late May 2015. In terms of the logistics of the event it comes down to are the busses booked? Do we have boats available? Are all the materials ready for their courses? How about accommodation, transport? All super important of course but for me the main thing has been getting to know all of them a little better as the arrival date gets closer and closer. They have all been making videos talking about their preparation and how things are going as the main event draws nearer. Why not have a look at what they have all recorded on the best dive job page? https://www.facebook.com/divejobcontest?fref=ts

And then of course phase III, arrival! The planning is in place and all, I’m sure, will run like clockwork. 42 days of full on training and competition for all of the amazing prizes on offer, including the number one prize I mentioned before of a dream job at Blue Season Bali. The level of sponsorship this year is simply amazing with so many prizes on offer! Obviously I can’t go into too much detail with the specifics but there are some amazingly cool things lined up. But in a way I know it will be more than just a competition, to me it will be a meeting of friends from across the globe who have had the opportunity to come together in one place and time and share a life changing experience. Everyone involved will be changed forever after such an experience, and when I say everyone I include myself as well. I feel so privileged to be a part of our collective journey we are calling the Best Dive Job in the World 2014 /2015

Chris

Best Dive Job 2014 / 2015 coordinator

Friends friends and more friends!

By admin on December 6, 2012 in Uncategorized

It seems to be the season for travel! I am one lucky girl and have had lots of people come to visit me in Bali. Most recently my best friend/former housemate from Thailand. Alex is living in Cambodia and got some time off work to visit me in Bali. It was a short trip, only 4 days, but we had a blast! We spent most of our time lounging on the beach and going out in Kuta. Now to recover, hehe.

Ladies day in Ulu Watu.

Me and Alex

Fun Family Time

By admin on December 4, 2012 in Uncategorized

Me and the Family in Menjangan

Well, the family has come and gone. My parents and my brother were in Bali for about 2 weeks. We had a blast! I got to teach my family how to dive and show them all my favorite sites in Bali. We also got to spend 4 beautiful days up at the Menjangan Resort in northwestern Bali. I also brought them to southern and central Bali to visit Uluwatu and Ubud. It was a great trip and so nice to have everyone around. I can’t wait to see them again at Christmas!

On the road to Ubud.

Happy Days: Old Friends Come to Bali

By admin on October 20, 2012 in Uncategorized

It is that time of year, school vacation in Thailand. That means that quite a few of my friends have had time off. And where did they choose to spend their holidays you ask? Why Bali of course! It has been a busy couple of weeks, hence the absence from the blog. I have had 8 different friends from Thailand come over to Bali and spend a few days with me We spent some time traveling around to all the beautiful beaches. We also danced some nights away in Kuta. The highlight of the visits? Teaching the beautiful Leah her open water course! It was such an amazing expierence to show my friends what my life here is like.

Me and Leah on her visit to Bali.

On the way to Kuta for a night of dancing!

August IDC Day 5-7

By admin on August 18, 2012 in Uncategorized

IDC Day 5: e-learning

Today Stefan presented the e-learning presentations to the August IDC. It was very interesting to think about all the ways I can apply my training as a PADI instructor. One of the coolest things about becoming a PADI instructor is that it allows you to draw from all your past experiences. Worked in business? Great! Worked in marketing? Fantastic! All these skills make you a more valuable employee and allow you to market yourself. Diving is a such a diverse industry and it allows you the chance to really highlight your strengths. I already have some ideas, keep checking back and I’ll let you know how they play out!

IDC Day 6: e-learning, EFR instructor training

Today we took some time to finish up the e-learning presentations and begin our EFR instructor training. We learned about marketing EFR, a introduction/refresher to primary and secondary care as well as care for children. Despite being a long day in the classroom we still had a lot of fun

Refreshing my skills.

IDC Day 7: EFR instructor training

We added a new member to our IDC team today. Meet Carlos, our infant CPR mannequin.

Carlos and Marcel

Today I officially became an EFR instructor! We spent the day practicing what it would be like to teach the course. It was great fun!

We’re EFR instructors!

We also learned more about providing O2 to divers. Here are a few pics.

Learning how to provide O2.

August IDC: Day 3 and 4

By admin on August 14, 2012 in Uncategorized

We are moving right along in the IDC! After a nice long study session with some of the instructors and my fellow IDC candidates I think I finally understand dive physics! If was tough figuring it out but hopefully I’ve got it now. My next study hurdle? Physiology. Here is a little about what we have been doing here during our IDC days.

IDC Day 3:

CV, Equipment, Compressor, and Project Aware Workshops

We started off our day talking about Project Aware and how we can use it as a tool for environmental outreach in our community. As we all know our oceans are facing some terrible challenges, such as pollution and shark finning, and the more we know about them the more we can do to change them.

Next we learned how to disassemble and reassemble basic dive equipment such as regulators and BCDs. This skills are very useful if you encounter basic equipment malfunctions while out on a dive trip.

Putting together our equipment.

Afterwards we had a compressor workshop with the very talented Dayne Pigors He taught us all about filling tanks, bleeding the compressor, and even some information on filling nitrox tanks. Thanks Dayne!

Me and Dayne after the compressor workshop.

IDC Day 4:

Open Water Workshop

Today we had our first day diving during IDC. We headed off to Sanur to do an open water workshop. We spent the morning focusing on how to conduct open water dives 2 and 3. It was nice to practice out in the water. Environmental factors made teaching that more more challenging. I am really enjoying learning with our IDC group, we work very well together It was also the first time I used my new Aqualung wetsuit in the water. I loved it! It fits me great and it was really nice to be wearing a 5mm. No more shivering!

Blue Season Bali August IDC Candidates

Water Park Adventures!

By admin on August 6, 2012 in Uncategorized

What is the best thing to do on your day off? Head to Water Bomb, the giant water park in Kuta! Last Sunday Jules, Aoibheann, Tegan, Laura, Lucy and I decided that we needed a few more water filled adrenaline rushes. We made some vodka drinks to go and jumped in a taxi to spend the day riding water slides. This place is great! My favorite slide was called the Climax. You stand at the top on a trap door and it drops out from under you sending you down a huge tube. Pure awesomeness!

Aoibheann and me :)

The Water Bomb Crew

Aoibheann after riding the Climax.

Chillin in the lazy river :)

Guess who’s officially a divemaster?!?

By admin on July 26, 2012 in Uncategorized

DMTs Hardy’s Challenge

That’s right, I made it! As of Sunday I am officially a PADI divemaster (along with Juliette and Hermie)! During our weekly Sunday BBQ all the interns celebrated by what was dubbed the Hardy’s challenge. What is the Hardy’s challenge you ask? The interns were placed in buddy teams and each person was given 100,000 rupiah to pick out the most ridiculous outfit possible for their buddy. Not only did we get outfits, we got props. All of this fabulousness (see above picture) ended up in Kuta dancing the night away. It was perfect Now for the next couple of weeks I will be working as a DM. In August I move on to start my IDC! Check back soon for more updates

Me dress for the the Hardy’s Challenge

Divemaster Training: Guiding Workshops with Wayan and Ketut

By admin on July 22, 2012 in Uncategorized

Wayan and Ketut leading Guiding Workshops

One thing that makes Blue Season Bali really special is their local guides. We have some guys on staff who have been diving in Bali for 10+ years! They can tell you anything from reading the currents to finding local marine life. A couple of days ago the divemaster interns were lucky enough to do a guiding workshop with Wayan and Ketut, 2 of our very experienced local guides. They took us out to Nusa Penida and spent time teaching us how to read the currents, in what conditions we are likely to see Mola Molas, and good spots to find other local life such as pygmy seahorses and ornate ghost pipefish. We had a great time and I feel really lucky to be gaining so much knowledge from these guys!

Chilly Penida

By admin on July 20, 2012 in Uncategorized

Jules and I all bundled up!

Brrrr, Mola season here in Bali means chilly water (which is a good thing because it means we see Molas)! All the DMTs have been going on warm gear shopping sprees so we don’t freeze out in the water. Check out Jules and I all bundled up

Divemaster Training: Specialties

By admin on July 19, 2012 in Uncategorized

Me, Aoibheann, and Lucy searching for Molas!

Well it’s been another busy week at Blue Season Bali! This week I knocked out 3 more specialties, including Project AWARE, Coral Reef Conservation, and the brand new Mola Mola Diver specialty created by our very own Stefan Schneider. Let me fill you in on what these are all about.

First I learned all about Mola Molas, also known as the Oceanic Sunfish. First, let me give you an idea of what a Mola Mola is. These guys are huge! They weigh around 2,000 lbs and can be up to 10 feet tall. If you look at a Mola Mola straight on all you would really see is a thin line of a body with a large dorsal and anal fin. But when they turn to the side they are gigantic! They are quite funny looking and never close their large mouths. Nusa Penida is one of the few places in the world where you can see them regularly. They come up from the depths of the ocean to be cleaned and can be seen around 20 meters. During this specialty we learned about the anatomy of the mola mola, it’s behavior patterns, and how to approach them in the wild. I am excited to apply these new skills when I see one of these guys in real life!

Next we moved on to the Project AWARE and Coral Reef Conservation specialties. We are really lucky because Blue Season Bali has their own marine biologist on staff, the extremely talented Niels Rijneveld. But really, Niels is awesome. Not only does he have ridiculous amounts of knowledge to share but he can make classroom learning fun. I now know more about coral than I ever thought I would know, and it’s cool to be out in the ocean and have a more in depth understanding of one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth.

This week I am trying to finish up my divemaster studies. Check back soon to see how it’s going! Peace

Divemaster Training: Guiding Workshops

By admin on July 1, 2012 in Uncategorized

Guiding workshop with Baz and T-Mac

The last few days I have had the chance to work with the infamous Thomas Barret (Baz) and Thomas McKenzie doing guiding workshops. Basically these workshops consist of them showing us good practices for guiding guests and then we have guide them around while they critique our skills. I have learned a ton in the last few days, especially some tricks for spotting some cute macro critters like squat shrimp and various species of nudibranchs. I have also learned how to predict diving conditions and judge currents. I will be spending the next couple of days doing an overnight in Tulumban with these guys and am sure I will learn even more. Check back in in a few days to see how it goes!

Diving at Padang Bai

By admin on June 25, 2012 in Uncategorized

Cuttlefish Swimming

Today was my best day diving so far! It is amazing to me how ever dive here just gets better and better! Today we went to an area called Padang Bali which is about half way between Sanur and Tulamben on the east coast of the island. The first dive started out a little rough with a pretty strong current. After the current passed the dive was incredible!!! It was almost like the reef became even more alive after the rough waters. I saw my first cuttlefish!! This little guy was about a foot long and looked like an alien. I was so intrigued by him that I spent about 10 minutes hoovering over him and just watching as he shifted colors. Cuttlefish are part of the Chephalopoda family just like octopuses and squid. They are usually from 15-25 cm long and can be up to 50 cm. They live mostly in shallower waters but can go to depths of up to 600 m. The coolest thing about cuttlefish is their ability to camouflage! As they swim across the reef their skin changes to match their surrounding. It is amazing how quickly and drastically they change. Cuttlefish are also some of the most intelligent invertebrates. When I was watching the fist cuttlefish we saw he was definitely watching me back! You know when you get that feeling and know someone is looking at you? We were making eye contact and I could just tell that he was thinking about me, it was awesome! On our next dive we saw 2 more cuttlefish, a turtle (also a first for me!), a cow fish and a lot more cool nudibranchs. This day was perfect

Very happy after our first dive in Padang Bai.

Divemaster Training: Peak Performance Buoyancy

By admin on June 22, 2012 in Uncategorized

Checking out a barrel sponge.

I am moving through my divemaster program at Blue Season Bali and loving every second of it! I am lucky enough to be taught by the talented Mr. Henley Spiers and it is the perfect mix of fun and learning. In the last couple of days I have be signed off on quite a few skills. Yesterday we took care of our Peak Performance Buoyancy specialty. We spent 3 dives adjusting our weights, hovering, swimming through hoops, and practicing controlling our movements through breathing. I now feel much more confidant with my buoyancy and feel more comfortable getting very close to things underwater. This means that I am finding much more to see!

Gearing Up at Divemasters

By admin on June 12, 2012 in diving, equiptment, Uncategorized

The day I had been waiting for finally came. I got my own Aqualung diving gear! The staff at Divemasters opened up an hour early to give me first class service when I was choosing my new equipment.

VIP treatment at Divemasters.

When I walked into the store I felt like a little kid in a toy store! I looked around and I couldn’t believe all the stuff I saw; I wanted to buy everything! I started off looking at computers and decided to get a Suunto D4.

Looking at the Suunto D4.

Next we moved onto BCDs. I already had an idea about which one I wanted to buy so I tried on the Aqualung Pearl i3. The Pearl i3 is special because it is designed for women, this makes it much more comfortable in the water.

Trying the Aqualung Pearl i3 BCD.

After that I moved on to regulators. After a lot of thinking I decided to get an Aqualung Legend LX. Everyone told me I would feel the difference breathing underwater. I knew that it would be better than the regulators I had been using, but when I got in the water I was blown away at how easy it was. Breathing out of this reg is almost easier than breathing normally! I also decided to buy Aqualung Slingshot fins. You can adjust the stiffness on these guys so it makes them compatible to many different diving conditions.

Trying on my new Slingshot fins.

Once I got all the essential gear sorted I bought some extras including a dive knife, an extra mask, smb, and a torch. Thanks Blue Season Bali for all this great stuff!!!

Testing out my new mask.

Right now I am on a weekend trip diving in Tulamben. We are doing 6 dives while we are here which gives me a chance to practice with my new equipment. It’s always a little strange when you switch gear and takes some getting used to. Hopefully with the help of Blue Season Bali I’ll soon be a scuba ninja. I’ll let you all know how it goes!

World Ocean Day Beach Clean Up

By admin on June 8, 2012 in Uncategorized

Visiting Schools to Teach About Project Aware

My group for the beach clean up.

This week has been truly inspiring. I took a couple days out of the water to participate in an educational outreach project and beach clean up with four independent schools from around Sanur. On Wednesday I went with Holly from Crystal Divers to one of the schools to talk about Project Aware and the environmental problems they are combating, such as ocean debris and shark fining. The students we were teaching were 3^rd and 4^th graders. These kids were crazy smart! They were really engaged and aware of the problems we are facing. They asked tons of questions and came up with some great solutions to battle ocean debris. Being back in the classroom reminded me how much I love working with kids. It is so important to get the next generation thinking about the problems that our planet is facing. These kids are already changing their habits and attitudes, which is what will really start to make a difference.

Beach Clean up with Sanur Schools

The students weighing the trash they collected and recording the data to send to Project Aware.

After a week of educational outreach came the main event: a beach clean up at Mertaseri beach in Sanur. There were 250 kids from Sanur independent schools helping the staff from Blue Season Bali and Crystal Divers clean up the beach. We spend two hours picking up trash while the kids tallied the types of garbage we found so we could send the data to project aware. We had all kinds of contests for the kids including who could pick up the most trash (we weighed the bags) and who could find the weirdest piece of garbage. Everyone had a great time and spirits were high.

World Ocean Day Beach Clean Up

A night of FUNdraising for Project Aware

That night we had a fundraiser BBQ at Crystal Divers. There were tons of different activates to raise money for Project Aware including silent auctions and a jail where you could pay to lock people up. It was a great night with lots of laughing and dancing, and the best part is we raised $10,127 for Project Aware!

Jon, Desi and Niels stuck in jail.

MANTAS!!! Swimming with Mantas with Blue Season Bali

By admin on June 6, 2012 in diving, Manta Rays, Uncategorized

Manta Sighting with Blue Season Bali

Today we were at Manta Point. I was super excited to get into the water and when we did the visibility was great. Usually it is a bit difficult to see at Manta Point due to the high amount of plankton in the water (which is part of what attracts the mantas), but not today! We got in the water and could see a good 15 meters. We started out Manta search and within 10 minutes we had spotted them! We were lucky enough to see 2 giant manta rays swimming together. And what was even better was that we were the only divers around. Charlie got a great video of our Manta Ray Sighting. It was the most magical experience. The mantas look like giant birds flying underwater. It makes you feel so small when you watch them. As we continued the dive we got to see 3 more mantas making a total of 5! What a great day

My first days in Bali – Meeting the Blue Season Team

By admin on May 17, 2012 in Uncategorized

My first day in Bali

Well, I am finally here! After about 24 hours of travel I reached Bali. My first day was a bit of a blur. I arrived in Bali at about noon on the 16th. The BSB crew picked me up at the airport and brought me back the shop to meet everyone. On the drive they gave me a nice little welcome packet that helped get me oriented. It also had information about all the dive sights, which was super exciting to read!

After I met everyone in the shop the team brought me back to my accommodation. I met some of the other interns who are living in the same home stay as I am. They were nice enough to invite me to dinner and start to show me the ropes. Afterwards we went out for a few drinks and I met some more of the BSB crew. We went to the local hangout, a cute little bar with giant comfy beanbag chairs and live music. First day in Bali was a total success!

My first dive in Bali

The next morning I got up bright and early and headed to the shop around 6 am for my first dives in Bali. After the morning dive brief we jumped in the van and for the 2-hour drive to Seraya, our dive site for the day. You all know that I am not a morning person, I passed out the entire drive, I think I might have even drooled a bit. Seraya is known for its muck diving sights. It is a stunning isolated beach where you can find everything from beautiful nudibranchs to blue spotted stingrays, to mimic octopi. We entered the water from the beach, which was very different to the giant stride entry I am accustomed to. I was nice to be able to walk right into the water and also made navigation a bit easier.

Check out this video taken before my first dive in Bali: First dive at Seraya

Muck diving was a really cool experience. At first glance the site looks like boring brown sand. When you look closer life starts to appear all around you like magic! I saw all kinds of things that I have never seen before. My favorites were the toby puffer fish and the shrimpgobies. Shrimpgobies are really cool because they always come with a shrimp. The shrimp digs out a hole while the goby protects it. If a predator comes near the goby will dive into the hole and push the shrimp behind him. They are cute little buddies! I sat and watched a pair for a good 5 minutes. Toby puffers are officially my new favorite fish, I might even start a “toby count” to see how many I can find during my stay here in Bali. They are tiny little guys who range from about 1 ½- 5 inches in length. They are really funny to watch because they swim around awkwardly so they look pretty silly.

Well, that’s what’s going on here in Bali. I start my EFR and Rescue Diver courses on Sunday. I will let you all know how those go! I should also be getting an underwater camera soon so expect some pictures.

My journey to Bali – From Koh Tao to Blue Season Bali

By admin on May 16, 2012 in Uncategorized

Saying Goodbye to Thailand

The time has finally come for me to say goodbye to the land of smiles. As I write this I am on a bus on the way to the airport in Phuket. By noon tomorrow I will be starting my new life in Bali. I couldn’t be more excited!! So lets catch you up on my last week in Thailand. I left Chiang Mai on the 12^th. It was hard to say goodbye to all the wonderful people in my life there. I had made a lot of close friends and it is hard to leave not knowing when you will be able to see them again. They sent me off in style with a wonderful weekend at the houseboats.

Next I went down to Koh Tao to visit all my friends at Sunshine Divers. I am so grateful to them for showing me my passion. I got to do some fun dives with some great people2. It will be nice to have everyone come visit me at Blue Season Bali. So now the final leg of the journey. Chiang Mai- Bangkok- Koh Tao- Phuket- Bali! I can’t wait. Diving again this last few days reminded me again how much I love being under water. I am so excited to be a student again and to be studying something I love with every fiber in my body! Heading to Bali has me excited and nervous all at once. It is bitter sweet leaving Thailand. I have never been this happy about the next step in my life but it is always hard to move away from something you have become comfortable with. Thailand has been a really personal journey for me and it will have its own special place in my heart.

What’s coming next?

As I write this I am on a ferry heading from Koh Tao to Surat Thani. When I get to Surat Thani I will jump on a bus and take the 5 hour drive to Phuket. From there I get to spend the night in the airport waiting for my 6 am flight. ETA in Bali is 11:45 am. The Blue Season Bali team is going to meet me at the airport and bring me to my new home. I can’t wait to get there and settle in. I’m going to sign off now, take some time to reflect on where my life has taken me in the last year and dream about what is in store for me in the next 7 months. So many adventures await!

Here is a picture of me arriving at the airport, tired but happy! Check back soon to read all about my first few days in Bali.