The Waters Of S.E.Asia
The Oceans of South East Asia are by far the most bio-diverse waters of the planet. i.e. the seas are teaming with life.

Does It Bite?
Generally no, it doesn’t. Obviously then some of it is potentially dangerous then, to divers especially you might think...

Well, no actually! Divers are in fact probably the safest water users out there, primarily because we can see and interact with what’s around us, and avoid the nasties.

Danger! - Toxic?...
There are of course Jellyfish out there, and typically the ones hardest to spot are the ones with the nastier sting. Fortunately as you’ll be diving with a mask you can see them!

Plus the fact that you'll be wearing a wetsuit, which means that there will be less bare flesh on display to get burned.

There are also toxic fish about, with Lionfish and Scorpionfish being the main protagonists. Lionfish are wonderful; you’d have to be blind to miss these peacocks of the sea. Garishly striped bug-eyed beauties, fins like feathers with poison tipped quills.

The Lionfish family uses their unique colouring and spread fin displays to tell you to stay away so no problem there.

Scorpionfish unfortunately use theirs as a means of camouflage, and very good at it they are too. It takes a very practised eye to spot these nasty little buggers, so your best way to avoid an "unbearably painful" encounter is to follow safe diving practices and to not touch anything.

SHARK!...
Jaws! We’ve all seen and probably been scared s***less by it, but it’s all so very, very wrong!

Although author Peter Benchley has said he wouldn’t have written "Jaws" had he known the damage it would do to the reputation of sharks, most people who come to Thailand still have the “Jaws!” image of sharks firmly embedded!

"Kill them before they kill us!" - Sorry folks but this is just plain ignorance!

Sure, it sounds great when you go back home and casually announce to your friends in the pub, “Went diving with Sharks in Thailand”. Impressed they may be but fooled also, because the sharks here are not dangerous...

White Tip, Black Tip, Leopard , Nurse, Grey Reef and if you’re really lucky Whale Sharks are the ones you’ve likely been swimming with.

Most of them look the business for sure, what shark doesn’t, but they are all safe if treated with respect - i.e. don’t try to play air guitar with them, don’t grab their tales for a ride and you’ll be OK!

The sharks unfortunately won’t!

The Real Threat To Your Safety...
Well that would be you! Be careful, learn properly and treat all sub-aquatic life with respect and you should have great fun and a very memorable experience.

Take risks, try to take an animal for a ride, get drunk, stoned or off your face before you go diving and you’re asking for and probably deserve it!

Stop - Think - Act...
With the rapid increase in diving as a sport over the last several years in Thailand, as well as a more positive interest in the environment, a realisation of the amount of harm being done to the oceans, reefs and wildlife in the region has come about...

With rampant commercialism and the strains of burgeoning tourism, some untreated waste undoubtedly ends up in the seas around Thailand and therefore inside the fish!

As these toxins work their way up through the food chain to the top predators like barracuda and shark, Ciguatera food poisoning is the result, extremely nasty stuff and often lethal!

Do not buy, collect or damage coral or any other tourist trinket derived from the ocean, including the blown up puffer fish mobiles. Leave something for the people who follow you to enjoy, and enjoy doing it.