Technical Diving - Khao Lak

From our one of our Current Divemaster Trainees - Jo

Technically Speaking

Technical diving, or the ability to dive beyond the realms of the recreational dive limits, is seen to be a bit of a boys’ sport where ego, competitiveness and equipment are served up in equal measure i.e. lots! So, who better than to give it a go and see what all the fuss is about than Wicked’s 3 female DMTs of the moment - Jackie, Tracey and Jo.

With the help of Marcel, Wicked’s tech dive expert, we geared up with dual 12 litre tanks connected by a manifold, wing BCD, harness, reels, SMBs and stage tanks. While tech diving gives you the ability to dive deeper for longer, today was about getting a feel for the equipment and trying it out underneath the waves. We took a longtail out to Khao Lak’s house reef, Khao Nai Yak. We only had two rigs, so Jackie jumped first, accompanied by Marcel.

The first spot we dived was a real gem. As yet unnamed (although Nudibranch City would be a great name if you’re reading this guys!), this site is not high adrenaline nor will it offer encounters with the big visitors to the Similans that Khao Lak is often associated with. It will, however, open the doorway to a world of creatures straight out of sci-fi novels.

Nudibranchs are everywhere, their bright colours shine against the muddy, silty bottom. Crustaceans such as huge crabs, boxer shrimp and mantis shrimp offer a hefty claw to spectators who pass a bit too closely. Tunicates, white-eyed moray eels and pipefish also make their home in this mucky domain. It was a great eye-opener and just goes to show that appearances can be deceptive.

Jackie quickly became comfortable with the bulky tech gear, despite the current, and completed skills such as breathing from the stage tank, removing the tank and dealing with an out of air situation. Some of these skills differ from their recreational equivalents and some do not exist at all, so all need to be mastered.

I (Jo) was next up, followed by Tracey and we both enjoyed trying out the gear, although it felt pretty alien to begin with. Whether we all become tech divers remains to be seen, it’s a big challenge and not something to be taken lightly, but you never know. Maybe we’ll see you, 50 metres down, cruising that North Atlantic U-boat in the future.