Page 36 - QARANC Vol 16 No 2 2018

34 QARANC THE GAZETTE
Exercise Thai Serpent
On 7 December 2017, four DSHE student nurses had the privilege of attending a scuba diving expedition to Thailand with wounded and injured soldiers, as part of the Defence Medical Services Diving Club. The aim of this trip was to train injured service personnel and veterans, alongside members of the Diving Club, in order to build relations and teamworking abilities.
The expedition started at Heathrow, where we had the opportunity to catch up with those we had met throughout our ocean diver training and those we had never met before. With introductions complete, it was time to start the long-haul journey to Phuket.
After some much-required sleep, the first day was the day of the check dive – a time to sort out any kit issues before heading out on the live-aboard. For us ocean divers, this was our first opportunity to experience the warmer temperatures Thailand had to offer rather than the freezing ones of the UK. With the check dive complete, it was time to relax and socialise with a night out in Khao Lak.
It was on to the live-aboard, where we had the opportunity to meet the team tasked with looking after us for the rest of the trip. Kit assembled, safety briefs complete, dinner demolished and it was time for bed with the prospect of an early morning looming. Overnight, we had travelled from shore into the Andaman Sea, to the Simolean Islands
– a grouping of granite islands within a national park and conservation area. We were thrown straight in with the
first dive of the day, followed by the Thaitakeonafryup.Itwasthenonto dive two, Stonehenge – bearing some resemblance to the British landmark. Dive three of the day took place at the ‘West of Eden’ dive site – a beautiful spot, full of marine life and reefs to explore, most notably squid, barracuda, shrimp and praying mantas. It was then time for a night dive. This was a new experience for many of us, but fascinating to see just how much marine life differs at night. It also made sticking with our buddy pairs that little bit more vital.
Day six welcomed us with a challenging dive at Elephant Head
Rock, with deep narrow swim throughs and an unruly current. This was followed by a dive at ‘Eagles Head’ and then on to ‘Christmas Point’, with striking rock formations and a vast abundance of marine life. Day seven found us moored in Koh Bon, where we learnt how to lay a distance line under water, a vital skill. Our second dive was Koh Bon West, which will be remembered as the site that graced us with the Manta Ray – a sight causing many to use half of their air within a few minutes. The final dive of the day was in the ‘Dome’, an instructor favourite that lived up to expectations, offering triggerfish and schools of barracuda.
Day eight was spent mostly at ‘Richelieu Rock’, a bright and