MV Scuba Cat is an ideal scuba diving platform. Her design gives stability that is only found in a very large catamaran liveaboard. She operates amongst the protected waters of the Similan Islands making this the most "friendly" liveaboard to be found...seasickness is rare. From only 12,000 Baht per person.
Whats New at Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket, Thailand
Wow its August already, here in Phuket the sun is shining, the seas are flat....it feels like high season has arrived already.....
So dont just sit there dreaming let Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket Thailand make it a reality either now or during high season....
Local Diving News
MV Scuba Cat
Only 1 month left to take advantage of our Summer Season and Course Specials aboard MV Scuba Cat at Racha Yai.
MV Scuba Cat starts her flexible liveaboard schedule to the Similan Islands on November 16th 2008 and this will continue until early May 2009.
MV Scuba Fun
A new improved schedule will be lauched later this week for Day Trips aboard MV Scuba Fun for High Season 2008/2009 incorporating the best of Local Diving to complete your vacation. Our experienced tourleader, divestaff and boat crew will make this a day to remember.
PADI Speciality Course of the Month
Wreck Diver Speciality
The lure of exploring sunken vessels is something most divers can't resist. The PADI Wreck Diver Speciality course introduces you to wreck diving and helps you develop the skills and knowledge necessary for safe and fun wreck diving.
In November 2000 Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket, Thailand sunk a steel boat at Racha Yai to provide the base of an artificial reef. “Marla’s Mystery” has become a superb dive site and training location literally teeming with fish.
The Wreck Adventure Dive from the Adventures In Diving program credits toward this speciality at the discretion of the instructor and this specialty certification counts as one of the five Speciality course certifications for the PADI Master Scuba Diver certification. Or why not join us for some day trip diving or even a liveaboard trip?
New Master Scuba Diver Internship available now. Contact us for more details.
PADI IDC
Here is our IDC schedule for August/September:
- IDC 31st August -10th September 2008
- IE 12th - 14th September 2008
- EFRI 11th Septmber 2008
- Specialities 16th to 19th September 2008
PADI Platinum Course Director, Christophe Pace, will be conducting PADI Speciality Instructor Courses on board MV Scuba Cat, our liveaboard, at Racha Yai, Phuket, Thailand for the last time at Racha Yai this season.
Let me know early if you know anyone interested to join in!
Congratulations
Congratulations to the 3 most recent IDC candidates from Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket, Thailand who were successful in becoming OWSI's.
- Kim Van Ginderachter (Belgium)
- Niels Huby (France)
- David Heft (US)
Congratulation to the five new Divemasters who completed within the last month with Scuba Cat Diving, one of whom is staying with us as part of his Instructor Internship.
- Simon Creed (UK)
- Alan Bannister (UK)
- Steve Brady (UK)
- Jimmy Harper (UK)
- Jack Mata (USA)
IAHD (International Association of Handicapped Divers)
Scuba Cat Diving, Phuket, Thailand are pleased to be running a IAHD Instructor Course in December 2008.
Please contact us for more details
Phuket News
Loy Krathong - the Full Moon Festival
Loy Krathong, Thailand's 'festival of lights'. Held yearly, on the evening of the twelfth lunar month, it is the time of year when the waters around the country become alive with candlelight and look not unlike massive fairy ballrooms. When staying in a coastal area, you can see these 'ballrooms' extending for miles out to sea. In fact, sailors, making their way towards the likes of Phuket, have reported seeing them close to the Similan Islands and beyond.
A festival of quiet celebration, the origins of Loy Kratong are unclear, but it is believed that it started in Sukhothai, (north of Bangkok) one of the most powerful cities in Asia, around 800 years ago.
Made from the cellulose trunk of a banana tree, the idea behind the kratongs is to put all your misfortunes in a boat, and allow them to literally float away. ("Loy"- to float, and "krathong" - a leaf cup or bowl) Great care is taken to decorate the kratongs with flowers and banana leaves, leaving room for the candles and 3 sticks of incense.
Loy Krathong always falls on Thai school holidays, so during the day the whole family are often involved in making elaborately decorated Kratongs. Some coins, a lock of hair, or nail clipping are placed inside to represent the owner before the kratong is launched on a river, canal, or the sea, accompanied by a prayer.
It's believed the "boat" will carry your bad luck into the distance, and enable a better start to the following year. Loy Kratong is a big night for lovers. Couples who make a wish together on this day will enjoy long-lasting love, especially if their kratongs remain together on the water.
While Loy Kratong is not strictly a religious festival, some Thais believe that it pays homage to the water goddess, Mae Khongkha. Whatever the significance, it's a magical "not-to-be-missed" event.
Guests usually set the kratongs on the sea - a delightful scene as thousands of candlelit kratongs bob on the waves. In places like Patong, little boys will volunteer for a small fee to carry your kratong out a little further for a more auspicious start.
A festival not to be missed
This festival, falls in the 'not to be missed' category and if you believe in luck, joining in, is a 'must do'. It's also one of those celebrations that children absolutely adore and will certainly be one of their fondest memories of their visit to this part of the world.
If you happen to be holidaying in Phuket, one of the more popular festival venues, when this enchanting festival occurs; (on November 5, this year), you might just have a better chance of a luck filled future. Phuket's west coast beaches generally have an off-shore breeze blowing at this time of year, which will help give your wishes a boost. How good your fortune will be, is up to you and the tides or currents during the festivities. There is one simple way to ensure that at least a little of the festival's blessing comes your way, however.
How to partake in the festival
In the hours preceding sunset, you'll notice many makeshift stalls selling 'krathongs' along the streets of Phuket. Buy one…or better still, buy (or make) one, for each person in your holiday party. These flower covered min-floats, complete with candles and incense sticks, often resembling lotus flowers, are an essential part in promoting good fortune during the festival.
As the sun dips below the horizon and the full moon begins to hover in the night sky, take your krathong to the nearest beach, lake or similar watery area and release it with the outgoing tide or current. The belief being, that if the krathong floats away from you, the coming year will bring good fortune, if it floats back towards the shore, then perhaps your luck may not be quite as you had wished.
How to assist in ensuring good fortune comes your way
On releasing the kratong, you can help your fortunes along a little by placing personal items on the floating platform. Some put nail clippings or strands of hair into the krathong, in the belief that the sins of the past year will be washed away; coins too are often placed inside as a way of making merit. For the romantic at heart and young couples, Loi Krathong is the time to make a wish for happiness together and success in love.
Compared with most "dive centers" in Thailand (a lot of them is just a website - a "Virtual Dive Company") - Scuba Cat owns their own fleet of diving boats and have been in operation since 1994. If you do a Course or a Dive Career Package with us, all your dives will be from one of our own dive boats, not "we got to do a beach dive, 'cause it is not enough students" or from a "last minute rented long tail boat, 'cause all the other boats are full".
Scuba Cat Receives Project AWARE Foundation Environmental Achievement Award 2006.