Ko Samui - part 2 (Jay)

We awoke after a full night of sleeping feeling refreshed. We were excited and nervous, as none of us had ever been scuba diving before. Apparently, there are a few preliminary courses and certifications you're required to take and have before you're allowed to dive....which, we learned quickly, doesn't really apply in Thailand. We were picked up at our hotel with another traveler from Canada. A veteran scuba diver, he gave us some survival tips. Notably, don't hold your breath under water or your lungs will explode. When we asked what was in his bag, he replied "my equipment, of course. You think I would trust the equipment they have here in Thailand??" All filed under things not to say to new scuba divers. 

After a 45 minute drive in the back of a pick up truck, we reached the offices of our scuba team. In an effort to settle our nerves...we did what anyone would do: gave ourselves really cool scuba nicknames. So....Posidon, Scuba Steve, SEABASStian, and The Guardian (you can guess who is who) started to gain some confidence and were ready to try on our gear. We met our instructor, Bruno, a 50ish year old man from Italy. After casually having us sign a few liability waivers, we were ready to get on the boat and go out to Sail Rock - one of the top 50 scuba sites in the world.

About 10 minutes before we reached Sail Rock, Bruno came up to give us some instructions in his English, which is about as good as my Italian. Conveniently, he forgot the written in English safety briefing, so we were left to his vivid hand motions to learn how to stay alive. But rest assured, he told us, he would do our safety exams for us! Even under our scuba aliases, our confidence was shaky at best. Nevertheless, we suited up in our wet suits, put on our oxygen tanks, and jumped in the water. 

Luckily, Bruno was joined by another instructor from South Africa named Jon who spoke perfect English. Not so lucky, he was extremely hungover and fell asleep during our training. Our first task in the water was to go down with the instructors, one at a time, and learn 3 critical skill sets. Using our oxygen regulators and back up regulators, cleaning our goggles, and finding the regulator in the event we lose it. We passed with flying colors and submerged under. The experience was incredible. 40 feet under water and immersed in the maritime environment was something we will always remember. Swimming alongside the fish and watching them interact in their natural habitat was unlike anything we've seen before. We opted to pay a little more and do a second 45 minute dive which we thoroughly enjoyed more now that we were comfortable in the water. The only hiccup came was when the instructor realized Corey's equipment failed (shocker), had almost no oxygen left, and had to hook him up with his emergency regulator. Other than that, we were completely fine and given the opportunity, we all want to actually become certified. 

We came back to the hotel tired, sore, and needing to nap out of necessity. Given the full moon party goes from 11 PM-9 AM, the only way we would be able to make it was to pass out for at least 3-4 hours. When we woke up, we were ready to get to this party that we had been hearing about for the past 7 months. We walked onto the beach and were overwhelmed (in a good way) by the 15,000 people, lights, and blasting music. 

What we walked into

We had 10 hours ahead of us, and started to explore the different scenes on the beach. Perhaps the most memorable one was the rope of fire. Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Two guys on elevated platforms swing a giant rope on fire as people jump over it. Corey tried, and immediately was smacked in the face with the firey rope which was enough to deter the rest of us. We continued to walk around, meet people, and that's when our hangover moment happened.

We lost Mike. One minute he was there, and another he was swept away in the sea of 15,000 people. Corey, Joel, and I tried to figure out what to do. We knew we wouldn't be able to enjoy the rest of the party worried about where Mike was. We didn't want to risk losing each other either, as the probability of finding someone at the party was slim to none. Determined to make it work, we reassumed our scuba aliases and became what only could be best described as some version of Seal Team Six. Joel sprinted back to the hotel, Corey went left, I went right, and established a rendezvou point and time. We climbed elevated platforms, checked the water, and scanned the streets. Our first attempt, however, failed. As more time passed, the chances of finding Mike faded away. Refusing to give up, we tried another strategy of combing the beach in one direction spread out from top-mid-bottom, scanning our designated areas. Miraculously, I spotted a lost Wolly and we all celebrated. It was exactly what we needed at 4 AM to rally. The rest of the night we spent dancing until the sun rose.

It was a once in a lifetime experience to say the least. We went straight from the party to catch our 9:30AM ferry, and head to the airport to catch our plane to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Thailand had been the trip of a lifetime, and we were only half way done our tour of Southeast Asia.