So long story short, we have now left Koh Tao. The place where we made our lives for the past 5 years; made a home, created life-long friendships (cheesy but true, especially when you work, drink, eat, even sometimes live aside one another!), and most importantly, started our diving careers from Open Water students, through to Master Scuba Diving Trainers. To run through it quickly, the biggest reason we left the comfort of our island home is because we are looking for the next challenge, and in that, we decided that we needed to find something that will set us up for our future. We love being Scuba Instructors, and…
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The Essential Item to Pack for Backpacking SE Asia
I’m baaaack! I know it’s been radio silence for a long time on this travel blog, but that’s because Lionel and I haven’t been traveling. We’ve been settled on Koh Tao now for a while. This month was actually our 5 year anniversary of starting our PADI Open Water scuba diving course. In December this year, it’ll be our 5 years of actually living and working on Koh Tao as dive professionals! Crazy how fast the time has gone. I’ve slithered back out of the water that is now my home to talk about something that has radically changed my life recently. The thing that I believe is an essential…
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Hard Day at Work
When you make a bubble ring off your fiance's head. #uwproblems #diving #islandlyf A photo posted by emma.o (@elko.em) on Mar 15, 2016 at 4:57am PDT
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GET SOME, and GET ON IT.
Awesome new work shirts designed by the ever so talented Lionel Kobi. #getsome #gettingsome #gotsome @saireecottagediving #kohtao A photo posted by emma.o (@elko.em) on Mar 13, 2016 at 10:17pm PDT Stop thinking about it, and do it. Get Some. Get on it. Find out what you love, and do it. Whether it’s traveling, being successful in your career, or with your family and friends. Do it. Be Happy, and Get Some. We did, and we love it.
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Not Missing Home Yet (even after 3 years)
Not gonna lie, but as we near our three year mark of leaving Melbourne, I still have to say; I don’t miss it much. Honestly, there isn’t much to miss. With advanced technology and the so-so internet speed on the island, we still have access to Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook etc. I actually communicate on a more frequent basis with my immediate family back in Australia. We have a group chat where we greet each other with ‘Good Mornings!‘ and messages about the mundanes (‘I’m making a coffee right now and reading the news.‘ – thanks for letting us know Mum), to the excitements (‘I got a new job!’ – Congrats…
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The Diving on Koh Tao
Here’s a look at the diving from 2015 on Koh Tao with Sairee Cottage Diving. Filmed, and edited by yours truly! Enjoy! F***, I love my life.
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Whoop, whoop.
We are officially Open Water Scuba Instructors!
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Best Time to go to Bali for Diving and Where To Stay
Bali is an awesome island for scuba diving. While it wasn’t on my wishlist for a long time (the drunken Aussie bogan stories had always put me off), once I started diving, I heard it was the place to be. The diving around Bali has strong currents. Because of this, it is super rich in nutrients. This is what draws the cool stuff to see while scuba diving. The mola molas, the mantas, and the thousands of little critters hiding in the muck. Best time to go to Bali for diving? The best time to go to Bali for diving is from May to November. It’s after the hot hot…
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We are the worst people…
…at blogging. But that’s because we’re having too much fun diving! I’m making no apologies right now. We did set up this blog to inform our family and friends of what we’re up to, and where we are, and it also grew to become a blog that hopefully helped people with planning their trip around South East Asia. (Un)Fortunately, the reason we’re so slack with blogging is because we are really enjoying life right now. It is awesome. Everyday we jump into the water, and we see some pretty interesting stuff. We move around in a 3D space, blowing bubbles, and we live on a tropical island. I film brand…
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Don’t Be This Guy! – At A Cinema
Went to Samui to extend our visa. Turns out it was ‘Big Buddha Day,’ a Thai public holiday which meant the immigration office was closed. Ended up having to spend a night on Samui where we ate terribly overpriced meals, bought pillows at Tesco Lotus, and watched ‘Chappie’ at the cinemas. Great movie, great pillows, long 34 hrs away from Koh Tao.
