Posts by - Justin Hartrey

I've been enjoying the incredible marine life in our oceans for over 25 years. 13 years ago I became a PADI professional in Phuket, hoping to introduce as many people as possible to the incredible beauty of the seas.

Having been fortunate enough to dive all over south east and especially Thailand, I enjoy sharing my diving experiences and passion on this blog.

Originally from Bristol in the UK, I swapped the frigid waters of the North Atlantic for the warm tropical seas around Thailand and can confidently say that I wouldn't go back

great discounts on the junk and phinisi liveaboards

Diving Discounts & Special Offers

Discount On Junk and Phinisi Trips 2024

There's up to 25% discount offer for some of the first trips of the 2024 season on The Junk and Phinisi departures to the Similan Islands in 2024. For some October trips these fantastic boats are offering deals for all cabin types. A rare opportunity to dive the incredible Similan and Surin Islands in style at a great price Similan and Surin Islands 4 nights 14 dives Departures: 19th - 23rd October, 10 spaces available in all cabin [...]

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take a diving refresher in the clear waters at racha noi

Scuba Diving For Beginners

Keep Your Skills Up To Date With A Diving Refresher

A diving refresher or a PADI Reactivate programme is something all divers should consider if they haven't had the opportunity to dive for extended periods. We're not all fortunate enough to be able to dive when and where we want. Logistics, finances, health can all make getting a dive in a bit of a struggle. The recent pandemic kept the majority of divers away from the hobby they love for years. Diving refreshers were in high demand in 202 [...]

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Rare & Peculiar Critters

Crown of Thorns Starfish

Fortunately Phuket hasn't got a huge population of crown of thorns starfish. They're strange appearance and beautiful colours make them great to look at but high numbers can cause immense damage. Their diet of healthy corals and venomous spines don't place them high on the welcome visitors list which is incredibly unfair. The venomous spines is all on them but destroying coral reefs? In a healthy ecosystem they would be just another li [...]

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Rare & Peculiar Critters

Blacktip Reef Sharks

Blacktip reef sharks are a very frequent sighting on our Phi Phi diving tour, often with many sharks in your field of vision. We get all different sizes from the almost 2m adult females to the tiny pups. We generally schedule Koh Bida Nok for our first dive on the trip so blacktip reef sharks are one of the first animals you'll see. A great start to your days diving. They're not a guaranteed sighting by any means but it's very unusual not [...]

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Equipment We Like

Cressi A1 No Fog Diving Mask

There's nothing worse in diving than a foggy mask, well maybe running out of air, triggerfish, getting stung, putting on a cold wet wetsuit, DCS etc. After all we go diving to look at and explore the incredibly beautiful underwater world. Not many masks come out of the box completely fog free but the Cressi A1 does. You don't have to treat the mask at all. If you do, you may well damage the coating. Not only is it a no fog diving mask but [...]

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our spacious boat is perfect for a phuket dive package

Diving Discounts & Special Offers

The Best Phuket Diving Package

Our 3 day Phuket diving package will cover all of the best local dive sites. The 3 different dive days all have their own unique qualities and offer divers a range of different dive environments. From the clear, calm waters of Racha Noi to the more challenging King Cruiser Wreck, there's something for everyone. No the Phuket diving package doesn't have to be on consecutive days. It's not recommended that beginners go to the King Crui [...]

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Equipment We Like

Surface Marker Buoys

Surface marker buoys (SMB) wasn't a standard to teach on PADI Open Water courses but it has been for quite a while now. Quite rightly so, surface marker buoys are a cheap yet essential piece of equipment. It's not an understatement to say that they can save lives. Along with mask and fins, it should be one of the first pieces of equipment you purchase. You can get yourself a basic surface marker buoy and finger reel for less than US$20. [...]

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