rick-james-biatch t1_jdcjzfz wrote on March 23, 2023 at 12:56 PM

Reply to comment by Cannabat in Sunrise at Phang Nga Bay, Thailand (2000x2000)[OC] by cryptodesign

Freediving is awesome, but yeah, I tend to hurt my ears way more often freediving than with tanks.

Sea Dragon is a cool shop. Both my neighbors worked there. I was at BigBlue for most of my time there, but got recruited by Wicked for my last season.

Yes, the Andaman side has a lot to offer. Khao Sok rainforest was right in our backyard. I was seasonal, but I had some friends stay year-round, and just surfed through the rainy season.

Cannabat t1_jdty7rq wrote on March 27, 2023 at 4:10 AM

When were you instructing/managing? Any particular reason you’re not doing that still?

I was in the country when covid hit and eventually made my way back to my home country. Eager to visit again.

rick-james-biatch t1_jduhklk wrote on March 27, 2023 at 8:17 AM

I left in 2011.

I'd just turned 40, realized I'd planned to go to Thailand for 1 year and had already stayed for 8. Also realized I had no savings and if I did diving for another decade, I'd still be broke and my body would likely give out at some point. Was mulling all that over, and then my wife and I just decided over lunch one day that it was time to do something new, and that was that. We were gone two month later.

Covid hit that country hard financially. I have a lot of friends still there. Most live paycheck to paycheck, and when the divers stopped coming, it hurt. They're a tight community tho, and they helped each other out a lot. Most of the dive shops let staff sleep in the empty rooms, and everyone pitched in for food.