Full Cave Course Khao Sok and Song Hong by Cameron Rogers.

It began on the 17th of December, a short drive [for some haha] from Blue Label Diving in Rawai to Khao Sok National Park.  A man made dam constructed some 25 years ago.  Driving from Rawai to Khao Sok is a lovely drive, once you escape the busyness and sometimes crazy driving of Phuket, the long sweeping corners on either side of the bridge are good fun, wishing I was in something that handles a lot better than a fully loaded hilux packed with tanks, compressor, dive gear and off course the master Ben Reymenants, Jacob Tham and myself.

Sleeping quarters Khao Sok Lake
Sleeping quarters Khao Sok Lake

Anticipation was high as we arrived at the floating boat jetty at Khao Sok National Park! The water was incredibly high lapping at the wheels of the hilux as we parked it to load all the gear into the long tail boat. The water was wonderfully clear and we could see the steps that are used when the water level is at its normal height. Just amazing!

A  quick boat lesson, sit in the middle if you have to move tell the driver so he can compensate the weight difference and off we headed, lunch was already on board chicken fried rice delicious! The scenery simply amazing vertical sheer limestone walls surrounded us on all sides covered in immense rainforest right to the waters edge. An inclining to what may lie beneath.

We arrived at our first cavern site. The nerves had begun, but surprisingly left the moment I left the surface and the calming affect of the water took over. It was the first time in fresh water for me so buoyancy and trim where out the window, I had a canister light on my left hand and the only guideline we had for the next week in the my right hand Jacob behind me and Ben in front pointing out  tie off points. The course had begun! In a blur of underwater communication hand skills, checking gas pressure, jumps and tie offs and validating them, having masks removed,  out of air drills, light failures, lost guideline and entanglement  we had completed 8 dives at Khao Sok. We started as total novices but as the course progressed our ability to remain calm in the cave improved and our skill based grew. Our buoyancy and trim improved, some rerouting of gear and a dive into the forest a very eerie experience, and we had completed cavern and intro to cave.

Accommodation Khao Sok Lake
Accommodation Khao Sok Lake

The accommodation and food at Khao Sok is amazing you forget how much diving takes out of you. Let alone all these new skills and environment we were in. Dinner was plentiful and delicious eaten mostly in silence with only a few words spoken, “can you pass that” and “thanks” being the highlights. Bed time was early every night and why not your room is a floating bungalow and you get to fall asleep to a chorus of animal noises and exhaustion. Best still no internet and no phones total bliss.

Our next stop was the Song Hong! We were early living Khao Sok so we couldn’t let the opportunity pass and not visit a tourist spot called crystal springs. Upon paying for parking then having to pay to see the spring we decided on not seeing them and instead we bought inflatable life jackets to the laughter of many locals and some tourists we proudly wore them back to the car and continued on  our way.

I’ve seen Song Hong a few times in videos and pictures, but was still blown away by actually being there. I think I imagined it to be this incredibly remote place down a long dirt road in the absolute middle of no where and to some extent it is! {Google Chambers Pillar} But alas you could still buy beer and water across the road!

The diving in Song Hong stepped up to full cave we needed to do some complex navigation, complete a traverse and we even managed to lay some new  line all be it at 6-7 m haha.

Diving Khao Sok
Diving Khao Sok

There were a lot of memorable moments from this course and they will all stay with me throughout my diving career. This course is definitely not for the faint hearted, but I will say this is the most rewarding course it pushes you and tests you all the way to the very end!  A particular highlight for me was buddy breathing, blind folded, out of a cave through constrictions and hearing Ben under water laughing at us! Good times, but it’s the trust in your buddy (Jacob Tham) that makes you able to complete this course. Without a knowledgeable buddy and someone comfortable being under water no matter what Ben was to throw at us made it thoroughly more enjoyable.  Of course this whole course would not be possible without the Instructor Ben Reymenants simply watching him dive is amazing and comforting enough he won’t let  anything too out of hand, even as you watch him disappear and then turn back up next to you turning your tanks off! Haha

Our last dive at was again at Song Hong and we had finished the course and were able to enjoy and take as much as we could in on the 40m line. As we descended through the gas level all visibility was lost but as we emerged from it the torches start lighting up the cave wall to our left and total blackness below, above and to the right. At this point you relax and can appreciate the cave and its features simply beautiful and you’re hooked….

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