More updates, these are during low season in Phuket where the lack of work and dive students is starting to get annoying.
Monday
Paid invoices (calypso / rent / south siam / scandinavian) ouch
Tuesday
Vicky’s PADI DM watermanship exercises at Laem ka beach.
Went to Big A resort to confirm Monday’s arrival and chat with Thomas about the possibilty of placing people there in low / high season, how many people are booked for the PADI IDC in August ? have you anywhere in mind for them to stay ?
Wednesday
Vicky’s DM classroom work / exams (done 4 now) skills and kit exchange exercises in the pool
Thursday
Cleaned dive centre ( I hate geckos)
Friday
Big day for website updates
Saturday
Vicky DM Mapping Exercise
Vicky DM Lessons / Exams
Sunday
Cherie moved in and paid 6000 baht per month for the small room, once both rooms are occupided the 25000 baht a month rent that we pay for the building doesnt seem so bad.
Monday
🙁 nothing much happened today, it rained !
Tuesday
Pool Experience for OM (Christian Aid people), started as a beach dive but visibility poor and surf high. One diver bought a mask, one nearly bought fins but thought they were too expensive (the split fins are priced at 4000 ish ! )
Wednesday
Website updating stuff / paid bills
Thursday
Worked again as an extra on the Tsunami Film
Friday
Checked out some hotels, chatted with a couple in one of the hotels about diving (they may do Open water with me)
Saturday
2 Divers (that I met while teaching for another dive centre) walked in the dive centre and booked dive trips to Racha Yai with me.
Sunday
Vicky done DM Pool skills session, Simon (the other DMT) has injured his hand so can only do theory at the moment
Monday
My dive-community email account is working about 1 attempt in 10, This is very annoying and stops myself being able to talk to customers / partners about business on the day I want to, not very professinal and I think we need to change our service provider if they cannot improve the service.
PADI AOW for a dive centre in Patong (they dont make the students buy the books, naughty !)
Tuesday
Opened account with Waterworld (Chalong) for Cressi products, Re-opened account with DiveMaster (Karon Plaza), bought and sold mask / aow book and PADI pic for mike and another instructor for few hundred baht profit
Wednesday
Opened account with Scandinavian Divers – 1300 for students / divers is pretty damm good 🙂 DM classroom session
Thursday
Scuba refresher for a lady from OM (charity ship moored in Phuket harbour) doing it for free as they are poor charity workers and they are booking 3 dive trips with me also
Friday
Diving with OM ladies (3 of them 🙂 ) used scandanavian divers and the fact that you can pay them either on the boat or in their unit in chalong straight after the dive is good news also
Saturday
Diving at Ao Sane with Divemasters (they bought two slates for mapping project)
It rained !
Sunday
Worked as a Film extra for Tsunami film with Tim Roth called ‘Tsunami the aftermath’ (gave out my card a few times 🙂
Monday
Our Divemaster candidate, Vicky, moved into Large Bedroom (8000 thb per month to be paid on the 5th) she paid 2000 until Friday when she will complete the first advance payment of 8000)
Tuesday
nothing to report, should have stayed in bed today 🙂
Wednesday
Got the kitchen fitters to replace the lock in the Big Bedroom as it didnt work, they wanted me to pay for it so I just said swap it with the classroom one
Thursday
3 Letters given to dive center/ building owner (delivered here), she said something about a property tax ! dont think we should be paying for that as well, she asks when you will be back and I say August ?
Friday
The DMT, Vicky completes the payment of the first months rent of 8000 (will be paid on the 5th from now on)
Saturday
Afternoon spent at Kata Big Rock with Mike and his student (will get the student details stored at DC and get this credited to us) They charged me 50 baht for swimming !
Sunday
AOW for Merlin Divers
Owed to us +48655 (DM Courses)
Owed by us -3000 (Coral Cruiser trips) suprised that havent requested the money yet !
Sonny (Thai Course Director) didnt reply to me about the car transfer, the guy hasnt been back. Did you get my questions about the car / garage thing ? I went to the garage but they didnt want to do it through the insurance and he directed me to an office ? I havent been there yet as dont know what you arranged.
Not one customer in the shop for another whole week 🙁 although did have a strange bloke come in and talk about diving equipment for a while (he puts regulators and bcds together for Seeman Sub as well as others !)
My dive-community email account is working 🙂
For your Interest a special Happy Days update ………….
The world cup England game was nearly a disaster as Arron didnt find the right channel until 5 minutes into the game and we had already scored !
The house opposide Dive Community is still being built and the first storey is almost done
Good start to the week, DM candidate number 2 (Simon) 100% confirmed on his PADI Divemaster course, Documents prepared for the course for the course’s official start date of 10th June, Vicky the DMC will almost definitely be on our first IDC starting on 8th August, she is very keen (even done a dive map of Ao Sane while snorkelling yesterday !!)
The Chain supporting the ‘staff’ equipment rack came out of the ceiling yesterday so I fixed that, also found that the car’s key fob alarm thing had a flat battery so plugged the immobiliser back in and used the new battery in the key fob and worked fine, I also found the immobilizer override button under the steering column, just in case we have further problems
For your interest I have two confirmed DMTs, (Vicky / Simon), 1 Potential DMT, 1 potential Rescue Course, 1 Potential AOW Course, 7 Potential Open Water Course and 1 Potential DSD, all of a sudden things are looking good.
One of the Thai shop owners? came to shop again, I gave her the rent money to save me going to her office on the 1st
Sold the South Asia Fish Guide and bought a new one from Dive Supply when I got Simon’s DM manual
Tuesday
Got tanks filled (5 at oceanzone divers)
Wednesday
Workmen Came to look at kitchen
Thursday
read a bit about the PADI digital photography course
‘ladies night’ in happy days, not much going on there though !
Friday
Took monthly accounts to the idiots (accountants)
Chris rang wanting your phone number in Germany, will email it to him as I assume thats ok with you
Saturday
Cleaned Balcony for bedrooms (it really needed doing)
In the afternoon done some Beach dives with Vicky at Laem Ka and Ao Sane
Sunday
Done guiding for See Bees ‘Super Sunday’ – Unusually the weather was perfect, excellent dives at Phi Phi. The Excalibur II is a fantastic boat – Warm Water Divers were using the boat so will make enquires about having an account with them and see how much they charge for Students and Divers.
Lock on the bedroom door needs replacing so phoned the building owner, who will come and look / fix I hope.
Dani / Birgit are in Vietnam and will return in 4 weeks, have moved their things into the small bedroom as Vicky wants the big bedroom
Not one customer in the shop for another whole week 🙁
For your Interest a special Happy Days (local bar) update ………….
Fridays is now ladies night with half price drinks but po (quite common thai girls name) and her mates are the only ones taking advantage of it.
I am still trying and waiting to be able to update the website as its not working, have tried loads of times but never able to update
Look forward to hearing from you (email or skype)