This has been printed elsewhere online before, but Bruce Konefe’s “Diving in Thailand” ran in Thursday’s Bangkok Post in a nice spread that highlights the increasing popularity of technical diving in Thailand.

Konefe, a freelance instructor who was worked with Aquanauts off and on for years, got a great platform to introduce tech to a broad population and may even entice some to try it out based on the way his story was edited to appeal to the masses. (more…)

“Lost and Found-Legacy of the USS Lagarto,” the Emmy Award-winning documentary about the mission, sinking and — 60 years later — discovery of the USS Lagarto, will debut in Thailand at a Dec. 12 event in Koh Tao hosted by the MV Trident, the famed wreck hunters who found the U.S. submarine sunk by the Japanese during World War II in the Gulf of Thailand. (more…)

Technical divers are increasingly outfitting their second-stage regulators with long hoses, which is a good thing.  This is the one that gets donated in an out of gas emergency. It needs to be readily available and functioning properly for such an emergency. (more…)

One of many technical diving, Khao Sok National Park and marine life photos from Christos Kardana.

We love good tech-diving photos, no matter which dive shop the photographer worked with. So when we learned of a new Flickr gallery from ex-Big Blue Tech crew member Christos Kardana we just had to check it out. (more…)

The HTMS Kood sinks into Pattaya Bay in September 2006.

The Royal Thai Navy is prepared to sink as many as five wrecks to promote Pattaya as a wreck-diving tourist destination, according to Chesta Jaipiem, a Navy private-sector liaison who attended last month’s joint Pattaya-Tourism Authority of Thailand-Navy seminar on diving in Pattaya.

According to Robert Camp, the owner of Pattaya’s Adventure Divers who attended the Nov. 28 event at the DusitD2 Hotel, public agencies want to work together to preserve Pattaya’s marine resources, promote the city as a diving destination centered around wrecks and promote the city’s dive operators to spur tourism.

To do this, the Navy is prepared to start sinking additional ships as artificial reefs. The first could be sunk by the end of 2011 and, should public- and private-sector organizations work together, as many as four more over the next 10 years. (more…)

From left, Royal Thai Navy Captain Chettha Jaipium, Dhorn Dhamrongsawasdi, advisor to the director of the Marine and Coastline Resources Department, Hans Ulrich, PADI Thailand Regional Manager, Niti Kongkrut, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Pattaya office, Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome, Serm Phenjati, consultant for DusitD2 Baraquda Pattaya and Mikamin Charujinda, director of the Marine and Coastline Resources Department.

Pattaya city officials, the Royal Thai Navy and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have joined forces to market Pattaya as a premier wreck-diving destination and with the formation of a new dive operator club and the sinking of another shipwreck within two years.

Tentatively called the Pattaya Dive Club, the association will promote all the city’s dive companies through a joint Internet website that will be advertised worldwide with funds from both the city and the dive operators.

At a Nov. 28 seminar at the DusitD2 Hotel in Pattaya, Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome, TAT Pattaya office Director Niti Kongkrut, PADI Thailand Regional Director Hans Ulrich, Navy Capt. Chettha Jaipium and Dhorn Dhamrongsawasdi, advisor to the director of the Marine and Coastline Resources Department discussed ways to development a tourism plan to bring divers to Pattaya. (more…)