Wildren and the Rise of SSDC
Back at Hightimes that night I lay into Jimbob (who I'm starting to realise isn't really 'all-there') about his shoddy directions. He tries to play it off explaining that I must of 'taken a wrong turn'. I'm about to press the matter when into the bar comes this man-mountain of a guy with his mistress. The fumes, smoke and gloom cleared and I beheld what would be my mentor, leader and friend for the rest of my time on Koh Tao. He's one of the few US guys on the island. Calling himself 'Wildren' or 'Will' for short. If it wasn't for the US accent he could of stepped straight from the pages of a Viking Saga or Barbarian movie. Long blond hair reminiscent of a hippy surfer from Hawaii or Long Beach yet with the strength of three divers. He was wise, friendly and gregarious yet had a foul and dangerous temper when the mood took him. Indeed when he was brooding few could approach him, if you pushed him so far, push any more and God help you. A natural born drinker and womaniser he was (and still is) a real colourful character on Koh Kao. Will ran one of the many fledgling, independent dive shops on Koh Tao: Siam Scuba Dive Center (SSDC). The place is gone now, another diveshop took over the site at the behest of the thai owner but back then it had a pretty wild west reputation. The divers were very much either the semi-outlaw types or neo-hippys. The thai workers for the dive schools tended to have the 'private army' mentality so you'd be able to call upon them for any help you'd need if any customers turned nasty. This was pretty rare but did happen once while I was there. The divers working for the big dive schools tended to be graduates and gap-year types just bumming their way through Asia, although there were both sides on either side too if you know what I mean. The big schools had the left-wing toffs and richboys living off their parents vibe whereas the small schools was more right-wing.
Politics aside SSDC was known for standing up to the big dive companies and doing things their way, in fact it had already gone to dive sites thought impossible at certain times and proved the critics wrong. Full moon dive at Sail Rock? No problem!
The mainstream divers cried out the currents would be too strong to dive it. How can you say something you didn't even know unless you tried it first. We dived Sail Rock on a Full Moon and it was a blast. No major currents. In fact it was Jim's way of diving first and the system's second. Some called it the 'scuba madness' that Koh Tao seemed to encourage but one thing for sure meant that diving with SSDC wasn't boring.
Back in the 1990s the dive industry on Koh Tao was a free-for-all with a 'grab the tanks, get your gear and get in the water'. SSDC pretty much was the last swan-song for the 80s and 90s Zeitgiest. The hyperbaric boys who came in one day to give a lecture did lament the change of the dive scene, with SSDC being a vivid reminder of those heady days. It warmed the heart in a way, but the groove changes and that's just the way it goes, even on Koh Tao.
Anyway, back to Hightimes bar and to my suprise Will declared he was looking for a divemaster. Despite knowing that a response from Planet Scuba (a big player on the dive scene in Koh Tao) was imminent I threw in my lot with Will's wild band of merry men and women. Following assurances and contact details that were exchanged I left early and hit the sack. The following day I roared out through a monsoon storm to Sairee beach to pay a visit to SSDC. Will was waiting and I think showing up despite the rainstorm helped me get the job. Having fixed his lap-top (which mysteriously blew-up later! Another story) the job was as good as mine!
End of Part 3
Source: On The Road Thailand
No comments:
Post a Comment