Meet the Philkade Team...Part One

It's about time. When this blog was first set up the writers and editors said that they were the dive crew aboard MV Philkade. Their names are Mik and Kerry. They even put a couple of pictures in the first post so you were able to identify them easily. But who are they really? How did they end up on MV Philkade? There is so much more to MV Philkade than just the luxury liveaboard diving boat (although that helps!). In this article, we are going to expose all... (well, almost)...

Mik Jennings, Cruise Director

Born in 1972 it took Mik some 30 years to realise that he was in the wrong job AND the wrong place. Working as an IT consultant in Leeds he had his moment of realisation while stood in rain that was falling sideways and was accellerated by the wind to the point where it was leaving scars on his face. Within 5 months of that day he had quit his job, sold his house and car and jumped on a plane to Phuket.

His plan was to move around the tropics making a living as a divemaster, but Phuket managed to get it's claws into him. Great nightlife, beautiful beaches, peace and quiet, 10 screen cinemas, shopping centres, great food, great people. Oh, and great diving. And no sideways freezing rain.

From his first dive in the Red Sea in 1997 he's loved being underwater, and is now a slave to his addiction. Luckily after 4 years of tour leading both day trip and liveaboard boats and almost 3000 dives he's living the dream. Mik has been lucky enough to dive from Turatao on the Malay border through the whole Phuket area, Similan, Surin, and the Mergui Archipelago in Burma and is now working on the most luxurious boat in the area. As well as his wide experience around the Andaman Sea he has dived in Turkey, Isreal, Egypt, and Indonesia and is looking forward to adding The Andaman Islands to his list in 2009.

Kerry Leach, Diving Instructor (or whatever else might be thrown her way...)

"A 26 year old breath of fresh air!

And back to reality... Originally Kerry was born in Halifax and then brought up in Bradford, Yorkshire, in the north of England.

With an intro-dive in the Maldives and further scuba training in the somewhat murkier, chillier waters of the UK, her BSAC Instructor Dad (Barry Leach) is to blame for her 'water-based genes'. A scuba diving career was least expected however when she majored in History at university and signed up for a post-grad in Law.

But in June 2003, when a good friend (Mik) made the decision to uproot everything and move to Phuket in pursuit of a scuba diving career, she had her epiphany! First, she struck up a relationship with Mik and then packed her scuba diving gear to follow him to Phuket.

Since then she has accumulated over 2500 dives throughout Thailand, Burma and Indonesia. Of course initially both family and friends thought she had lost her mind but she is sure fellow-divers must understand why she chose the alternative career route and the alternative lifestyle. For those in doubt, Kerry says "I live and work on the best diving liveaboard in Thailand, and what's more... I love it!"

Together Kerry and Mik make up your Philkade Diving Team - sharing the same goals to provide guests a comfortable, safe cruise with many happy memories while on board the luxury diving liveaboard, MV Philkade. For more information you can view MV Philkade's official website.

Keep your eyes open for an introduction to the boat crew in the next few weeks...

More flights to Phuket...

That's right Ladies & Gentlemen. Bangkok Airways start a new schedule on 26th October to ensure more flights are available from Bangkok to Phuket through the high season.

Flights will leave Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport bound for Phuket 3 times a day. Flight time is just under 1hr 30 mins.

Furthermore, last month, Bangkok Airways began their 'on-line check-in' service so you can select a seat 24 hours before the departure.

To read more about Bangkok Airways services, visit Bangkok Airways official website.

Protests in Bangkok AGAIN...

Ok folks, it seems that i spoke too soon. There i was thinking that the blog was now up to date with things. How crazy of me? Once again, the Thais are kicking off in Bangkok. Nothing like a good riot at the start of the high season to enforce a slow-down on visitors to the country. Thank you very much!

On the up-side, Phuket is very quiet and there is no doubt that tourists visiting here are safe. My advice remains the same: You do not need to stay away or cancel your holiday. If you are thinking of visiting Phuket (for diving or otherwise) then you should. It is safe. Just don't be heading to the parliament buildings in Bangkok and joining in the crowds. There is no violence towards tourists, so stay away from the crowds, don't get caught up in it and you'll be fine.

For more information on the situation you can check out the facts in this short article from the Belfast Telegraph. If you have any questions for us directly regarding the situation or MV Philkade then please contact us.

I hope to post more good news next time...

Philkade's shiny clean engine room!

Hello again folks! Going through the photos that Mik and I took this week at the shipyard. I missed a few first time round so here are some pictures of Philkade's engine room...

Please note, the cling film will be removed! It is simply protecting all the hard work that the engineers and mechanics have done in the past few weeks. It's all so shiny and new. Mmmmm...

And here she is getting fixed up...

As promised here are recent pictures of MV Philkade having her 'make-over' for the coming season. Everything is on schedule and everybody is getting increasingly giddy about the fast-approaching first cruise of the 2008/9 season!

Here, our new captain (Jum - more about him soon!) explains to Mik the ins and outs of replacing the decking on the sun deck...

And for all of the changes to MV Philkade this season, we could not forget taking care of the number 1 man on the boat. Captain Jum has had a big say in how he would like all the electronics and safety equipment on board arranged in his newly-fitted wheelhouse! And here he is again with Mik explaining where things will go and how things will work...

Keep watching as the new 'MV Philkade' unfolds. If you are still looking to book then please check out MV Philkade's official website for more information with trips to the Similan Islands, Richelieu Rock, Burma, the Andaman Islands and Komodo, Indonesia!

All change - MV Philkade gets a make-over...

Mik & I (MV Philkade's dive crew) have just returned from a relaxing diving holiday in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. Jolly good it was too! However upon our return to work on Monday, we learned something... You go away for 3 weeks and anything can happen!

When we left, Bangkok was in a mess with protests kicking off to oust the Prime Minister because of his appearance on a cooking show (among other things). Upon our return, the Prime Minister Samak has gone and protests have fizzled out to nothing with the controversial appointment of Thaksin's brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, to the post. No comment!

Also when we left Phuket, MV Philkade was sat on her mooring in Chalong Bay. Now she is having big work done on her in preparation for the coming season and i have to admit, i'm really rather excited about it all. The generators are basically brand new. We have a brand new high pressure compressor on board (making both of our air compressors less than 12 months old). We have a brand new dinghy. We have a brand new flat-screen TV. We have new dining chairs. We have new sun loungers. All the carpets have been completely ripped up in the downstairs cabins to be replaced by wood-laminate flooring. The teak decking has been re-done throughout. The entire boat has been checked and re-painted. There are even knew shower cubicles in some of the cabins... I could go on...

For the coming weeks then it really is all hands on deck! Mik and i will try to get ourselves to the shipyard complete with camera so we can post you some pictures of all this work taking place but in the meantime rest assured that MV Philkade is going to look stunning for the coming season. If you are still unsure then please take note that MV Philkade's owners, Arraya and Philippe, went to the difficulty and expense of bringing MV Philkade's original painters and carpenters all the way from Bangkok to carry out the work. I can't begin to explain how giddy i am for the coming season :)

So 3 weeks away and everything changes... but all for the better. Thailand is safe. MV Philkade is still the most luxury liveaboard dive boat operating out of Thailand and she keeps getting better!

Watch this space for further info! And if you are thinking of joining us this season for a luxury cruise then please hurry because places are getting booked up fast. Remember you can join us for Thailand/Burma/Andaman Island trips or enjoy your summer with a cruise to Komodo, Indonesia on board MV Philkade. Contact us for more details.