In celebration of Earth Day, dive schools around the island came together to do a full day, in and out of water island clean up!

The modern day sea turtle has existed for around 80 million years, and they can be found in all ocean waters except the polar regions. There are now only 7 living species left in the world, so it is important to protect those that remain.

For centuries, people have been fascinated with the idea of being able to “breathe” underwater. Though humans dipped under the surface thousands of years ago to collect food from the ocean, over time the potential for underwater exploration, military use, and construction became obvious, and people looked for ways to stay under longer and to go deeper. There are records dating back to the 4th Century BC of Aristotle and Alexander the Great creating simple devices that let them take a few breaths under water. 

Recently, NHRCP instructors Kait Harris and Pau Urgell traveled to the Maldives to work alongside the Island Livelihood Institute, educating local island communities on coral reef ecology and artificial reefs as a tool for restoration. During our stay, we learned a great deal about the restoration efforts happening on many of the islands, and were able to pass on some of our knowledge too. 

As whale shark sightings become more common on Koh Tao, more and more people come to our little island in hopes of seeing these gentle giants. But how much do we really know about whale sharks?

We did it again! Thanks to our customers we managed to receive the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for another year in a row.  We always strive to provide the best possible holiday experience for our guests, and this recognition helps us to know we are accomplishing that.

We’re welcoming divers at New Heaven as the low season comes to an end. The sun is out and our sandy shores invite travelers from all around the world who are looking for a dose of tropical this winter. 

Once a year, during a period of about 15 minutes, many hard coral colonies of the same species will spawn synchronously in the same area. Corals cannot move, that’s why reproductive success depends on the accuracy in spawning time of all the colonies.

In order to explore the hidden depths of the sea, we must become acutely aware of a process most of us don’t spare much thought to: our breathing. With my love of the ocean and Yoga it was a no-brainer for me to create a new course in Freediving and Yoga at New Heaven Dive School. Bringing two of my passions together and sharing them with other like-minded individuals has been a great success this past year.

Recently, the mass coral bleaching event occurring on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) has had extensive media coverage, bringing to light the severe consequences of the changing climate. But what is coral bleaching? And why is this year set to be particularly bad?

Although the climate is slowly warming globally according to vast scientific consensus, there are patterns of weather which influence particular areas of the planet, causing more severe weather events at certain periods of time. El Niño is a complex interaction between ocean and atmospheric temperatures which result in certain patterns of climate which prevail for 9-12 months at a time, occurring every 2-7 years.