Written by Tim Faye
Spectacular limestone formations blanketed by lush forest surround the crystal waters of the vast Kao Sok lake. It’s a national park of breathtaking scenery, rich in wildlife with everything from rare insects and snakes to wild elephants and a variety of monkeys; sun bears and tigers have been known to roam here, and an abundance of freshwater fish inhabit the lake. It’s an amazing place for a break away, for relaxing on one of the many ‘raft resorts’ on the lake itself, or immersing yourself in activities such as kayaking, trekking and swimming. On the weekend of 26th February to 1st of March however, it was very much what lies under the surface at Kao Sok that brought us there.
The expedition started deep into the Krabi rubber farming countryside at a small inconspicuous lake where Bruce Konefe, long time wreck and cave diver based in Pattaya, will attempt a penetration record in September, all going well. The aims of this weekend were for Bruce to show the site to Chris Clark from ACE Marine Images to make a promotional video, for Sonia Cork and Chris to gain their Cavern Diver Level one completed with Bruce as instructor, and for Peter to further his instructor qualifications, also under Bruce. But above all, we came here to have a great weekend’s cave diving in some excellent sites in the area.
Saturday saw an early start at ‘Talae Sap Sawng Hawng’ or ‘The Two Room Lake’, where Bruce will be carrying out his attempt. As well as some filming for Bruce’s promotional video, the day served as a good warm up for everyone for the weekend of cave diving ahead. This lake, according to local rubber farmers, joins up to another lake about a kilometre away via a cavernous underwater passageway, with an ambiguous depth. A handful of tech divers have made penetration attempts here, but Bruce intends to stretch the limit past the survey lines already laid down. His attempt will, provided sponsorship aid comes through, be supported using scooters, a set of staging tanks with varied mixes of gases, and a purpose built oxygenated ‘habitat’ for his ascent. Peter, Sonia and Chris accompanied Bruce for 2 short dives, exploring the dark entrance area of the passageway, and although mostly void of marine life, it was fascinating to see that under such a modest surface lay this vast rocky passageway. It will be interesting to see how Bruce’s record penetration attempt pans out.
On Saturday evening we headed over to Kao Sok in preparation for 2 full days of cave exploration, pitching up at Ratchaprapa Dam Golf Club for the night before heading out onto the lake early Sunday morning. We had the long tail for 2 full days, so after dropping some gear off at the raft resort, it was time to head straight out into the lake for some diving. Conditions above water were searing hot and blue skied in the morning, and the group dived ‘Pa Daeng’ or ‘Red Cave’ before breaking for lunch and diving ‘Temple Cave’ in the afternoon. Stalagmite and stalactite formations a plenty and the occasional catfish sighting; the day was a success, with Sonia and Chris now halfway through their Cavern Diver Level one.
Peter and Sonia woke up before the fish on Monday to squeeze in an early morning dive at a site Pete has branded “The forest”, very close to the raft resort, on account of the network of submerged trees one has to navigate there whilst underwater, on top of fishing nets and other hazards making for a less than dull dive. Then after breakfast, we were away to ‘Temple Cave’ again, where Pete and Bruce alternated in training Chris and Sonia on day two of their Cavern Course. After that on to ‘Pa Pung Chang’ or the ‘Elephant Belly Cave’ and ‘Peter’s Cave’ where Chris and Sonia went through their blindfolded line laying training in vast “cathedral like” chambers full of interesting rock formations.
As we returned from the lake, Peter had the long tail driver stop at various locations en-route, which were potentially new sites for cave diving exploration. And indeed, as Peter will tell you, “the place is littered with them”. Kao Sok really is an exciting place for this niche in diving, and it seems that its full potential as a cave diving paradise is only just being realized; a great time for those interested in underwater cave exploration in Thailand, and an ideal place to learn.
