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training. Dr. Henn offered the use of his Atlantic Hotel swimming pool for weekly sessions to teach novices basic skindiving techniques and the use of underwater breathing equipment (SCUBA). In a perhaps premature effort to formalize club activities, subcommittees were set up to handle skindiving, spearfishing, SCUBA, and underwater photography. The organization of special trips for each of these activities had to be postponed, however, when it appeared there were too few members qualified in each to make a viable party.

    From its inception, the club has conducted regular trips to the Pattaya islands, at first on a monthly schedule and then, as interest grew more widespread, every fortnight. Club trips during the first year have been generally of two types: general outings on which skindiving and SCUBA exploration are mixed with healthy portions of "sanook" (i.e. fun - splashing in the water, lying on the sand, snoozing in the cool breeze on the boat); and the smaller, wider ranging spearfishing hunts, usually in one of Vichien's fast speedboats. Sometimes the two types of trips competed, producing an unfortunate dilution of effort as the best and keenest divers roared off to the chase, leaving the dumpy little ark with its mottled crew of placid fun-seekers tossing wistfully in their wake.

        These Sunday outings, open to club members and guests alike, soon proved so popular that a sunny weekend might find our hired fishingboat groaning from an overload of divers, their equipment, their families, curious