Back in the water :)

Well, after two nights of great partying, the first sober and the second stoned, I am getting back in the water. My kidneys haven't been achy for two days and today is my last day of antibiotics. SO, today: skill circuit and equipment exchange, tomorrow: Nitrox specialty.
Nitrox, for the non-divers reading this, is a gas blend with a higher oxygen content than compressed air. Normally we dive with Aluminium tanks with regular air (21% O2 79% N2) compressed to 200 times sea level. This means a single standard size tank holds about 2400 L of air. Nitrox blends are either 32% or 36% O2 so you can remain underwater longer because your body is absorbing less nitrogen. However, the trade off is that you cannot go as deep because O2 is toxic at concentrations higher than 1.4. For example, on a normal air blend, .21, you would have to be just shy of 60m before the .21 x 7 (the density factor at that depth) = 1.47 which is toxic. Since 60m is well below recreational dive limits, we don't generally worry about O2 toxicity on compressed air. However, at .36 (a nitrox blend), you would hit O2 toxicity at about 30m (.36 x 4 = 1.44), which is well within recreational dive limits.
In other news, we've had the Greenpeace boat here the last two days as well as a Thai movie star. It's funny watching all the Thai's here crowd around asking for pictures, especially since the movie star himself looks exceptionally bored.
We found a new place to eat as well, fantastic little hut down past Sai Ree village that does the best burgers you've had since leaving the US. They taste homemade and for all the Europeans out there, everyone eats their fries with mayonaise here. And it's SO incredibly good.
Ok, I'm off for an ice cream before my skill circuit. It's sunny today and stupidly hot - the water will feel refreshing. Ah, and when I say stupidly hot, I mean it. 35.5 - 38 C. For the Americans, that's between 96 and 104 with a humidity around 70%. And the worst bit is, at night, when the sun is down it only hits about 25 C, I'm cold and I walk around in a jumper and long trousers.