The people behind the boat.

Captain Lek comes from southern Thailand, not far from the Myanmar border, and has spent most of his life on the water. Well known and respected among Phuket's boat crews, he's a quiet, gentle man with an easy sense of humour and a sixth sense for the weather.

He doesn't speak English, but that doesn't stop him from keeping a very close eye on his passengers. When divers or snorkellers are in the water, he almost always knows exactly where they are — especially when there are children involved.

And children tend to find their way into the wheelhouse too, where Captain Lek may even let them have a turn at driving the boat.

After years working on liveaboards, Weep knows his way around a dive boat — and dive equipment. He looks after Matchanu's engine, fills tanks, handles the compressor, prepares and checks equipment, and is usually there with a helping hand when divers are getting in or out of the water.

He doesn't say much in English, but he's very good at making himself understood when something needs doing.

Preparing the fresh fruit is another one of his jobs — and one he seems to take particular pride in. He cuts the watermelon with a little rind handle, makes sure the pineapple looks the part, and apparently believes even a fruit platter deserves good engineering.

Born and raised in Phuket, Mona knows the island above and below the water. A former lifeguard, she somehow has enough energy to teach, guide, talk, joke — and occasionally sing underwater.

She's happiest hunting for the small stuff, with an almost ridiculous eye for nudibranchs and a talent for macro photography. If you're staring at her pointer wondering what on earth she's showing you, look closer. Much much … much closer.

She's a patient instructor with a knack for making people feel comfortable, and finding something particularly good may result in an underwater happy dance.

Bew arrived at Aloha as an Open Water Diver and stayed to become a Divemaster. Calm underwater from the beginning, he has an irritatingly natural talent for buoyancy — and, after spending enough time with Mona, an increasing obsession with finding tiny things hiding in cracks. He also claims one of the best things about diving is that, finally, everybody is quiet.

He currently insists he's not becoming an instructor. We check the probability regularly. It's going up.

Out of the water, he's usually on roller skates, with his cat, or playing acoustic guitar around Phuket Old Town on weekends.

Günter has been diving in Phuket for around 30 years and knows the dive sites down to their cracks and corners. He somehow sees twice as much marine life as everybody else. We're not entirely sure how — and after the dive, he'll happily tell you about all of it.

He's equally interested in the tiny stuff and everything else that swims past, and there aren't many reef residents he can't put a name to.

Back in Germany, Günter swaps scuba gear for chef's knives or a truck. And the chef part isn't just another job — his cooking may be the only thing he's as serious about as diving.

I started scuba diving in my late twenties, and somehow it escalated from there. Diving has since taken me through most of the tropical parts of the world, with Mexico's cenotes and Raja Ampat still hard to beat.

Somewhere along the way, diving stopped being something I did on holiday and became a way of life.

As a diver, give me bottom time and something interesting to find and I'm happy. Away from diving, I'm a green tea enthusiast and a science-fiction fan (Firefly, anyone?). I speak five languages — although occasionally all five decide to stop working at exactly the same time.