Koh Tao 2nd to the 11th July

So our lovely little group had finally run our course and we had gone our separate ways. My travels transitted me back through the not so pleasant Surat Thani. What was worse, my ferry was at 10pm and I’d arrived in the morning.

Taking the biblically inspired approach to ask for forgiveness rather than permission, I dropped my big bag off at the bus company I used previously and made my way across the street to the place that did the unreasonably good scrams – while I waited for my night ferry.

I’d been told there were two ferries that alternate the night route to Koh Tao. The ‘good one’ was bunks and the other was just a very long shared sleeping area where you fight for yourself. Thankfully when I bought my ticket I was assigned a bunk – happy days. Once onboard, pretty immediately I got off to sleep and was awoken by some kind final passengers as they disembarked.

While I’m on the sleeper boat. In my sleeper transport rankings I would say: 1) trains, 2) boats, 3) buses, 4) planes (but I am comparing ‘economy’ level across the board here).

Koh Tao is famous for one thing primarily, diving. Its both one of the most beautiful diving areas and one of if not the cheapest place in the world to scuba dive. In the diving communities it’s known as the certification factory – as it just pumps them out, without perhaps as much scrutiny as other places. If you manage to finish the course you get the certification regardless of ability.

For day one I’d booked myself a hostel and used the day to do a reccy of the scuba options. I did some shopping around in person, but then took to the internet to speed up my search. I ended up having three of them in a bit of a bidding war on messenger. In the end I opted for the school that offered me an extra night’s accommodation and explicitly included free tea, coffee and biscuits, and lunch and breakfast!. I think the five nights accommodation and three day diving course set me back £190 – bargain.

In the evening I met this lovely Aussie bloke – Mase. He was ‘volunteering’ at the hostel – an arrangement where he barkeeps five evenings a week and gets free food and accommodation. A lovely skirt around any working visa issues. Anyway, we ended up playing pool most of the night – while he was ‘volunteering’. The hostel had just opened so was pretty quiet, and in the evenings most people were out on the town rather than drinking in the hostel.

The next day it was time to start the diving. Our group was a three, myself, Philine from Germany and Ngan this super cool guy from Hong Kong. Mostly our group was pretty competent, or perhaps we were equally incompetent – either way it worked well. We had half a day in the classroom before being run through all the gear and getting in the pool to practise some skills (ie deliberately flooding your goggles to deflood them and using the spare regulator).

The following day we had another bit of classroom time and then we were ferried onto the boat for the first time. On the boat we put together our gear, and cross checked each other’s gear – which was really the blind leading the blind lol.

Of the four dive sites we tackled, the first one was a lovely introduction. A huge expanse of low rise coral, with all sorts of fish swimming around. But mostly at this point I was far more focused on diving than I was on looking around. We found some sand and practised some more skills but this time in the sea – ticking all the boxes for the certification.

All of our group had our moments of total incompetence. Pheline somehow managed to unclip her weight belt causing her to float up uncontrollably. I learnt the lesson not to swim over other divers, when their air bubbles caught me and also sent me upwards. I tried to kick out of the bubbles but was already in a (very un-scuba like) upright position so that just sent me further up. Our instructor luckily grabbed me and brought me back to the safety of the depths.

Across all of us, buoyancy was our biggest struggle. While diving once you get our weight and inflation right you use your breath to control your buoyancy and therefore depth. So if you take a huge breath in you go up and if you completely empty your lungs you go down. So while breathing normally and continuously, you do a kinda flappy bird like up and down movement. The added complication is the number one rule of scuba is never hold your breath (to avoid potentially fatal lung overinflation). This was the bit we struggled the most with as a group. After the whole three days we got the hang of it, but it takes a lot of focus.

Between dives we sat up on the boat, taking in the stunning views around Koh Tao while laughing at each others failures in diving while our instructor rolled his eyes. The group couldn’t believe how many teas I was drinking, but in my defence diving is thirsty work and they were free. 

Throughout the dives I was on a hunt for a turtle which inhabit the area, sadly I didn’t find out. We did see beautiful coral, huge grouper fish, loads of common but pretty parrot fish, a couple of unpuffed puffer fish – among loads of others. But the most stunning, in my opinion, is swimming alongside the huge schools of fish. Floating among them completely surrounded by their silver glistening bodies – it felt very surreal.

I’ve concluded diving is the best way to escape the heat of the day in asia. I guess, because under the sea, darling it’s better, where it’s wetter…

Having completed our dive and now as certified scuba divers (which well is factually correct I do feel like there’s been some mistake – I shouldn’t be trusted). Pheline and I went on the sauce, trying to join a pub crawl but that had departed by the time we got there. After a few more drinks  we ended up at a karaoke bar – which was well, I’m glad I was drunk. But we had a good time. 

For three days we dove during the day, and then I would go back to the first hostel and play pool with Mase in the evenings. On our second session we started to keep score for the night. Then on the third day we wiped the slate clean and declared a best of 101 series – and the Koh Tao Cup was born. Day one of the KTC I drew first blood and took a decive 5-0 lead.

Once I finished up with the diving, I also rented myself a scooter for two reasons. One to explore the island’s endless bays and viewpoints, and secondly to take myself to the visa office to extend my Thai visa. I originally thought I needed to travel to the neighbouring and larger Koh Phangan (home of the full moon party) where there was an immigration office, but Mase showed me where I could do it on Koh Tao. I got my paperwork together and after a very complicated negotiation with the scooter rental company (where they wanted my passport as a deposit but I needed the passport for the visa – nothing that 5000 baht didn’t fix) – I headed to get this sorted. I thought I was extending the day before it expired, but when I got there I looked at my visa and saw it expired that day (I thought I had a 31 day visa but it was a 30 day one…). So I cut that a bit fine especially arriving at 4.30 before they shut at 5. But we got it sorted and I was now legal for another month in Thailand.

I befriended a Polish photographer (Adri) who was staying at the diving hostel, and we decided to take my scooter to one of the view points. And after a pretty tough climb we were rewarded with a lovely view of the nearby bay, with boats and trees and rocks and things – lovely. After that sweaty work I had a bit of a swim while she did her photography. And I mean with me in the water, can you blame her for wanting to capture the sunset at the other end of the beach.

That evening we went back to the hostel where Adri’s friend was waiting, having just arrived from the UK to join her. Adri was still on her diving course for the next couple of days, so Martyna and I agreed to do some further exploring of the island the following day. She turned out to be this cool illustrator living in Bristol and we got on nicely.

So the morrow following, I borrowed two snorkels from my dive school (with a 1000 baht deposit on each!) and Martinya and I found a beach and headed to sea. She told me she wasn’t a confident swimmer but wanted to give snorkelling a go.

While her swimming technic was slightly irregular, she was in the water for hours. Swimming around looking at all the fishes. The water was warm, and the coral in the first 10/20m from the shore was stunning. We saw some rays as well as a Bubble Tipped Anemone complete with resident clown fish! 

While I love diving, I think you see more when you snorkel. You have so much less to worry about (buoyancy especially). You’re just at the top looking down, swimming around. Having a whale of time – see what I did there.

We ended up snorkelling for two days – driving from bay to bay, checking out all of the little spots. One day we headed to the hostel where me and Mase played pool, and with her being an illustrator we had an arty afternoon. We shared a joint and sat there, me doodling with paint and her effortlessly creating a masterpiece.

One afternoon we headed to Shark Bay, where in the morning we were told you would find loads of sharks but in the afternoon they clear off. Turns out that was total bollocks. Although the shark I saw was perhaps only 2/3 foot long. I did have to fight my instinct to panic, like what the fuck am I doing with a shark on its turf – I’m a land mammal I shouldn’t be there. I mean on land obviously I wouldn’t be as concerned.

The shark was a cool sighting, but we’d come to Shark Bay hoping to see a turtle and I was out there for hours trying to find one. I’d assess the bay and try to figure out where I would be if I was a turtle. Eventually after a couple of hours I’d almost given up, but saw a huge boat of snorkelers quite far out and thought, well they must be looking at something so swam out. And sure enough they were looking at a huge Green Sea turtle nibbling on the coral going about its day. When I say huge I really mean huge too.

On the beach, I sat there reading my book and unknown to me Martyna had decided to sketch me. I’ll include those but they’re pretty great for a five minute on the beach job. She did later complain that I’m too tall/long and she had to use two pages which she wasn’t happy about. 

We also tried out Koh Tao’s only climbing gym and it was Martyna’s first climb. I have a hilarious photo of her in the top corner of a wall, facing the wrong way somehow. I have no idea how or why she got there but it was funny.

Adri, Martyna and I would have dinner in the evening, and then typically I would finish the day by playing pool with Mase. Afterall we had the mammoth task of a best of 101 to get through.

I think in our second session he clawed it back to 7-7, impressive from 5 nill down. From my early lead I trailed Mase, always 3 or 4 racks behind. Fast forward to my final day, we’re at around 47 – 42 to Mase. I’d fought my way back to 47 – 45 and Mase was nervous. We played on and things are tense. I perhaps lose my sober sharpness and eventually we finish 51 – 48 to Mase. Well played Mase! Pretty crushing to lose after 99 games but it was great fun.

Between snorkelling, diving and pool – for the ten or so days I was on Koh Tao I was living my best life.

Oh I also managed to stick it to the taxi drivers one day. I went to change some money, as at the time I was snorkel rich and cash light. At the shop someone was trying to book a taxi to a nearby bay, maybe a 10 minute drive and they wanted 300 baht for it – £7.50. For a ride on the mainland that would be perhaps 40/50 baht. I had a few minutes spare and some petrol to burn, so I offered to give her a lift. The route to the beach she was going to was treacherous, some of the steepest downhill twists I’d faced, and my back brake wasn’t the best but we made it safely. She tried to pay me – but I of course couldn’t accept as that would put me within their ranks. And I would rather go broke than join the moral-less gang of taxi drivers.

Koh Tao I would go back to in a heartbeat, and perhaps for a month or two even. Take a remote job from the UK and live there like a king. Diving here and there, playing pool, snorkelling, beaching – living. Perhaps slightly less close to peaceful paradise than Don Det, but maybe just different. Less serene and more busy, but also diving, so its tight.

That said, after 5 or 6 weeks in Thailand it was time for me to leave. The land of temptation was too tempting and I felt that if I didn’t leave I wouldn’t if you know what I mean. So back onto the night ferry, back to Surat Thani, back for more Scrams. But then we’re beelining it South.

Another adventure awaits.