Plumbing the depths on Ko Tao....

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Coconut palms swaying in the breeze, clear turquoise water, white sand and broad blue skies… ahh, the islands of Thailand. Ko Tao afforded me my first encounter of this type in Thailand, and from the moment I caught my first glimpse of the island from the boat, I knew that the last couple of weeks of my travels would not be lost in a haze of stress and over-exertion. Despite the laid-back veneer of the place, I was however quickly reminded that the tourist-savvy Thai people were always on the lookout for any opportunity to swindle or squeeze a few baht out of you by the unscrupulous characters who instantly bailed me up upon arrival and gave me a sales pitch of some kind or another. I had been given sanctuary from this pushy way of doing business during my time in Laos, and had to remind myself that this was a symptom of the thriving tourist industry in Thailand, which was itself the result of Thailand’s incredible natural beauty.

I ended up accepting the strongly worded advice of one bloke to go and check out the Big Blue Resort, which could not only accommodate and feed me, but also cater to all my diving needs. The location was great, right on the sand in the middle of Sairee Beach with the village and all the necessities right behind, so I checked in and signed up to do my advanced scuba diving course. Having missed the start for that day, I spent the afternoon kicked back on the beach soaking up the rays and thinking about how nothing could possibly go awry and spoil the tranquil pleasures I was sure to experience during my stay on the island.

When I awoke next morning however I realised how wrong I was. Almost my entire body was covered with red, itchy, and in some cases painful spots. With fifty weeks of travel behind me to that stage and not one encounter with bed bugs, I had almost forgotten about the threat that these nefarious creatures pose. They had given me a ruthless reminder though, and for the next three or four days almost everything I did, whether it be put on a t-shirt or put my hand in my pocket to fish out some change, caused me a great deal of discomfort. Donning a wetsuit was something approaching agonising.

I was for the next while consumed by anti-bed bug sentiment and insecticidal thoughts: Something has to be done about them. We as humans have wiped out entire species before, and I suggest we do it again. I doubt there’d be any objections raised by even the most committed environmentalist or scientist. Claims of some sort of perversion of the food chain and consequent irreversible damage to a fragile eco-system simply would not hold water. Firstly, there are only two animals in this particular food chain, us and them, so until bed bugs become some sort of delicacy fit for human consumption then they can piss off. Nothing supersedes me on the food chain. Secondly, an eco-system does not belong in a mattress, it belongs outside in nature. I mean, before we were smart enough to invent the mattress, did bed bugs even exist? How? Where?

When I went to reception and lifted my t-shirt to reveal my horribly disfigured skin that morning they agreed that there appeared to be some sort of problem and moved me to another room. Heaven help the next poor sod who rocked up and was given the keys to room nineteen. Though I was feeling very sorry for myself, getting on the boat to head out and do some diving provided me with the tonic I needed, and I found that the bite marks that covered my body were far less itchy and painful in ten or more metres of salt water.

The advanced scuba course consisted of five dives where we learned or were tested on a different skill each time. Other than the buoyancy control and underwater navigation dives, in which most of the time was taken up doing some sort of practical exercise or another, the other three dives were really just fun dives where we checked out what the underwater world had to offer. The visibility in each of the dive sites we went to was exceptional, and some of the marine life pretty cool. The highlight without a doubt was seeing a shark about 2m long up close. Thankfully it was easily identifiable as a reef shark, as I’d spoken to a number of other divers who had seen bull sharks (the most aggressive kind) in the dive sites around the island, and that might have set my heart racing just a bit too fast.

We also headed out for a night dive that evening, which was brilliant. Of course, you can’t really see anything other than in the direction you shine your torch, but that was part of the thrill for me. I’m sure that this novelty value would wear off once you had done more than a handful of night dives, but for the first time it was as exciting to me as any of the fish we saw.

The deep dive (to 30m) we did the next day was also something new to me (the open water course only qualifies you to a depth of 18m). Our instructor Ally explained to us that experiencing ‘nitrogen narcosis’ at this depth was common. While it has been established that it is not at all harmful to the body, doctors and scientists are apparently still not exactly sure of the physiological cause for this condition, which impairs thinking and induces a slow, confused state akin to drunkenness. The only danger associated with it is that the diver may do something silly or react too slowly if a situation arises. To demonstrate for us, Ally gave us the waterproof dive slate while we were on the boat, wrote a letter on it, and timed how long it took for us to write down five objects that began with that letter. Then we did the same thing at a depth of 30m and compared the results. While the difference was supposed to show us how our thinking had slowed, I somehow recorded a considerably faster time in the depths. If someone invented the game ‘Underwater Scattergories’ I could become world champion.

Keen as I was to do some more diving after I had finished the course my financial situation, approaching parlous at this end of my trip, dictated that some lazy days on the beach would be the best way to close out my days on the island. The move to a new room meant that I was able to sleep soundly and secure in the knowledge that I would not be the main course for any bed bugs, so some serious relaxation ensued. There was however one early morning start when I rose at 6AM to watch the Superbowl live at a nearby pub. I was quite surprised at the number of other punters who had made the early start, especially as only around half were American. The crowd was big enough to create quite a festive atmosphere, one that I had so sorely missed on the last Saturday in September last year.

Other than Raggedy Andy Tam, Matt Dunshea and Captain Adam Bird (no doubt a man now consumed by devastation given the result), I doubt any Australian readers of this blog would share my interest in the game, but so monumental an upset was it that I can’t resist making comment. The Patriots (New England) had gone through the entire regular season and playoffs to that point undefeated, while the Giants (New York) had been strong, but far from dominant. They didn’t stand a chance, yet somehow they triumphed against all the odds following a stunning final quarter rally spearheaded by quarterback Eli Manning and his heroics. Without going into too much further detail, it was one of those games that reminded me why I love sport. The script had been written long before the kickoff in this one, but none of the actors followed it at all.

Most of the nightlife during my time on the island was of the ‘start early and finish early’ variety, which suited me fine. Winding down the day on the deck above the beach with a few cold Singhas watching the sun set over the gulf was the common cherry on top of yet another day of relaxing beach bumming. During these blissful happy hours, I couldn’t help but notice how popular swampy West Coast rock is in these parts. Just as one hears limitless amounts of Bob Marley while travelling through South America, The Eagles and Creedence Clearwater Revival get absolutely thrashed by every establishment on Ko Tao. John Fogerty must have asked me at least a thousand times “have you ever seen the rain?” Like I said before John, yes I have, but not since I’ve been on Ko Tao - the sky is always blue here.

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Photos

Island style
Longtail boats at Sairee Beach

What a location!
The bar and restaurant of Big Blue

A happening 'hood
There wasn't a shortage of bars along Sairee Beach

Free parking
Looking back up Sairee Beach past Big Blue

Getting ready for the night ahead
They planted mini palm trees on the beach each evening and then took them away at the end of the night

The Leaning Tree of Koh Tao
I always got a bit worried walking under it

The Sitting Buddha rock
I could see what they were getting at with the name... sorta

Mid afternoon kip
This little fella was so cute

Puppy love
They were a close-knit family

Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...
Like I did