Blogs from Ko Tao, South-West Thailand, Thailand, Asia - page 5

The taxi collected us for our final two dives at 0830 and this time we were joined by an Austrian family of four, two of whom would be diving and two Americans that were doing an open water course. Green Rock was the first site and we were lucky that Marco spotted a moray eel hiding under a rock - it hid away as I tried to capture it on the GoPro. We were surrounded by clownfish, angelfish and many others that I’d never seen before. There was even a swim through that was very tight indeed but we both made it through. Dive 5 - Green Rock Max Depth 19.5 metres Dive Time 40 minutes Water Temp 31c Our surface time was at Lighthouse, a site on the north east coast of Koh Tao that ... read more

Hello! I'm currently sat on the ferry, crossing over from Koh Tao back to the mainland, to a town called Chumpon. It's a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon, the small ferry is passing lots of beautiful sandy little islands lined with Palm trees and from time to time random limestone rocks standing tall out of the sea. It should take around 3 hours, so a perfect opportunity to update you with what I've been up to this week. I've had a brilliant week in Koh Tao, it's definitely been one of my highlights whilst travelling! We arrived in Koh Tao last Saturday after a short hour and a half ferry, from Koh Phangan. Koh Tao is just north of Koh Phangan, and about half the size, primarily visited by people waiting to complete scuba diving courses. Its ... read more

I was just shocked of what had become of this island. Sairee beach is no longer existing. Buildings are built into the water, only when the water is low, a small strip of sand is left. Everything is so crowded, packed, small, busy and expensive. There are some smaller beaches left, yes. And for the 1000+ divers every day there may still be coral reefs. If you are below 25 and want to party, you are also right here. But for all others: RUN!... read more

Only a week left now and I am sure that as the days pass I will be busy with last minute details. So I decided to write something before I left to sum up if thats at all possible. I found this quote is a book I am reading at the moment and it seems to sum up travelling, it's by Sir Richard Burton, "One of the gladdest moments of human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of habit, the leaden weight of routine, the cloak of many cares and the slavery of home, man feels once more happy." If asked what I had enjoyed most it would be difficult to answer, as i have enjoyed so many different things in different ... read more

Koh Tao is situated in Surat Thani province, and the name in English means "Turtle Island". The island used to be inhabited by turtles and a few are still seen today. Prior to 1943 Koh Tao was uninhabited, at this time the only people who visited were the local fishermen. From 1943 to 1944 the island was used as a political prison. There were fifty four inmates and fifteen wardens. According to the prisoners the island was a living hell, with shark infested waters, malaria and lack of food. It was 1947 when twin brothers Ta Euam and Ta Oh came to the island from Koh Samui. They sailed here on traditional boats and eventually brought their families here to live. They lived simply fishing and cultivating land for coconut plantations. At that time there were ... read more