Swimming with the fishies

So I finally made it to the beach and its like food for my soul. I've been feeling a little tired of traveling and sweating and packing and staying in crap places but I felt it all melt away the second I saw the beautiful clear blue water and white sand beaches. Ahhhhhh....

Koh Tao is smallest islands in the group of 3 that includes Samui and Phangan. Its supposed to be a lot less developed that the others and is considered to be scuba-central in Thailand. Also, during the wet season, the beaches on the Gulf Coast to the east are a lot less rained-out than the other side (Krabi, Koh Phi Phi included) so I headed directly here for some sun, surf and scuba. After yet another long 36-hrs of travel (flight from Luang Prabang to Bangkok to Samui, early morning boat to Tao), I quickly booked an open-water class with Easy Divers that started that afternoon.

My first view of Koh Tao! There are these crazy rock formations around the island but you can really see how clear the water is!

There are these islands just off Koh Tao called Koy Nangyuan and they really are 3 islands connected by these pristinely white sand bars. Its like having the beach on both sides!

The beach right outside my bungalow. With so many boats moored on the beach, it was nice to get this small peaceful cove right outside. The water was so warm and perfectly turquoise.

The scuba class lasted 4-days and they jam-packed it with classroom theory time and practice dives. In the States, it takes weeks to get certified but you can do it in 4 days in Koh Tao for about $200. Its totally insane. I thought going to the beach would give me some time for chilling out and relaxing but the scuba class was actually pretty hectic. We were going out for 2 dives a day on a boat as well as at least a few hours a day in the classroom. I usually left my room by 9am and didn't get back to well past dinner. Of course, some of that included celebratory drinks at one of the local pubs but I still wouldn't call that exactly relaxing.

But it was so much fun! Being down there and seeing all the amazing coral and fish was spectacular. Just being able to breathe underwater was an experience I will never forget. And seeing all that coral and aquatic life upfront! It was like being in an entirely new world. It was hard at first to get used to breathing and figuring out how to stay bouyant without going up or down too much but its amazing how quickly you can pick up these skills. After the first couple of days, we could relax and enjoy our surroundings.

On the boat out to sea. We were all so excited the first time we went out with our gear. Though we were like bumbling fools under the water. We had no idea how to stay bouyant and we kept crashing into each other under the water. Oops!

Trying out the rebreather for the first time!

Ahoy, Mate! I looked a lot more graceful under the water, I promise!

The reason Koh Tao is one of the best places for diving is the incredible visibility and prolific marine life surrounding the island. The water was also incredibly warm (around 80 F) but we still had to wear wetsuits. We saw so many tropical fish with neon colors, interesting coral and even a scorpion fish. I don't have any pictures of these but I did buy the DVD of our last dive so you guys can see that when I get home :). Really, everyone should try scuba diving at least once in their lifetime!!

The class was also great because of our instructor, Sigor, and the others in the class. We had a great time trying to figure out everything and enjoying a cold beer after a long day. Everyone was pretty excited after finishing the course so we're all contemplating taking an advanced course so we can actually go diving independently rather than with an instructor or divemaster all the time. I actually plan on doing the advanced course once I get to Malaysia!

Congrats, guys!! I'm still not sure I would trust us under the water after only 4 days but we all have a card saying we can!

I could stay longer here but Koh Tao itself isn't as great as I thought it would be. Its more developed than I would like with bungalows crowding the beaches, trash along the sand, tons of boats anchored in the water and a busy little town full of bars and partying scuba divers. To be fair, I'm staying in the busiest part of the island but I'm not impressed enough to search out other, possibly nicer parts. All the activity over the last few days have made me a little worn out so I really need some peace and quiet. My scuba class ended yesterday and I'm heading out to Malaysia on a night train tonight. The Perhentian Islands are supposed to be much quieter and the scuba diving is supposed to be pretty great so I'm really excited heading out there. I've been fantasizing about quiet stretches of sand and clear waters with nothing but me, a book and some swaying palm trees. It'll be a true holiday for once!

A nice sunset but you can see how busy the water was with all these boats everywhere! They took over the entire beach except for a small area at the end where my bungalow was.

This is the section of the beach right next to the main town area and it is covered in trash. The town was also filled with obnoxious bars, 7-Elevens and annoying touts. Not exactly a beach paradise.

I also found out that my parents will be able to join me in Australia for a couple of weeks and I'm so excited about that!! I can't wait to see them and I know we will have a great time touring around Uluru and visiting some of the Whitsunday Islands. But before that I have the Malaysia and Singapore to look forward to so here's hoping for the best in these last few weeks of my trip!

Happy Birthday, Mark! I hope you didn't get too drunk while celebrating your 24th year!