Wowowowow Koh Tao was really cool. I spent like 8 days here eventually and would have / could have stayed longer if the weather hadn’t taken such a bad turn. One day of sun on my first day was perfect: I finally got to lay on the beach. The rain and storm couldn’t ruin the rest of my days there because I was busy getting my PADI diving certificate.
- Being awoken by multiple (!) roosters every morning
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- Nearly being taken out by a massive Tokay Lizard falling from the sky😭
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- Seeing a Giant Turtle (bigger than me)
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- Seeing another Giant turtle (bigger than me)
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- Mainly constant rain/grey skies
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- Breathing underwater
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- Watching a frog get run over 🙁
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- Watching the frog come back to life
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- Friends!
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So I think the boat ride from Surat Thani to Koh Tao was about 6 hours. It involved getting on a jam-packed speedboat with our bags all packed under our chairs and feet so there was no leg room either. It was pretty hardcore crashing into waves and the little windows were too high to be able to see out of, which was a pity. Making my way through the aisle, literally holding onto the backs of chairs for dear life while trying not to step on luggage as well as limbs, just to make it to the toilet was maybe the most exciting thing I had experienced in Thailand up until then. Trying to use the restroom was the second most exciting, needing assistance to get into the small cubicle without getting smashed either onto the deck or into the waves and then holding on with both hands in a tiny dark cubicle… Don’t want to paint an overly detailed image of this scene, but just so you know: I managed to keep everything dry and tidy somehow. (Uploading pictures is a real pain in my back, I realise I accidentally added the pictures of the boat to my last post- I am not changing it <3)
The sun was just setting as we docked and I realised it had all been worth it… The beaches really were just like you see in the pictures: stunning! Transportation was quite limited on the island, I did loads of walking while I was there but luckily the hostel had a pickup service so I didn’t have to trek for 30 minutes with my backpack. The hostel was really modern looking and the staff very friendly- the setup in the room was quite unique. Instead of bunk beds there were just six single beds lined up against the two walls without much privacy. This ended up being quite nice though, it felt a bit like being at a girls-sleepover and it made it especially easy to make new connections and friends.
Like I mentioned, the first day was great, I walked down to “freedom beach” where you had acces to two little beaches that were connected by a cool waterside path. You had to pay for access but it meant the beaches were well kept, clean and you got “free” seating and access to toilets. The water was so clear and amazingly warm, I really felt like I was in paradise. Fantastic.
The hostel I was staying at was a diving resort. The people I had talked to about Koh Tao said it was known for diving so the idea had been planted in my mind, though that same idea kind of terrified me at the roots. It was mere coincidence that i stayed where I stayed, it just looked like a nice, clean place to stay and got great reviews. It’s funny to think that I probably wouldn’t have gotten my PADI open water licence if I had stayed somewhere else. It was also possible to just do a one day dive, but that was pretty expensive in itself and if I was going to do it I wanted to do it properly. So before I had time to seed further doubt, I signed myself up and paid the fee. While it is the cheapest place in the world to get this certification, it was still a significant amount of money, so that was that: I was doing it! Luckily I got lots of encouragement from people at the hostel as well as from friends and family at home- so that helped to hype myself up.
The facilities at the hostel were really good. They had an actual classroom in a separate building where I took some theoretical classes and did some self-study. This meant watching videos and doing an online module with about 6 knowledge exams and then an encapsulating exam at the end. The theoretical part freaked me out a bit at the beginning, I was convinced that either my lungs were going to explode or my eardrums or both. But once my practical training started, with my superb instructor, I was feeling quite confident in no time. We started with a couple of hours in the swimming pool, which was quite amusing as there were hotel-guests lounging around while I was in full scuba gear learning the tricks of the trade.
My first real dive was terrifying, I had to do four in order to pass the course. I wasn’t wearing enough weights so I kept floating back up. Luckily we weren’t diving too deep so no harm was done and the next dive that same day went a lot better. It was truly amazing to feel the sensation of weightlessness and to see all of the colourful marine life just chill in their natural habitat. I was always pretty scared of the deep and its inhabitants but now I realised they were all pretty cool and weren’t bothered by me at all, just doing their own blubbing thing, swimming around. By the fourth and final dive the next day I was turned into an enthusiast and will try to find another diving opportunity before heading back home. It still feels really good to have overcome another fear and has changed my life.
Talking about life changing…. After doing the diving I also wanted to do a snorkeling tour, mainly because the boat took you all around the island. Therefore, it was shame that the weather was really bad that day and we couldn’t actually go around the whole island. But it didn’t ruin the trip for me at all because I saw two reasonably-sized turtles and two giant turtles! Seeing a giant turtle under water was life-changing, really. They are bigger than I am and it felt absolutely surreal to see one gracefully swim around and munch on coral. Fantastic.
Eventually, it was time to say goodbye and go to Koh Samui.
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