January 23, 2010 – Day 394 – Koh Tao, Thailand

If we previously thought we had landed in paradise, we were wrong. Today we really did land in paradise. The moment we stepped off the ferry and had a glance around the bay we were docked in, we knew it was going to be a really spectacular week.

Beautiful Koh Tao

Koh Tao is in fact the most beautiful beach we have been to. Seems like each time we go to a new Thai beach it is more beautiful than the last. Really it’s not even our imaginations, it just is. Since the ferry business from Koh Samui took a bit longer than we had hoped, today was an errand running day. (Really that just means that we had to find a place to sleep and a nice dive shop for Saben to go with tomorrow.) We ended up at the well known Big Blue Dive Shop with a double room and private bath for 200 baht (since Lin doesn’t dive; but if she did, lodging would be free).

Serene

Traveler’s Tip: – Dive Shops on Koh Tao

There are a million and half (I don’t know, maybe more) dive shops, all with bungalows, on Koh Tao so you really have your pick. Don’t forget to check our their dive equipment to make sure everything is in order. Saben chose Big Blue because they run a really tight operation, the staff are great, and their equipment is top notch. Dive rates are pretty standard across the island. We will use Big Blue as an example since we know those prices best. They have a sliding scale for dive rates, as do most of the other shops we checked. Their Boat Dive rates are:

1-2 dives 1000 baht each
3-6 dives 900 baht
7-10 800 baht
11 or more 700 baht each

(Note that most dive shops start at 1000 baht per dive; that figure is based on 4-5 shops we checked and out of those, they all did sliding scales on rates.)

The dive packages almost always include free lodging for you on days you dive with them (otherwise it is 400 baht per night in the fan room or bungalow which are not as nice or safe as the rooms) and breakfast is sometimes thrown in as well.

If you are looking to do your PADI or Advanced Open Water course while on Koh Tao, you will be happy to know just how cheap it is! To get your Open Water Certification is 9000 baht (about US$273) over 3-4 days. The Advanced Open Water Course is 7800 baht over 2 days. If you are looking to get your Divemaster, you will spend around 25,000 baht but it depends on how you set up your program with the shop.

Besides the money, it’s good to know that the diving on Koh Tao is very good. Visibility is around 20 meters and marine life is varied and plentiful. You will see plenty of reef sharks, maybe some bull sharks (yikes!), rays, Christmas tree worms, and so many kinds of fish your eyes would glaze over at list of them all! With that said, if you have been diving in places like the Bay Islands or in the Red Sea, you will likely want to know that the reefs are not quite as spectacular and certainly the vis is not as good. However, it is still definitely worth diving on Koh Tao as it is really stunning!

Traveler’s Tip – For Non-Divers on Koh Tao:

If you are like Lin and don’t dive, you can still have a really great time on Koh Tao. There are tons of great snorkeling spots all over the island and you will see more fish than you can remember when you get back on dry land to look them up. Grab a map from any dive shop and ask about the best snorkeling spots. The dive shops (as well as a few places in town) nearly always rent snorkel gear and don’t mind to give you some tips on where to go. Most of them can be reached from the beach but we very careful if you are walking around near or in rocky areas because broken glass, sea spines, and other unpleasant things can find their way into your feet. As with most things on Koh Tao, snorkel gear rental is pretty standard at 100 baht. Some places will charge another 100 for fins but look around in town and you can find a place that does the whole ensemble for 100 solid.

Besides diving and snorkeling, the beach is great with tons of room and plenty of shady spots if you prefer. The bay goes out flat and shallow forever it seems so this is a great place for famillies with small children too. There is a decent amount of longtail boat traffic (boat taxis) coming in and out of the bay but they are very good about keeping an eye for heading bobbing in the water. Still, be aware of your surroundings especially if you can snorkeling or swimming underwater. Wouldn’t be a very nice holiday if you got your head lobbed off!

Scooters are available for rent everywhere starting at 150 baht/day for a crappy manual or 250 for the more common regular ol’ scooter. But you can still get around on foot quite easily but watch out for traffic since some of the gringos zip around a little too fast without much attention to where they are going.

Along with all that jazz, Koh Tao is chocked full of tourist restaurants, bakeries, mini and supermarkets, internet cafes, souvenir shops, tattoo shops, book shops and the like. Anything you could possibly need or want, you can get here.