Thailand – Ko Tao

Kao Lak to Chumphon by Bus, Thailand Day 60 (March 30)

Today we leave the western sea of Thailand, and cross the mainland to the Eastern sea. Oddly enough, the travel agents in town have no idea how to get to Ko Tao, because they don’t sell any service. We take a 7AM public bus to the next bus station north of Kao Lak, and then book another bus to Chumphon. Unfortunately, we don’t make the 1PM boat, so we stay the night in Chumphon Gardens Hotel in the downtown area. The hotel is a business traveler style; cheap, clean, includes everything, and seems the lap of luxury, coming from the beach area.

Southern Thailand Map

Chumphon to Ko Tao by boat, Thailand Day 60 (March 31)

Southern Thailand Map

We take the 7AM high speed catamaran and head to Big Blue Diving Resort, as recommended by Katie. After signing up, and looking around town, we decide we don’t like it. Their beach side rooms are full, and we don’t like the hotel up the road. We switch to our second choice; Ban’s Diving Resort.

Ban’s is a well lubed diving factory and certifies more divers than anywhere in the world. It’s a bit corporate, but we found it professional and efficient. Since they are not at capacity, they have great deals, and the classes are not packed to the max. You can get Open Water certification for $250, and get 4 nights free fan cooled room.

Kevin and Vana start the PADI Open Water scuba diving class at 5PM. Videos, books, and homework, oh my!

Studying for exams. Feels like college all over again.

Can’t complaint studying in an environment like this

Ko Tao, Thailand Day 61 (April 1)

Today is theory in the morning with an afternoon pool session. Since we have left over air, we do a quick dive offshore, and see reef and fish; just 50 yards offshore. We are familiar with a lot of the skills from our try dive in Belize, but there several new skills to learn.

pool session

Ko Tao, Thailand Day 62 (April 2)

Today, we take a 7:30AM boat and do two dives to 12m in the morning. The sun is out, and the dive is really clear, with no currents. We descend using the boats anchor line, so the students can easily control their descent rate and practice ear equalization. At the bottom, we practice the basic regulator purging, mask clearing, regulator recovery, and buoyancy. After swimming around and taking some photos, we surface to practice weight belt and full scuba equipment removal and replacement.

At 18 people, our group is very large, but we split into three groups of six people in the water. In the water, there is an instructor in the lead, and dive master at the rear of each group.

Our instructor is a Thai guy named Santi. At times, he is difficult to understand, but he is really cool, and every other sentence ends with a long “for sure…”. It is interesting to note that all the instructors and dive masters smoke. It seems they have an aversion to breathing normal air.

In the afternoon, we learn theory about decompression illness, and dive tables. Computing dive tables and pressure groups after lunch in prime napping hours, with our bodies filtering excess nitrogen is like third world torture (Vana: zzz…ZZZ…uh…what dive table?!).

Tank line up

Navigation instruction

Group descent

KR swim through

Mask clearing

Blowing kisses (my special skill)

Underwater yoga (buoyancy practice)

Alternate air source breathing (save your buddy)

Underwater smiles

Vana with our group, Santi in glasses

Ko Tao, Thailand Day 63 (April 3)

Today is our final two dives of the class, and the instructors don costumes for the dive film. Today we dive to our depth training of 18m. We start the first dive practicing a controlled emergency swimming accent from 6m; exhaling a continuous “ah…” from an endless supply of expanding air in our lungs. Then we free descend and practice more skills at the bottom.

we almost get crashed by another boat while setting up the line, no wonder most dive accidents happen on the surface

controlled emergency swimming accent

ahhhhhh……

While practicing full mask removal and replacement, the instructor tricks us out in dark aviators, which makes for some funny filming. Also, Santi pulls everyone up in a few seconds when a sea snake runs through our circle at the bottom. The local sea snake (same as we saw in the Similans) is the fourth most poisonous animal in the world; although not aggressive and not easy to get bitten from its small mouth.

underwater cop

sea snake

running under a student’s leg during skills

Divemaster packing heat, pulls a toy gun for self defense! (I laugh so hard almost ran out of oxygen)

In the evening, the entire group meets for dinner, and we watch the edited dive video set to music. I realize now that we are staying in a summer camp for young adults (everyone’s in their 20’s except KR. Everyone’s from Europe except us and another two Canadian guys).

One stamp for the dive logs, another for our forehead, means a free beer

dinner and watching DVD

Santi is wearing a batman outfit, and looks hilarious with his forearms crossed in defense while a giant trigger fish swims around him erratically, biting his fins. The trigger fish has a conical protection area for its nest when breading, and attacks the fins of any fish or diver, which enters its territory. In another funny moment, Santi snaps the top of a woman jumping from the boat during our dive break. The top ends up wrapped around in her face in the water.

Underwater Batman

I’ll show you who’s the boss here

The other group also has a funny video. During the dive briefing the British instructor goes through a straight faced elaborate description of how the students should spit in their fins to prevent blisters under the increased pressure at depth. The camera then cuts to students using their deepest lung butter to fill their fins during dive prep . The next clip shows the instructors shaking their heads; spitting in fins? That’s just disgusting; I knew something was wrong with this group!

what matters is – we had FUN while learning. Our class kick ass!

Everyone in the class gets their certification except for one student in the hospital from a motor bike accident; the most dangerous activity by far in Thailand. Supposedly, diving is even safer than sleeping under a coconut tree!

Thanks so much to Santi and all the staff at Ban’s Diving Resort. We really had a great time, and felt completely at home during our stay (party, beer, study at the same time. Just like the old days at UCSB). We really wish we could stay several more days, for sure…

More pics taken during our stay below.

Yippee! We are now certified divers!

Blue spotted ray, also caught on video

moray eel swimming

Even the youngsters get into it

Beach in front of Ban’s Diving Resort

Turtle on video during our final dive

Grouper hiding in a sponge. Great pic Vana!

Sand Lizard fish

Grouper hiding in coral flower

Pink Skunk Anemone fish

Coral

Gold-Saddle Rabbitfish

Fine-spotted porcupinefish

white sea worms all over the Barrel Sponge

Anemone Fish

Blue-ringed angelfish

Sea Star

Slingjaw wrasse

Hexagon Grouper

grumpy fish protect its hole

Red Rush Grouper- he love to watch us practice skills

oyster

Redcoat squirrelfish

Turtle munching on bubble coral

hotel dog welcome divers home

DJ party for April Fools

BBQ dreamin

Nightly entertainment – Fire Show on the beach

Sunset chill out

We love Ko Tao!

Click below to see more underwater pictures:

• Dive 1
• Dive 2
• Dive 3
• Dive 4

Thailand – 3 Day Live-aboard Simulan Islands

Live-aboard Similan Islands, Thailand Day 57, 58, 59 (March 27, 28, 29)

Its an early morning transport to the harbor, and we enjoy breakfast onboard, heading towards the Similan Islands National Park. Similan means nine, as there are nine islands. The boat is small but comfortable. All 16 guests chill out in the upstairs eating area, small sun deck, or the shared sleeping cabin. There isn’t much else on the boat besides two shared bathrooms, a small kitchen, rear deck, and captain’s cockpit.

the islands are few hours boat ride from Khao Lak

our boat

shared sleeping cabin

Over the next several days, we work our way from Island 9 to Island 4 (1-3 are closed for turtle nesting), stopping in sheltered bays for the evening. Over these days we see; tons of fish, jellyfish, flying fish, glowing-in-the-dark fish, dolphin, turtle, octopus, sea snake, moral eel, and ray shark.

We see more variety of fish on this trip than any other diving we’ve experienced. I was really happy to see clown fish, sea snake, and lion fish. Octopus is always fun to watch, and I shot a video with an octopus rapidly changing colors.

In most places, the coral is not very impressive, but there are a few places with very colorful soft and hard corals. There are several places with heavily damaged reef. No good, because reefs produce the majority of the earth’s oxygen.

The live-aboard is really sweet because there is tons of time in the water, and you can see different fish in the early mornings and late evenings. The food was really good.

turtle 1

octopus changing color

sea snake swimming

dolphin 1

turtle surfacing

dolphin 2

groupers

flying fish

Big Jellyfish. This kind doesn’t sting.

Spotted Shovelnose Ray – largest guitarfish. Usually swim in pairs at the bottom. Male smaller than female. The two small fish next to them are Cobia. They protect the Ray. I think the Rays are making babies right now…shhhh…

I swam into a wall of jellyfish. Ouch!

the water is clear, you can see the turtle swim around the boat. we quickly jump into the water

we saw 4 different turtles at 3 locations. This one is a Hawksbill turtle. We also saw Green turtle. I love turtle. Besides they are cute and graceful. they love to eat jellyfish!

Squid

Orangespine Unicornfish

Yellow Trumpet fish

Black Lion Fish – they come out in the evening

Giant Moray

Titan Triggerfish

Emeror Angelfish

Feather Star or Crinoid

Oriental Sweetlips

Black Unicorn

Longnose File fish

sunset at the bay

watching sunset

red amemone fish

Yellow-lipped sea krait – They are venomous but are not aggressive to divers

Storm in the distance

Water tornado, one took out a brand new dive boat last year

Milk Fish

eating on the surface

blackspotted puffer fish

silver white unicorn fish

we spotted few octopus at different locations

octopus changing color

False Clown Fish – they defend their host anemone against anything & anyone regardless of size with their gaping ‘jaws’. The mother always comes out first and the biggest. When the female dies, the largest male changes sex.
They try to look mean, but they are so cute!

Schooling butterfly fish

Graeffe’s Sea Cucumber

on our way back, a group of wild dolphin were showing off how fast they can swimming next to our boat.

They were playing with us for about half an hour. We are so luck!

Swimming next to our boat, show off!

We got Swedish, Danish, American, any German on this boat. One thing we definitely have in common besides snorkeling – UNO game!

Good times!

The boat returns in the evening, and we stay another night in Poseidon Bungalows. It was a great trip. Next time we hope to be diving and see manta rays and whale sharks.

CLICK HERE to see more underwater pictures and videos.

Thailand – Railey Beach

Ko Lanta Island to Railey Beach, Thailand Day 53 (March 23)

Ko Lanta is a difficult place to leave. We really wish we could chill for a few more days. Today, we take the ferry boat to Railey Beach.

Railay Beach is on the mainland, but is reached only by long tail boat due to the high limestone cliffs cutting off mainland access. The ferry stops offshore, and we load onto long tail boats for beach transport. We heard Railay was touristy, but we were surprised to find no luggage porters or agents touting hotel rooms. We stay at the Diamond Cave Resort on east Railay beach.

arriving Raliay West Beach with longtail boats

Raliay map

Vana has been in email contact with Katie whom we met in a cooking class in Vietnam. We plan to meet them for dinner tomorrow. On the way to our hotel, we run into another Katie whom we met in another cooking class in Chiang Mai. Vana suggests that they also join us. After finding that our cooking classmates from Vietnam and Chiang Mai are staying in the same hotel and room number, Vana realizes she has her Katie’s mixed up, and we have quite a good laugh. (Vana: I wasn’t embarrassed at all. This is what happen when you use emails rather than Facebook).

Hanging out with Katie and Amanda in their pool on the west side. Katie was a HR at a financial firm in NY. Amanda was in the media buying industry before both decided to quit and take a travel break in SE Asia. Amenda went back to the bay area last week. Katie decided to stay in Thailand teaching English for 6 months.

Railey Beach, Thailand Day 54 (March 24)

Today we rent a Kayak and paddle along the limestone cliffs and islands around Railey beach. The evening has intense rain, so we chill out in the East Side village.

It’s a beautiful morning. We decided to Kayak

Let’s go

View Point, white sand beach!

kayaking around the islands offshore

paddle along the limestone cliffs

millions of small schooling fish in the water. looks like sperms

Ao Pranang beach

blue bird

crab

kayaking between two islands

stalagmites cave

spotted a jellyfish in the water

colorful stalagmites

back to the beach

rain coming in

CLICK HERE to see more snorkeling pictures.

Railey Beach, Thailand Day 55 (March 25)

The main activity in Railay is climbing. The surrounding cliffs are a climber’s playground with hundreds of bolted routes. Vana wants to try and signs up for a beginner’s top rope climbing class. There isn’t much to the class, and in no time Vana is scaling a 50 foot vertical face. Most people on the wall are beginners, and the instructors on belay provide significant help. Vana looks like a pro in no time. When coming down Kevin yells “jump”!

getting ready at the climb shop

reaching for the top

No hands on the rope!

On the wall face

made it

coming down is easy

if you know how to jump

jumping down

Jeannette is the other girl in my group. She is from northern Germany. Her knees are still shaking!

CLICK HERE to see more climbing pictures.

In the evening, we are enjoying the pool at Katie’s resort, when out of nowhere we spot the other Katie and her husband strolling on the beach. After a visa run to Burma, and dive certification in Kao Tao, they’ve arrived in Railay as their last stop before going back to Mississippi. We tell them our funny Katie mix up story, and in the evening we all met on the east side for drinks, with all Katie’s present and accounted for.

Katie (from Chaing Mai) tells us about her bad luck with planes. On their flight from Laos, one of the props stopped right outside her window, and the captain announced an emergency landing in 10 mins. Over the next 40 minutes, the other passengers flip through magazines, while Katie is in a heavy breathing panic. No one told her that a plane can fly just fine with one engine. We’ll be thinking of you everytime we sit in the exit row!

Katie and her husband Blaine got married and decided to live-abroad. They moved to New Zealand for two years. But recently quit their job to travel in SE Asia for few months before moving back home. Katie is a traveling nurse and Blaine is a chemical engineer by day and puzzle solver by night.

Vana, Chiang Mai Katie, Amanda, Vietnam Katie. We had a girls night out after dinner.

Railay Beach to Kao Lak, Thailand Day 56 (March 26)

Today, we take long tail boat to Krabi, and then minibus to Kao Lak, north of Phuket. We stay at the Poseidon Bungalows, which runs a three day, two night live-aboard snorkel trip to the Similan Islands.

Southern Thailand Map: Krabi to Kao Lak

In the morning, we took a longtail boat to Krabi

arrving at our hotel in Kao Lak

the hotel is located at a conjuction where fresh water and salt ocean

our bungalow is in the forest