Koh Tao Beaches are endless stretches of white sand.
Magnificent Ko Tao
They say that time flies when you are having fun, and these past few weeks have passed in a colorful blur of sparkling blue waters, dizzying views of underwater paradise, and endless, pure white beaches.
Exploring the reefs of Ko Tao
Ko Tao was my next destination and I was eager to spent some sun soaked afternoons lounging on the beach. This tiny island, located north of Koh Samui, is also one of Asia’s premiere dive sites, and I was keen to test out my SCUBA skills. While in Bangkok, I had signed up for several fun dives and was soon swimming lazily along with barracuda, jackfish, angelfish, and grouper at Chumpon Pinnacle. The underwater life was teaming with schools of black and white sergeant fish, sea anemones, some rather moody triggerfish (they like to attack your feet), and one very friendly ol’ sea turtle that I named Sam.
SCUBA diving with Stingray Divers
Underwater world of Ko Tao
The diving outfit that I spent all of this time with was fantastic! Stingray Divers was efficient and knowledgeable, and I would happily return for some SCUBA time with them. While on Koh Tao, I also dove on White Rock, Green Rock, Twin Pinnacles, and SW Pinnacle. Although the visibility was rather poor in some areas, I wanted to take advantage of the cheap rates and become more comfortable in the water before heading to the Perhentian Islands of Malaysia. I hadn’t dove for a few years and needed to test my buoyancy before tackling some more advanced dives.
Such a colorful world
It was actually low season while we were on Ko Tao, but the island was still packed with travelers from all walks of life. I could easily see myself staying on the island for several months, enough to earn my dive master’s license and get my fill of beach BBQ’s and pink sunsets. Unfortunately, time was still ticking and I had to shake myself out of my silly daydream to buy a ticket off the island. Becoming a dive master it just another item to add to my list of “Things to do before I’m 50.” (It just keeps growing and growing!!)
