Finding Nemo (aka Diving Koh Tao)

While I don’t know what the collective noun is for a group of divers (a pod?); whatever it is, Koh Tao is a natural habitat for them. 

Dive boats waiting in Koh Tao bay

With water as warm as 28-30 degrees (c), some of the best diving around Asia/pacific and an open water (PADI) diving qualification course for NZ$550 including accommodation, it seems crazy not to come here.  My European itinerary has me in a variety of some beautiful diving locations so it will be great to capitalise on that by getting my PADI Open Water certificate at this end of the journey. 

Getting to Koh Tao

The trip from Krabi to Koh Tao was long but entertaining (possibly as I have a warped sense of humour).  I travelled via www.ferrysamui.com

A 2 hour van ride that was meant to be a 3 hour ride from Krabi to Donsak.  The Buddhist conscience kicked in and it was decided to wait an extra 30 minutes for the 2 missing/booked passengers.  Once they didn’t turn up, we were on our way (and 30 minutes late).  30 minutes into the ride, the van driver got a phone call and turned around and went back and picked up the two Swedish guys who had finally made it to the pick-up depot.  Better to try and get 5 of us there on time than 3 of us with plenty of time.  The 3 hour journey then became a 2 hour mad dash to make it to the pier at 2.05 only to see a ferry sailing off.  Never fear, they had held our ferry for us.  Two of my fellow passengers were a young couple from Spain.  He and I exchanged travel plans and ideas; he would occasionally translate for his girlfriend who spoke little English.  We make a mad rush to the ferry from the van (more for show - I think they wanted the captain of the ferry to see some suitably chastised farang run with a body armour of packs and bags).  I test out my only Spanish on one of my new found friends.  “Loco!”  She beams and laughs, “Si!  Loco!”

The Andaman sea can be rough this time of year with the winds.  Today was no exception.  I had already experienced 2 Danish lads leaning over the side of the long boat from Krabi painting the water green. 



spare propellers! Others could learn from this

This was a small ferry, the kind that we would class as a small island hopper/across the harbour 50 -100 person passenger ferry.  Not a lifejacket in sight, there were 2 forlorn (though obligatory) life rings.  However, we were comforted to see two shiny new propellers sitting aft on the deck.  Gleaming pieces of bronze and probably 500kg each.  So we set sail for the 3 hour trip in open water secure in the knowledge that, should one (or both!) of the propellers shimmer off during the trip, our able crew would be able to immediately leap into the 5-8m swells and fit a new one to the offending shaft.  Sorted!  Many green people and 3 ½ hours later we arrived in Koh Tao.

The Diving Course - and a plug for Master Divers

There are six forms in front of me.  Three are indemnity waivers (such is the way of the world), one is a medical questionnaire, one a PADI dive course background details questionnaire and one …well, I’ll come back to the last one later as it really captured me.

“Master Divers International Limited” www.master-divers.com in Koh Tao is a very professional and slick operation.  It was recommended to me by Duncan, my brother, who did the course with them a year ago.  I had originally planned to be here a day earlier though fate (and ferry bookings from Railay) conspired differently. As it turns out, had I started the course (Open Water Diver certificate) yesterday I would have been in a group class.  As I am starting today, I can truly say that, other than the instructor, I am the brightest in the class.  Such is the benefit of 1:1 tuition. 

I work through the forms in front of me.  “Have you every dived before?”  The question seems simple enough.  The pen hovers momentarily before I reply “no”.  Strictly that’s not true, though given that I qualified 30 years ago (i.e. before my instructor for this course was even born) and have not dived for over 10 years, I figure any corresponding synapses have long since atrophied.  There is a difference between years with the qualification and years’ experience.  When I did my original cert, it was CMAS and PADI was the new and young upstart on the block, there were still references to aqualung in the text, we had to learn all the dive charts by wrote (when your brain was the ‘dive computer’) and we carried laminated or plastic US Divers charts (US Navy adaptations – now defunct in recreational diving) inside our wetsuit if in doubt.



That's not The Little Mermaid sitting on the deck, it's Lexi,my instructor

So, here I am – bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Or I should say feeling that way.  The instructor has more cause for the initial description.    Lexi is your classic (though contemporary) Colorado girl: bright, blonde, blue eyed and tanned.   A girl from the mountains in love with the sea (a bizarre fact that Colorado apparently has the highest per capita PADI qualified divers in the US).  She is diminutive in stature and I hope doesn’t need to try to pull me out of the water on the course.  Her story is probably similar to others of the enlightened.  “Graduated, decided to go and do some travel and have some fun before settling into a real job.  Loved diving, got my instructors certificate. When it came to doing a real job, I figured why not try to use a qualification I have to do what I really love?” 

Why not indeed!  While young she is clearly competent, patient and calm.  Her teaching style is supportive and methodical.    It comes back to the hours of actual experience versus the year of graduation. 

The lessons are well structured.  The course is over four days.  A mix of written modules with follow-up questions, instructional video and practical (initial shallow water) then open water training/test.  8 dives in all during the course.

Koh Tao - Sustainability?

Koh Tao sounds like it is suffering a similar fate to Railay in its self-fulfilling prophecy of paradise which perpetuates crowds to the point it cannot sustain itself without environmental damage.    The sixth form in my pile of pre-requisite signing by “Master Divers International Ltd” is a “statement of obligation to the environment”.  While some places pay lip service to sustainability, living on a sustainable farm and married to an expert on it, you get a pretty reasonable antenna to signal to noise (or veneer versus substance). Sustainability and the environment is clearly part of their DNA at Master Divers.  The form talks you through the things that you can do or consider to help reduce stress on the environment.  By ticking (or not) each box, it is your pledge.  If nothing else, it brings the issue from a background hum to conscious thought.  The toilets do not flush, the have a large bucket of water with a smaller bucket in it so you decide how much water the flush needs.    At the back of the shop is a series of recycling bins.  I like these guys!

 

Places to eat and places to see

Insights and ideas for night life, diving and food in Koh Tao I will leave to my new found friend Lorna. While fate was a little late in bringing us together as climbing partners in Railay, she was able to provide me with some great insights into Koh Tao.  A diving instructor herself and having helped construct the artificial reef in Koh Tao (affectionately known as “junkyard”), I got off my (somewhat bumpy ferry ride) to find an email from her with some great advice on Koh Tao.  Verbatim (with due acknowledgement to Lorna Eaton-Brown and in correspondingly military intelligence style):

“…, if you get the chance in Koh Tao, have a meal at 996 Duck (North Sairee Town, near Asia Divers) and if you want a good sunset view try Lung Pae (taxi will pick you up and drop you home, most locals will have the number saved in their phone). Nanna's in Mae Haad does good, authentic, cheap Thai food, spicy as you like! My favourite Bar is at Alvaro diving, a bit tricky to find, you have to go to Chalok bay (South end of the island) and follow the concrete path out over the sea on the West side of the bay, keep going right to the end! Quite a fun walk back if you have a few too many White Russians but a really relaxed atmosphere, they tend to play a lot of jazz/pop music and do great cocktails. If you DO get any free time Shark Bay was awesome fun, lots of black tipped reef sharks (very friendly, don't bite I promise) and a Turtle who hangs out there a lot, just go out with a snorkel to where the orange mooring buoys are and swim around a bit, best sightings at dawn or dusk :) “

(Thanks Lorna.  I can already second the vote on Nanna’s and 996 Duck)

Beautiful sunsets - just make sure you bring your partner to share it with

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting around

On my second night here I decided to take up one of Lorna’s suggestions and try the 996 Duck restaurant.  This is about 10-15 minutes taxi ride from where I was staying near the Pier and well worth it. It looks more like a roadside shack than an eating establishment – but the food is delicious.  Taxis on Koh Tao don’t have a meter – they tend to run at a fixed price of 200-300 baht one way depending on where you are going. It’s not a big island.  While “taxis” are easy to find – on my last night I wanted to explore the island a bit and find somewhere different to eat.  Rather than a taxi I opted for a scooter.  These cost 150 baht to rent for the day  - so being of Scottish heritage, it was pretty simple for me to do the maths and opt for that.  Be aware that there’s no “add ons” here for bike/scooter hire – you can’t increase the rate you pay in return for a reduced insurance excess.  There is no insurance (well, you and the deposit of your passport are the insurance!).  So, if you wrap the scooter around a lamppost, another car or otherwise write it off, it’s yours- a slightly used bike for the princely sum of 16,000 baht. I was willing to take that risk and had a great time riding around the island. One risk I was not willing to take is not wearing a helmet.  You don’t see many who do in these parts but I’m willing to trade the foot loose and fancy free/hair blowing in the breeze look for the price of my head (my family and Carolann will tell you that I’ve already sustained a number of head injuries over the years which explains quite a lot!).  If you are the only one on the scooter – likely you are the odd one out.  It’s not unusual to see 1,2 or up to 3 passengers on one.

I'll do a separate post on the actual diving including some pictures.