To the bottom of the Ocean – Diving Certificate in Koh Tao

„Diving? Diving!“ That was probably what my roomie and I both thought when a friend told us about her diving vacation on one of the Thai islands. We were both interested in trying something new and both took the chance to get our Open Water certificate during our week of vacation. For that we traveled to Koh Tao, an Island in the south of Thailand above Koh Pha Ngan – famous for its full moon parties – and Koh Samui. According to my Dumont guide on Thailand, Koh Tao is especially popular amongst divers, due to the numerous coral reefs and the clean and crystal clear sea. This popularity amongst divers strikes directly on arrival on the island, which is populated by dozens of diving schools.

We booked our bus and ferry ticket from Bangkok already beforehand in the internet. You can do that for example with “Lomprayah”, on whose internet page you can directly book the whole package with bus and ferry. A return ticket with them cost us 2050 Baht. In total we were travelling for approximately 11 hours, starting in close proximity to Khao San Road in Bangkok. On the journey there we took the night bus, starting at 21 pm and arriving in the morning around 8 am on the island. That way you basically don’t lose a precious day of vacation. The bus journey was also better than we thought beforehand. We were lucky that our bus wasn’t that full, wherefore everybody had 2 seats on the bus to stretch out and get a sleep, making the bus ride quite acceptable. Furthermore they handed out blankets in the bus. The return journey was a day ride, as there was no night journey offered. That wasn’t also not as bad as expected. The ones, who don’t want to take the bus, can also take an airplane or train going from Bangkok.

We also decided upon the diving school beforehand and booked it on the internet. Already upon arrival we realized that “Davy Jones Locker“, situated directly at the main beach Sairee, was a good choice. We were picked up at the pier – which was included in the price – and received a warm welcome in the diving school. We still had to wait a bit until our bungalows were tidied up, so we made use of our time and got some refreshments in the café “New Heaven”, directly opposite of the diving school. Together with the “DJL Bar” this proofed to be our favorite hangout; you get really nice breakfast and lunch there, while at the “DJL Bar” which belongs to the diving school, you can enjoy delicious Thai and Western dishes. The bungalows we got assigned, belonged to “Silver Sands Resort”, were also included in the package of the diving course and were situated only a few meters from the seaside. The diving course at Davy Jones starts every day and therefore we started with it directly on the first day we arrived with our 4-day long PADI Open Water diving course, which is given in small groups of approximately 4 people. The first day consisted merely of theory; we watched a few videos about diving and did some quizzes. We also got to know our diving instructor Ben, which proved to be very capable and always open for a little joke during our course. Therefore the course was very lively and still informative with Ben getting across the theory very well. On the second day we did the rest of the theory and got ourselves familiar with the diving equipment. The whole morning we spent practicing the most important skills for diving in the swimming pool. That included learning what to do when you have a flooded mask under water, how to take of your diving jacket with tank in the water, and how to provide an alternative air source for your buddy when he is out of air. On the third day we had our first dive in the sea. We drove with the long-tail boat to the actual bigger boat which brought us to the dive site. Our first two dives were at the sites “Lighthouse” and “White Rock”. There we got familiar with diving in the sea and we practiced some skills underwater. On the fourth day we took the boat at 6 am to do our third and fourth dived at “South West” and again “White Rock”, where we also so a huge sea turtle. After the dives we still had to do our final exam and then we got certified divers, who can dive anywhere in the world 18 meters deep. On our last day of diving we also got filmed over and under water and a small movie was produced. Ours was made by Bella and was definitely worth the money; the price varies depending on how many people buy the video. The diving course cost 9500 Baht in total, including accommodation for 4 nights, pick-up at the pier and all teaching materials.

After our diving course we still had two days in Koh Tao left before we would return back to Bangkok. We decided to stay at the same beach for that time as there is really everything you need. There are a couple of shops with clothes, restaurants, beach bars, and massage salons. We also stayed at Silver Sands Resort, but moved from the bungalow to a room. The room cost 1500 Baht per night for two persons; not really cheap but compared to the bungalow – which was already quite nice – absolutely awesome. After we spent one day at the beach to relax from all that diving, we decided to go to Koh Nang Yuan on our last day. We took a taxi boat to get there, which cost 200 Baht back and forth. On the island we had to pay another 100 Baht entrance fee. Furthermore one should keep in mind that it is not allowed to bring plastic bottles or cans to the island, as well as snorkeling equipment. Koh Nang Yuan basically consists of three islands which are connected with a long beach. On one of them there is a very nice viewpoint for which it is definetly worth climbing up all those stairs to the top of the hill. Also it is very nice to snorkel on the island; snorkels can be rented there. The swimming I liked much better on Koh Tao, as on Koh Nang Yuan there is everything full of dead corals and sea cucumbers. All in all it is only worth a day trip in my opinion. However, to Koh Tao I would definitely come back!

Sairee Beach – Koh Tao

Sairee Beach – Koh Tao

Koh Nang Yuan

Koh Nang Yuan

Koh Nang Yuan

Koh Nang Yuan

Taxi Boat

Impressionen von Koh Samed – Impression of Koh Samed

Paradise has us back: Koh Samed

We are back… but this time taking along some friends. When some of our fellow students offered us to come with them to Koh Samed as they still have two extra beds in the bungalows they rented, we didn’t have to think twice about it. So we went back on the island last weekend. This time we chose for the more isolated beach Ao Tian, located more south of the island. This time we spent two whole days there, and again one day each for the journey back and forth. The beach we reached by speedboat, going directly from the pier in Ban Phe, as we arrived too late to take the ferry. Otherwise there is also a Taxi going from the main beach on the island or the ferry dock which takes approximately half an hour to get there. We always paid 350 Baht for this route. Our bungalow was relatively well equipped, with a nice veranda in front of the door and sea view.

On the next morning we directly realized how secluded and lonely the beach was, in a positive way. Only few tourists were lying on the beach, so we could really relax and there were always some free deckchairs. Also the rest of the bungalow parks on the beach were most certainly well visited, but you definitely could not notice it. The beach with its line of bungalow parks situated alongside is not quite long, wherefore the choice of restaurants was limited. My diet over these three days was dominated by Pad Thai – a traditional Thai meal which I absolutely love – and banana pancakes with honey for breakfast; but that was by my choice. The next beach was easily reachable within 15 minutes by foot through crossing a small forest. There was a bit more going on there, and there were even some shops where one could buy some beach towels etc.

The whole Saturday we spend lying on the beach, same goes for Sunday. After all we wanted to get some tan. Saturday evening we sought for some more excitement at the main beach. At Had Sai Kaew we already spent our last weekend in Koh Samed at, wherefore we already were familiar with it. We went again to the restaurant which has the fire show late at night, where the restaurant gets filled up with people. After a delicious green curry and a few beers we danced deep into the night. The mood was fantastic and about the music I also can’t complain. Nice about beach parties is also that if wanted you can just walk a few meters and get some peace walking along the seaside.

My résumé after having stayed at two different beaches till now is that I definitely would recommend to rent a bungalow at one of the more secluded and  peaceful beaches. To the main beach you can then still go cheap with the taxi if you feel like some partying or other excitement such as renting a jet ski or riding banana boat. But during the day, the main beach is very touristy compared to the other beach we stayed at. Ao Tian was definitely more calm and paradisiacal!

Sunday evening we have decided that we definetly wanted to go see the sunset. Therefore we walked all the way over to the other side of the island, which only means a 15 minute march due to the narrowness of the island. With a cool beer we sat down on the rocks, listened to the waves and see the sun set. When we sat together at the beach at night the weather suddenly started to change; it became windy and if really rained for the first time since I am in Thailand. Also on the next morning it was still a bit misty and it definitely cooled down. Therefore we decided to already take the bus back to Bangkok at 2 pm after a late breakfast. In Bangkok we made another halt in between before we would go home. We went to ‘Central World’ where we granted ourselves another western meal at ‘The Pizza Company’ after such a nice weekend, before we have to go back to all these rice dishes.

Did any of you guys visit the island before and has some experiences to share? Maybe some secret tips for the other readers and my next travels there? I am excited to hear your comments and experiences!

A weekend in paradise: Koh Samed

After the arrival in Thailand about three weeks ago, my roommate and me decided to spend our first weekend on Koh Samed. The island is located in the south east of Bangkok, reachable within approximately three hours with the Bus from Ekkamai Bus Terminal. The terminal is located only a few hundred meters from the BTS station ‘Ekkamai’. There you can buy a ticket to Rayong, where a ferry brings you to Koh Samed. For the bus one has to expect 126 Baht one way and an additional 50 Baht for the Ferry. You can by a return ticket directly in Ekkamai, including also the ferry if you wish to. An extra 200 Baht have to be paid at the ferry terminal in Rayong, as national park fees, in order to be able to set foot on the island.
Concerning the accommodation, we have lastly decided to not book beforehand but look for accommodation once we are on the island. Arriving at the ferry terminal in Rayong, a bunch of Thai people will try to sell you and the other tourists a room to book directly at the ferry terminal. As we were quite tired from the long ride and we arrived quite late, we decided to book our first night directly at the ferry terminal, to avoid a possibly unsystematic and long search for an accommodation on site. As a conclusion I would say these offers should be treated with caution. As far as I am concerned the prices do not vary when booking at the ferry terminal or hotel directly. Nevertheless, the pictures of the accommodations can be misleading, the initial reason why we didn’t want to trust internet sites beforehand and rather wanted to have a look personally. The accommodation where we have spent our first night at was situated at the main beach Hat Sai Kaeo, in the North of Koh Samed. It was a bungalow park directly at the seaside, where the cheaper bungalows (like the one we booked) were a bit more upside, directly next to the road. The bungalow cost 600 Baht per person per night. It was a simple room equipped with a double bed with questionable mattress cover and rather unusable blanket, a small table, a wardrobe and a mirror. Additionally, a fan was affixed at the ceiling, giving one the feeling to lie directly next to a helipad when turned on, while it got unbearably hot in the room when turned off. This was additionally caused by the window which did not actually have a window pane but only a small mosquito net and bars in front of it, which did also not really damp the street noises in the early morning. About the bathroom I would rather make no comments at all, but to keep it short: the shower was, like in most other Asian backpacking hostels in the middle of the room, causing to get everything, really everything, wet when taking a shower. For a toilet flush and temperature regulation of the shower one searches for unsuccessfully. So much about the first, less comfy night in the ‘White Sand Bungalow Park’, which I wouldn’t really recommend to anyone, at least not the bungalow category we lived in. After having agreed upon the fact that there must be something better for the same prize on the next morning, we found only a few hundred meters further away from the beach ‘Mossmann House’, where we booked our second night. The room was simply beautiful, renovated just at the beginning of this year and totally up to European standards. And that for only 50 Baht more per Person, as in comparison to the crappy room the day before.
On our first evening we had only like an hour left at the beach before the sunset, as the journey from Bangkok takes longer than one expects. Even though it’s the main beach, it was relatively quiet there around that time. For dinner we chose a restaurant with low tables and seat cushions. The food there was typically Thai, but definitely more expensive than what one is used to from Bangkok. While in Bangkok you can easily get a stuffing meal for 40 Baht, here you have to expect at least 100 Baht. This might be as well the case because it is situated at the main beach. In the evening there was a fire show at the beach which was announced hours before by a neon sign. The show is for free and really impressive, therefore definitely recommendable. On the beach you can find many more restaurants like the one we ate at, where you can also go for a drink at night. We actually went to the same restaurant the following night, and chose for the BBQ this time where you can select fresh fish and seafood yourself.
Our only whole day in Koh Samed we of course spent at the beach. We started the day of with a breakfast with sea view. Close to the beach there is a small passage with small shops that sell everything one could need, be it a bikini, hat or just refreshment. The numerous vendors wandering along the beach the whole day also cater for refreshments and a small bite in between. They sell fruits, grilled meat, and other small things. In the evening every few hundred meters there is a stall selling pancakes. Those are not the traditional pancakes like we Europeans know them, but still delicious their way. If one likes to it’s possible to rent some deckchairs in front of the resorts, otherwise one can just look for a nice spot in the sand below the palm trees.
I can’t say much about the means of transportation on the island, as we were only there for a day and therefore only saw the main beach. From the ferry terminal, there is a free taxi to the main beach; from there you need to pay. The taxi drivers don’t really like to bargain, as tourists don’t really have another option to get around anyways. The taxis are trucks with benches affixed on the truck bed for the passengers.