Koh Tao , our favourite place so far

  Koh Tao, Thailand
Sunday, November 2, 2008

We arrived in Koh Tao about 11 am, safe in the knowledge that we knew exactly where we wanted to go, a rarity in our trip so far. We decided earlier, after talking to others during the trip, that we were going to go diving with Ban's, who are the largest dive school in the world.

Bans Reception

We sought out the Ban's rep amongst the masses and hopped into the back of his pickup, big bags in tow. We were joined by two Ozzie's on the trip to the dive school, which was not very far away. Once there it was time to haggle about the price of the course, the open water diving course by PADI. A successful negotiator will aim to unsettle the other party from the off, and Ban's have this art down to a tee. We had to deal with this girl, who was a guy with a tash but dressed in women's clothes, permed hair and flashy earrings, whose name was actually She. We eventually settled on paying 9,800 baht each. We also got an air con room for 300 baht per night, which is the equivalent of under $8. Not bad considering one couple we were talking to about this island told us they paid over $120 per night for similar accommodation. We decided not to waste any time and to start the dive course that evening at 5 pm. We checked into the room and took a walk around to look for a cheap place to get lunch.

I'm in heaven

We found a nice place next door to Ban's which was very cheap, and nice which is always good. The two Ozzie's from the pickup were eating here also. After this we headed to the pool to relax before we go back to school, as the tide was in and there was little sand on the beach.
 
At 5 pm we headed to the classroom to watch a video on diving safe and the technical side of diving. We also met our dive instructors, Andy from England and Ronan from Israel. The video seemed to go on forever, it was unbelievably boring and we had to do an exam on it at the end of watching it. We were the last to arrive at the classroom and were immediately christened team Ireland, we would be diving together throughout the course for fear we would suffer withdrawl symptoms if we were apart for more that 10 minutes after being joined at the hip for what seems like 10 years at this stage. Along with us there was team Australia (Jamie and Ryan), the two Ozzie's we just can't get away from, team Israel (Mike and Autumn), team New Zealand (Ben and David) and Fi, the lonely billy no mates English girl. After school we went for dinner and a movie, every pub shows movies in Asia, then bed for our big day tomorrow.
 
The next morning we were to be at reception at 8 am to get fitted for our equipment for the next few days. Our class today is to be held in the swimming pool where we are to acclimatize with the equipment and get used of the underwater breathing. The first task in the pool was to swim 6 laps of the pool to prove we could actually stay afloat. I nearly died, I had never swam that distance nonstop in the little time I have been swimming. After this we had to thread water for 10 minutes, then it was into the real thing. We are first shown different skills we will need to perfect during the course. It covers all angles incase anything goes wrong when you are under water. These skills are very simple but effective, and really does put you at ease as to your safety under water. We took time to perfect all our skills and finished off the session by lying in the resontile position (Ronan couldn't pronounce horizontal) above the bottom of the pool and moving up and down by breathing only, not moving hands or feet. This is a really cool feeling once you can do it, you are termed to be neutrally buoyant.
 
Once out of the pool we had time for a quick lunch and then back to the classroom to do more of the theory part of the course. After class myself and Elaine strolled up to the village where we got the boat in and it is a really nice place to walk around. We stop off at an Irish bar for a home cooked meal. We were the only two in the bar, and there was good reason for it. The food was a big let down. We took it easy for the evening and had an early night, as we were going diving for real in the morning.

Sunset in Koh Tao

 
The next morning it is earlier again as we have to be at reception at 7 am. We take our equipment in a dive bag and out in the speed boat to the dive boat. We are given a particular area on the boat to get changed at, just as well because the boat is mobbed. It's easy to see why they are the biggest dive school in the world, this is off peak season after all. We got set up in the corner and then headed upstairs for a dive briefing. Unless you know what you are doing this is a waste of time. Ronan started talking about the direction we were going to be heading under water and the types of fish we would see. Unfortunately we are no experts on fish outside of the fact that we both knew a fish was pretty looking when we saw one. After the briefing we headed down to suit up for the dive. We performed  buddy check, I check Elaine's equipment and she checks mine, to make sure everything is working as should be... To help remember the buddy check to lads told us a really catchy line to help us remember the sequence. Bangkok Women Really Are Fellas (BCD, Weightbelt (must be right hand release), Release straps, Air, Final OK). All that is left is to take the plunge into the water. We were diving at a site called Twins and would dive to a depth of 12 metres.
 
We enter the water using the imaginatively named giant step technique, where you take a giant step off the side of the boat. PHOTO_ID_R=img_0079.jpg]

Bombs away

Tommy where's your ok signal

You missed it he slipped

We head down the rope, having to equalize (pop your ears to relieve the pressure) about every half metre as we head down. Elaine had difficulty equalizing at first, she reckoned it had something to do with me constantly pulling them, so everyone left her and went to a sandy area on the bottom to practice our skills for real this time. She eventually joins us and we get started. The whole experience is pretty surreal and the clarity under water was just ridiculous.

Were like fish already

We could see up to about 20 metres away, and to watch the different fish flying (ok swimming) by and all the coral covering the giant pinnacles was just amazing. After the skills are all done we get into our teams and head off for a look around. We head with Andy, which is really cool as he was very laid back and showed us some wicked looking fish and coral. He was also really entertaining with the little tricks he could do under water. It is really difficult to get the hang of the breathing under water, and worse to try and manovre without using your hands. As I was saying the visibility was about 20 metres when we were on the sand, but with all the hands flailing while moving the visibility was reduced by the debris being scattered everywhere. After 40 minutes we are all running low on air and surface, right by the boat.
 
After a brief rest on board we head up for our next brief. We are going diving in White Rock, another popular dive site. Again it is to a depth of 12 metres. Ronan gives everyone tips on what they are doing wrong and right and it helps alot when we head back down. Heading into the water Andy shows us the alternative entry into the water, called the flying Mexican. You turn your back to the water and drop in throwing your legs up in the air. It is a softer entry as the air tank takes the impact, and looks cool also. I head in this way, but my tank is not properly strapped in and ends up floating beside me in the water. Elaine does not trust the entry and jumps into the water the regular way. One of the lads gave Elaine a tip to swallow, it is easier to go down that way. She said it actually did work, and had no hesitation going down from then on. First up again was skills on a sandy area. The main objective this time was to perfect our buoyancy, which we were both having a little difficulty with. Ronan took some weight off my belt and Andy adjusted the weights on Elaine's belt, she had been dragging left so far. It is amazing how little adjustments help so much under water. After the skills session we headed off with Andy again. He brought us through gaps in the rocks, which was cool, and showed us little Nemo's, which have which live in a circular enclosure and never move from there. Not realising this I headed straight into the circle to get a closer look. I was not in the circle long when I was grabbed by Andy and pulled back out. We realised later the circle was put there by divers as a barrier not to pass in order to protect the clownfish. Again the dive lasted about 40 minutes.
 
We got back to Bans about 2 pm, went for lunch and then hit the beach. While at the beach we spot two apes bobbing in the water with one are out holding a large beer (bottles of large beer have 750 mls in them). On closer inspection it is the two Ozzies that we just can't avoid. We finally got chatting with them and they were dead sound. They were having the beer to celebrate the success of todays diving so they twist our arm and talk us into joining them for one.

Another fabulous sunset

Tommy, Ryan & Seamus bobbing in the water

Happy sunset times

Once the sun went down the four of us headed to have dinner. They brought us in the opposite direction to the way we walked the day before. We had thought that there was nothing down this end, but it turned out to be the actual town and was a really nice place. The lads are step brothers from Sydney and in Thailand for a month's break. Jamie had a break between jobs, but Ryan quit his because he couldn't get the holidays. We ended up back at the bar in Bans with the lads, where we meet Paul from the trekking; he had completed the open water course that day. After talking to him we are really looking forward to tomorrow, he reckons it was one of the best days ever. With this in mind we leave the two boys and head to bed in anticipation of tomorrow.
 
Its a 7.30 am start the next morning. We are both a little tired after our activities the night before, but nothing like the two boys from Sydney, they are both fairly unhealthy. We head out to the boat and at this stage there has been an obvious split in the group. One of the Israel guys has been annoying everyone all along, especially the Ozzie's. He has been unapproachable to talk to, obnoxious in his answers, and generally just getting in everyone's way in the water and slowing everything down.
 
The first dive is back at White Rock, but this time we go to a depth of 18 metres. We again start with the basic skills on the sandy area, accompanied by a cameraman for the day. When it is Elaine's turn to fill her mask with water and clear it by blowing air out through her nose while tilting her head up in the air. When she was about to open her eyes Andy leaned in for a kiss. Elaine saw this and didn't know what to do, he was kind of cute but I was there and so was the camera. On this dive we see some much bigger fish, such as blue spotted sting rays, puffer fish, groupers and loads of trigger fish. The breathing and air consumption is getting easier all the time, and we are getting more comfortable being in the water and enjoying it much more. The evidence of this is the fact we were down deeper on this dive and yet used oxygen more conservatively to the extent that we were down for 45 minute.
 
Our last dive on the course is back at Twins again for a fun dive, the skills are all done at this stage. At one point Ronan gets us to remove our flippers when on the sand and run along the sea floor. He explained before going down that this is the closest experience you will have to walking on the moon while still out in the open on earth. Again we saw some amazing fish and the whole experience has been awesome.
 
Everyone met up for dinner and we watched the video from that day. The video was class but we did not buy it as it was costing about $100 for one copy. All the way through the dives Ronan was telling us that we were mad if we did not continue on and do the advanced open water course while we had the chance, it is the cheapest place in the world for doing the dive courses. We all discussed it, the five of us as the two from New Zealand had to head the next morning. We all decided to do it, but were heading down en masse to bargain for the price, power in numbers and all that. As we have decided to do the next course we are sensible and are back in the room for about 12.30, the two Ozzie's tore the arse out of it agin though. The night did end on a sour note though, Elaines good flip flops had been robbed. She was seriously annoyed, but refused to just take someone else's pair as the Ozzie's were trying to get her to do.
 
In the morning we went down and got a good deal of 1,000 baht discount each, this is on top of the 25% you get off doing the course straight after the other. I also bluff my way into getting 800 baht back from the first course by returning one of the books.
 
On this course we have to be able to find our own way around a dive site so we head to the beach for some navigation skills. We have to march around on the sand like ejects with one arm outstretched to make sure we are heading straight at all times. The rain came saving us any more embarrassment as we headed to the class room to complete the training. After lunch we were back on the boat and out to the dive sites again. We all have that extra bit of arrogance now as we are more advanced than almost everyone on the boat, in title only though trust me. We headed to Champon Pinnacle for the first dive to 30 metres, a deep dive only done on the advanced course. We were all really looking forward to this dive as Ronan, our only instructor on this course, had told us all the way through so far that we could see whale sharks while down here. So we all head down and are amazed by what we see, further out than the other dive sites so more fish and coral is visible. We head down to 30 metres and at this point Ronan does a test to see if anyone is suffering from nitrogen narcosis. This is where the level of nitrogen in the tank begins to make you feel intoxicated and you become slower to respond to simple questions. It is a mad condition as if it affects you at one depth, if you move up 1/2 metre it will no longer affect you. To test for this Ronan would show us a number of fingers, between 1 and 10, and we would have to show him back to make up a sum of 11. We all passed, well Fi passed after the third attempt. As I said we saw some more amazing fish but all came up disappointed not to have seen a whale shark. When we got up we were told that the group out diving in the morning had seen whale sharks below.
 
The next dive we did was our first navigation dive. Our goal was to go down and travel around finding all there was to be seen under water and come back up at the boat, otherwise we would have to swim back. We were again back at White Rock for this dive to make it easier, we were meant to be familiar with the site at this stage. When we went down, what actually happened proved otherwise. We swam around on our own taking everything in, it is not a huge site so not so difficult to swim around. When our air was beginning to run low we began to try work out where we were, having not paid a blind bit of notice up to this point. We swam around aimlessly until we got to Nemo. Once there we knew we weren't far from the boat so we began to slowly surface. Closer to the surface you must do a safety stop for 3 minutes at 5 metres, and at this time I spotted the boat in the distance. Feeling excited I tried to explain to Elaine that the boat was over there and that we must go to the back to get back on board. Elaine moved off as if she understood but instead of swimming over she just surfaced. Once up we had a bit of a heated discussion on the water, as everyone else had gotten back to the back of the boat (we were just above the front), and agreed in the end that we had some communication problems below that needed to be ironed out (I don't think we will be setting the world alight if we play charades any time soon). Ronan was very encouraging when we got back to the boat, but we knew deep down that we had not navigated one bit throughout the dive.
 
We went back for dinner after that dive and then back out to do a night dive. This time to mix things up we went to a dive site called Twins, for a change. We were a bit apprehensive about this one as it was going to be dark and we would be using flashlights. Ronan continuously assured us that once you get in you would be amazed by what you can see, and at the end of the dive we would swim for ten minutes with no torch at all. Fair enough!!
 
When we got into the water it was spectacular. We were under in no time, as there were no other groups to wait around for. Going down it was amazing to shine the light in a general direction and see fish flying in and out of your vision. The sea is alot more alive at night also. Once on the bottom we first had to prove we could do our navigation skills. Thank God for Elaine, because I got completely confused and ended up being towed back to the start point by her. Two of the Israelis somehow got completely lost and started swimming up instead of over and were near the surface when Ronan spotted them. He had to chase up to bring them back down, and told us to stay where we were. As you can imagine visibility was not the best so most people did not see him say wait and just followed after him. We had no choice but to go along, as otherwise we would be left behind on our own. The problem was that Ronan took of like a lunatic and nobody could keep up so everyone ended up losing eachother. This mess took a few minutes to sort out and then we got on with the dive. It was a very different experience, as you wanted to look at all the fish as much as possible, but did not want to get lost in the dark so tried to keep an eye on Ronan at all times also. At the end of the dive we all shut off our flashlights, as promised. It was a freakier experience than anything else I had ever done. We were about 12 metres under water swimming in almost total darkness. However after a short time our eyes adjusted to the light and we began to relax. This was actually the coolest experience of all the diving so far. Any time you move your hand or a fin moves infront of your face, the area around the impact area is lit up by plankton glowing in the dark. It might sound corny but it really was a surreal experience.
 
Absolutely shattered we, the five of us had become really good friends at this stage, went for a quick bite to eat, you would be starving after the dives, and then off to bed. There was a massive party just kicking off in the bar when we left.
 
The next morning we wake up to heavy downpours but seeing as we are going to get wet in the water anyway it does not make much odds. Plus it is meant to be really cool to look up from under water and see the rain falling on the surface. First thing we do is go fill out the documentation for the course so we don't have to wait around when we finish today. Before leaving home myself and Elaine had a "discussion" about whether we should buy an underwater digital camera or not. I found a really cheap one online, and tried to persuade Elaine to buy it but there was no agreement, it was a waste of money and we would never use it. Well on our last two dives guess what we need? That's right an underwater camera, and to rent it for the day costs more than the other one was to buy outright. So to cut costs we decided to get two cameras between the five of us. As Fi was diving with one of the Israelis Ronan felt it was better to share between the six of us. That meant it was cheaper again so it suited us just fine. We were trying to sort out the money now, as we had to pay up front before leaving. Nobody had the exact change so Elaine went to gather everyone's money together and get change from the bar. Everyone handed over the money no questions, except for Mike the Israeli. He basically told Elaine to shove off, and she was not happy. A while later Mike came back with his money, long after everyone else had sorted out theirs, and handed it to Elaine and at the same time says "See, it's not so difficult". She was ready to rip his head off at this stage, but decided to be dignified and just avoid him for the rest of the day (not a difficult thing to do as we are all leaving the island tomorrow for different destinations).
 
Out on the boat we decide to share a camera between the two of us and Jamie and Ryan. The lads were taking it down for the first dive and we had it for the second. The first dive was a naturalist dive and Ronan gave us a list of different types of fish and coral to find. We were back again at Twins again, so it is becoming more familiar all the time. We stuck close to the lads to start the dive, as they wanted to get a few pics of us under water together. Midway through we headed off on our own to find all the aforementioned fish and coral. Near the end of the dive we met Fi and Mike and they are completely lost. Elaine indicated to Fi that we knew where we, so she began following us back towards a reference point. Even under water and with a regulator in his mouth you could still see that Mike was not happy. At the end of the dive we surfaced at the boat, which was a real buzz for both of us.
 
The next dive we took the camera down, this one was a photographic dive. We took a shot of pictures of the two lads acting the maggot and then went off taking pictures of all the fish. By the end of this dive we were so lost it was not funny. We never took note of our compass, to be honest we never listened to what direction the boat was in anyway, or any of the reference points under water so any attempt to find the boat were futile. All we could do was surface where we were, which turned out to be about 70 metres from the boat. We then had to kick like crazy on our backs to get back to the boat, only for Ronan to tell us that if we had gone back down under water slightly the current would have been much weaker and we could have swam easily back the regular way, not exactly rocket science but never dawned on us.
 
When we got back the five of us went for dinner down in the town, Elaine had her first bucket, and after we went to meet the rest to collect our pictures from the dives. PHOTO_ID_R=26774215.jpeg]

Tommy & Fi with the famous buckets

After collecting them Ronan stayed for a drink with the five of us. There was a bit of a party started and we had something to celebrate, so we didn't hold back. It was funny at one stage the DJ was playing rap and Jamie started whinging that there was no beat to "that music". He got some grief as he is in his mid thirtys, easily the old man in the group. It sickened him completely the Ryan can really bust a move and could make it look easy dancing to rap.

She's really hurting him

Tommy & Seamus (Jamie)

Elaine & Seamus our graduation night

Next morning its up to head to the islands on the other side of Thailand. It is pouring rain again, and we have to head in the back of the pickup. When we arrived at the boat dock, about 10 minutes before the boat came, I realised that I was after leaving one of my bags behind in Ban's. I had to run out to a taxi and try head back grab the bag and make it back in time for the boat. The taxi driver is basically trying to rip me off, he is trying to charge about $7. On principle I was ready to leave the bag behind and head back to Elaine and them when I realise that the bowls for our cereal is in the bag. It may sound ridiculous but that was the clincher, I then have to swallow my pride and bolt back to Bans. I got the bag and was back in plenty time for the boat.