Turtling in Koh Tao

Having spent seven nights on Koh Phi Phi, four more than we had anticipated, we thought we'd better move on. We were planning on being on Koh Phagnan for the Full Moon Party but had some time to spare before then, so we decided to go to the diver's paradise of Koh Tao. A ferry to Krabi, followed by a bus to Suratthani and then another ferry to Koh Tao meant that our journey was long. This was not helped by the fact that Pete had decided to empty his stomach first on the bus and then while waiting for the ferry to Tao. Fortunately, he seemed to have gotten rid of whatever it was that was bothering him by the time we arrived, but Charlotte and I nevertheless left him asleep in a cafe while we searched for somewhere to stay.

Our prospects looked bleak at first but eventually we found a nice beachfront hut which had become available that day. Tired and mildly ill, the air con and TV were very welcome, and we spent the day dipping in and out of the sea on the beach which stood no more than 10 metres from our place. The waves in Tao meant that the sea was somewhat more refreshing than that which we had grown accustomed to in Phi Phi, where the sea is a cool 30 degrees and where the shallows seemingly stretch for hundreds of metres before some deeper, colder water can be found.

Charlotte and I were feeling well and Pete, as ever, fancied pete-za, so we headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I risked having a couple of Changs and some pasta, which was an awful decision and I spent the night emptying my stomach in the bathroom and generally stopping the others from getting a good sleep. The diving we had booked for the next day all of a sudden seemed somewhat less appealing.

Nevertheless when we woke up Charlotte managed to book us on to a snorkelling trip and moved the diving back a day. Unfortunately, Pete had been suffering from earache as well as his upset stomach, and the doctor told him that he would not be able to dive. He wasn't even supposed to swim but we decided that he couldn't come to Koh Tao and not see the majestic marine life the island has to offer. While the island no longer lives up to its name - Koh Tao means 'Turtle Island' - since the turtles have gone away, the island still has all sorts of fish swimming on its shores, and even Leopard Sharks are spotted(!). Pete made the executive decision that jumping 20 feet off the top of the snorkelling boat was not included in the doctor's list of forbidden activities.

Our snorkelling tour involved shadowing a group of qualified divers, who were out for 'fun dives' on the island. We basically tagged along to their two dive sites and made the most of our limited view of the sea below, heading to shallower waters to make it easier for ourselves. While I found the experience at first daunting (my completely irrational fear of sharks and open water nagging on my mind) the others guided me around and we saw some really cool fish. I would love to tell you more about what we saw, but my limited knowledge of fish eliminates that possibility. I can tell you that we saw a Parrot fish (pictured), what looked like a toad fish (unofficial name there), an Angel fish (according to Pete) and what Charlotte described as an 'angry orange fish', among others. A quick google of 'Koh Tao fish' tells me that we also saw an Oriental Butterfly fish, a Bat fish, perhaps a Hump-head Parrot fish and also maybe a Giant Grouper. To the untrained eye it looked a lot like the cast of Finding Nemo.

Still feeling sketchy that evening, I opted for a rather bland tomato soup in a restaurant, while Pete and Charlotte were slightly more adventurous with their chicken sandwich and pesto pasta. We watched ESPN 5, which is always on in Thailand because it shows the table tennis and wrestling events from the Olympics. Table tennis is really funny - especially when they show it in slow motion. Brilliant.

The next day Charlotte and I had to abandon Pete while we went on our dive. The ride from the diving shop to the dive site on the other side of the island was quite scary; we sat, legs dangling perilously over the edge of the pick-up truck, clinging on for dear life as the truck struggled up hills as steep as black ski runs and then back down them. On the boat, the diving gear was explained to us by our instructor and we tried out some exercises underwater, such as how to clean your mask, how to find a lost mouthpiece and how to clear water out of your mouthpiece. Needless to say, we passed with flying colours. Our instructor decided we were ready for the real deal and this time took us on a half-hour dive, pointing at various sights underwater and drifting between the rocks like we ourselves were fish too. I absolutely loved it, and I think tackling my fears head on has probably resolved them. Probably. Anyway, we went for a second dive an hour or so later in a different place, which was great fun.

Having made our way back somehow alive after that frightful truck journey again, Charlotte and I found Pete, who was suffering from an upset tummy again. He opted out of the beachside BBQ we'd found for 100 baht (2 squid), probably a wise move given that our ferry for Koh Phagnan left the next morning.