Thursday 23 May 2013

Snorkeling Adventure in Koh Tao


The day started off early for our snorkelling excursion. We had to be dropped off at the Pier where all the ferries also arrive. The tour was run by an older Australian man and cost 1545 baht for the entire day.

The tour comprised of 5 different areas around the island to stop for snorkelling, but our first stop at Shark Bay had to be skipped due to the rough waters coming in. I was disappointed.

The next stop was Aow Leuk Bay, and there were also a few other tours arriving at the same time. We excitingly jumped into the water, GoPro on my DIY GoPole in hand, and right away, there were abundant fish all around us! We had brought some bread with us to attract the fish right in front of us, and a flurry of them came to take quick nibbles at it.

There were big coral structures below us, with many different species of fish, including anemones and clown fish.


I was trying to turn my GoPro so that it faced me to get some footage of me swimming, but it turns out that the nut on the end of the mount can come out and it fell down to the floor. So note to others, be careful of the nut falling out when removing the screw (especially in water).


We stopped at a few other spots to snorkel. There were pretty much the same types of fish in all areas. I'm sure the variety of fish and coral is significantly better more out in the ocean and deeper down.

Our last stop was at the Nangyuan Island, considered to be most beautiful island, just west of where we were staying. We were given a couple of hours to explore. There is also a trail that leads to the top of the island mound but we decided to go snorkelling again in the bay.



When we returned to the main land, we had to go to our new accommodations, New Heaven Resort which was on Shark Bay. The resort was on a hillside so it had a nice eating/patio area at the top of the hill that overlooks the bay.

There was some mix up when we arrived, so we got upgraded to an ocean view bungalow for free! Not bad! All of the bungalows were down on the hill so there are a lot of stairs.

The bungalow was decently sized, with a king sized bed and mosquito net. There was also a balcony with chairs and tables that had a view out to the ocean. 
 
The best part was the outdoor washroom and shower as the view had no trees obstructing it. I’ve never had such a beautiful view while on the can haha!



Since we missed Shark Bay earlier in the day, and the tides had calmed down, We went snorkelling in search of the black tip reef shark. There was one other guy in the water and he briefly saw one but it was never to be seen again.

We had dinner at their restaurant that overlooks the bay and sat right along the railing. It was nice as you can see the lights of resorts on the other side of the bay.


Posted by Steven

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