Thailand (March 2008)
Scuba Diving at Koh Tao
I stayed at Blacktip Dive Resort in Tanote Bay on the island of Koh Tao, Thailand.
Koh Tao is a small island located about 70km north of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand. It has more than twenty dive sites and is supposed to be one of the best places in Asia for scuba diving, with visibility advertised at 20-30m. However, I was really unlucky with the weather for the three days I stayed there and the wind/rain reduced the visibility to 5-10m. Not very good at all. Never mind, I still saw plenty of coral and fish... I will just have to go again when the weather is better!
Lomprayah highspeed catarmaran from Koh Samui to Koh Tao
The main harbor at Mae Haad
The main harbor at Mae Haad
The main harbor at Mae Haad
View of the harbor from a restaurant
Mae Haad is the main town on Koh Tao!
The best pancakes in Koh Tao (it's true!)
The taxis on Koh Tao are mostly 4x4 pickups
Driving like idiots on rented quads
Eastern reef heron
Squirrel in the garden
House gecko on a tree in the garden
Blacktip Dive Resort in Tanote Bay
My bungalow at Blacktip Dive Resort
Inside my bungalow at Blacktip Dive Resort
The Blacktip pickup truck at the harbor
Koh Tao has VERY rough roads
Link to Youtube video showing the rough roads
"Boy" (his nickname) gave me a scuba review
"Boy" under the water
Blacktip Diving's "Boy" and "Tim" were our dive masters
Blacktip dive boat approaching the jetty - French family I dived with
Approaching Twin Rocks dive site at Nangyuan Island
Japanese Garden dive site at Nangyuan Island
Getting the scuba gear ready - an American couple I dived with
In the sea near the Blacktip Dive boat
The American couple under water - not good visibility!
Blacktip grouper
Blacktip grouper
Beaked butterflyfish
Hongkong butterflyfish
Cardinalfish and staghorn coral
Christmastree worms
Christmastree worms
Christmastree worms
Christmastree worms
Christmastree worms
Clam
Cleanerfish
Cleanerfish
Coral
Crown-of-thorns starfish
Eight-banded butterflyfish
Fish (not yet identified
Very friendly fish!
Fish (not yet identified)
Sergeant major (damselfish)
Double-barred rabbitfish and parrotfish
Double-barred rabbitfish
Fish (not yet identified)
Freckled goatfish
Longspine porcupinefish
Longspine porcupinefish
Moray eel
Moray eel
Parrotfish
Parrotfish
Parrotfish
Pink anemonefish
Pink anemonefish
Pink anemonefish
Red-breasted maori wrasse
Sea cucumber
Slingjaw wrasse
Squirrelfish
Squirrelfish
Tiger cowrie
Wrasse
Wrasse and damselfish