Koh Tao

To get from Cambodia to the Thai islands, we first had to head back to Bangkok, somewhere that we did not enjoy and we’re not looking forward to returning to. However, it really wasn’t as bad as we remembered. I think when we first arrived it was a bit of a culture shock, and we were a tad overwhelmed by the busyness; but we are totally used to Asia now and climatized to the weather! So, although it was still not suited to us, it really wasn’t so bad.

The first island we wanted to visit was Koh Tao. It is not too far from the main land and has a reputation for snorkelling and scuba diving!! We had also heard that it was one of the more chilled out islands, as opposed to a lot of the party islands. On our first day we went on a snorkelling trip, where a tour takes us around on a boat to a few different snorkelling sites and then rests on a small island further afield. The water was pretty choppy so snorkelling was harder than anticipated but still really fun! We didn’t see any sharks but we saw some pretty fish!

The next day will be one to remember forever! Kieran really wanted to go scuba diving so we opted to do a try-dive for a day where we learned how to dive in a pool and then headed out on a boat to dive with the fishies! We got one dive included in the price and then could pay to do an extra if we wanted to. In the pool, we had to learn what to do if our masks filled with water, or if our respirators fell out of our mouths, which was a bit scary so I (Rachel) did feel a bit anxious about the dive. But swimming and breathing under the water was totally fine, and Kieran found everything super easy. Once we got into the ocean it was a totally different experience! It was so relaxed and quiet, there was no time to worry about breathing correctly or panic about all of the equipment because there was so much going on that we wanted to see! We spent about 40 minutes underwater and went up to 11 meters on our first ever dive! Which apparently is pretty impressive! We saw some huge trigger fish and lots of little colourful guys. Kieran then opted to do a second dive because he’s such a pro, he reached 13 metres for 40 minutes, but I was content about my first dive so I stayed on the boat and drank tea. Apparently the second dive was prettier but whatever 🙄. Kieran and the instructor saw a blue spotted stingray which they were both over the moon about!

The whole thing was just an awesome experience and something we will never forget! Kieran is really wanting to get certified now so it’s definitely something to think about!

Much love, Kieran and Rach x