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the Gulf of Thailand,
and is a great place for divers who want to escape from places like Koh Samui,
because it is a bit quieter, perhaps because it isn’t very easy to
reach, in fact your only option is by boat.
From the south it will take about three hours by ferry from Surat
Thani on the mainland, one and a half hours from Koh Samui, and
around an hour from Ko Pha Ngan.
The options depend on where you are traveling from:
You might wish to take an overnight
ferry from Surat Thani, it leaves about eleven o’ clock at night and
arrives early morning, but if you use this option, get there early
to grab a good mattress position, and be warned they are old cargo
boats, and very basic, so you might feel happier with your own
inflatable life jacket!!
If you're coming from the north, Chumphon is the place you will
travel from and here you will find agents selling tickets for all
kind of boats, some take as little as 90 minutes, but others will
take 5 hours, so you choose according to how much you want to spend.
Another way is to get yourself on a day diving charter from Koh
Samui, these are high speed boats, and you could make Koh Tao in
around an hour.
However if it is comfort you are after, and a choice of departure
points, such as Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan and Chumphon, then the
Lomprayah High Speed Catamaran is probably the fastest and most
comfortable way to get to Ko Tao. They run twice daily, have online
booking, air conditioning, and movies.
You need to go snorkelling at Shark Bay, see the sunset from the
Thipimarn restaurant, and generally walk everywhere, because you
will see more and enjoy it more.
About The Author : Andy Perrin doesn't believe you have
to stay in 5* resorts or go where everyone else goes, so he finds
out of the way, and interesting destinations such as
http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/categories/Far-East-Hotels/Thailand/Koh-Tao/
Koh Tao
A tiny speck in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao
was once a place where political prisoners were incarcerated. These
days, this gorgeous island, with its mix of rocky secluded coastline
and palm-fringed beaches, attracts travelers who want to relax or
learn to scuba dive. (Koh Tao hosts the highest concentration of
dive schools in Asia.) The seas around
  
Koh Tao are an excellent
place to learn to dive, with weak currents, good visibility and a
full repertoire of exotic fish and corals. However, bad practices by
some of the less scrupulous dive schools, plus bad storms, have been
killing off coral and driving the bigger fish away. Koh Tao also has
terrible water shortages. How the island overcomes these issues will
have a huge bearing on its future.
How to get there: About 12 trains for Chumphon leave Bangkok daily.
The trip takes eight hours, with fares starting from 300 baht
(pounds 4.50). Get an early train to connect with the daily boats
that go from Chumphon to Koh Tao in two to six hours, with fares
costing 150 to 500 baht (pounds 2.30- pounds 8). Private speedboats can also be rented for transfers from
Chumphon, which seat 10 and cost about 20,000 baht (pounds 300) -
though you'll have to negotiate on the day.
Where to stay: Set on the far end of Sairee beach, Coral
Grand Resort (00 66 2 629 2916; www.kohtaocoral.com) offers both a
dive school and superb accommodation. A new resort with a very
well-run and equipped dive school, its bungalows are stylish to a
fault. It's also one of only two places on the island that has its
own pool, making it an excellent choice for scuba beginners -
they'll even let you do a free test dive. Bungalows start from 1,900
baht (pounds 30) with online reductions.
What to do: With 200,000 Padi certificates handed out last
year and Open Water courses costing about 6,500 baht (pounds 110),
learning to scuba is what most people visit Koh Tao for.
There are more than 20 dive schools on the island, some operating
like Padi factories. Whichever dive school you choose, make sure the
equipment is new, well maintained and has a low student to
instructor ratio. The best courses, with no more than five students
per instructor and new equipment, are scarce and can cost up to 40
per cent more at 10,000 baht (pounds 160). Scuba can be
dangerous, so it is well worth investing in the best course you
can afford. The Coral Grand Resort has excellent courses starting
from 1,600 baht (pounds 25) and pleasure dives from 700 baht (pounds
11.50). All courses include transport, equipment, lunch and soft
drinks. On dry land, there's some good walking, meditation retreats
and, of course, the beach. Mopeds hire costs 150 baht (pounds 2.30)
per day.
From
Independent, The (London), by Andrew Spooner
750 divers
break world record off Koh Tao coast of Surat Thani
In
Thailand the world record for the largest mass dive was broken yesterday
when 750 divers took part in an event off the coast of Koh Tao, an
event which the provincial authority hopes will put the southern
island firmly on the world diving map.
Over 10,000 tourists flocked to the island yesterday to
witness the event, which was promoted by the Koh Tao Diving
Association and local administrative authorities.
The 750 divers had gathered from Thailand and around the world to
participate the event, which marks the biggest mass dive on record,
breaking the record previously achieved by Australia two years ago
when 590 divers gathered for a similar event.
Mr. Wichit Srisang, head of the Koh Tao Diving Association,
expressed confidence that the event would help turn the island into
one of the world’s most important diving locations.
Although included in yesterday’s event were a ‘Miss Dive Shop’
contest, longboat races and demonstrations from the Royal Thai
Navy.
Diving On Koh Tao In
Thailand
Scuba diving is by
far the biggest attraction on Ko Tao, and it is easy, fun, and
you will see a lot of fish, perhaps even turtles, stingrays,
barracuda, reef sharks, and even a whale shark if you get lucky
You will get good diving weather on Koh Tao apart from November,
when the sea is choppy, and visibility is poorer than normal.
The visibility can be over 40 metres during the rest of the year.
You will find a lot of dive operators on the island, and some
of them offer accommodation. Just beware that when you read the
accommodation is free, it’s not really, because they will offer
discounts if you stay somewhere else.
  
In 2006 you will pay in the region of 10,000 bht for a PADI open
water certificate, and this should include the new PADI training
manual, proper professional instruction, rental equipment, boat
dives etc. This may include insurance and basic accommodation, but
shop around, and remember the methods of instruction may differ
enormously.
A few hints include avoiding shops that use swimming pools to teach
you in. You’ll find it cold, boring, and unhygienic, bearing in mind
this is a very popular diving island, and they will have literally
hundreds of students .
Choose one that will take you to a private beach so you will see
fish and coral right away, it is a lot more interesting, and you
will probably get more dives!!
It’s also a good idea to find a dive shop that has its own private
pier, so you won’t have to climb over other boats at the pier,
although you won’t be carrying your dive gear, that should be
carried by a Dive Master Trainee. In addition you ought to ask how
many students there will be in your group, because there should not
be more than a small handful, if they tell you there will be more
than ten then look elsewhere. You want personal tuition for
something as important as this, and you want your course to be
really enjoyable.
Some dive shops list, this list whilst by no
means exhaustive, is at least a starting point.
1. Coral Grand . Located in a much quieter area than
the other dive shops, at the far end of the beach, the hotel is more
upmarket than most on the island although the 'free' rooms are still
basic. Operates 2 dive boats plus a speed boat.
2. Divepoint . Located in Mae Haad on the waterfront.
Divepoint has probably the nicest dive boat on the island, big
enough that you won't have to carry your gear to and from it. PADI
and SSI.
3. Easy Divers. Fantastic Dive Shop with really
experienced instructors. Professional and fun with great
accommodation. Based right in the heart of Ko Tao.
4. IDC Ko Tao. Instructor development courses (IDC's)
run every month by English PADI Course Director Matt Bolton.
5. Phoenix Divers. Right on Sairee Beach, has good
boats, new gear and multilingual often western staff.
6. Stingray Divers. Very modern dive resort
overlooking Chalok Ban Khao Bay.
Author: Andy Perrin
Hope this information
helps you to have great diving experience on Koh Tao.
About The Author : Andy Perrin feels you don't need five star to
have a great vacation, and if you want to check out what he means
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