Koh Tao

12.07.-17.07.2017

After having a day to recover from the Full Moon Party, we have to say goodbye to Basti for now. He won't accompany us to the Turtle Island as he doesn't plan on getting a diving license like us. Hopefully, we can meet him again in Bangkok. So now, there are only three of us taking the ferry to Koh Tao. Once we arrive, we are taken directly to the diving center by a taxi, which conveniently is not far from our accommodation. After filling out all the forms, Jasmin has already started her theoretical lessons. Luckily, we have already done all that and only need to take practical diving lessons for our Advanced Open Water Diver license.

Over the next two days, we have 5 dives that train us in underwater navigation, current, night, deep, and wreck diving. Our favorite is the deep dive, where we have to do a test at a depth of 27 meters to prove that we are not under anesthesia due to the inhaled nitrogen. Of all the dive sites in Koh Tao, this one is the most beautiful, as it offers underwater mountains and even small valleys. Additionally, we get to see a cute, small, yellow boxfish.

One day after successfully completing our diving training, Claudi and I rent a scooter to explore the island with its different bays. Jasmin is still busy with her training for one more day. We visit the southernmost bay of the island for snorkeling and relaxation. The reef is very close to the beach, and both of us get to see a blacktip reef shark :)

In the evening, we meet up with Jasmin and her diving buddies. Together, we go to some beach bars where fire shows are performed.