Koh Tao: 14th - 20th Jan 2019

After enjoying our extended stay in Koh Phangan to the fullest and saying goodbye to Michel, Josephine and I took the ferry to Koh Samui. This was unavoidable, as I needed to extend my visa for Thailand by one month before it expired, and there is no immigration office on the other islands. Fortunately, the trip, including the paperwork, could be completed in one day, so Josephine and I arrived in Koh Tao as planned on Monday evening. Michel was already tired of island life and flew to Bangkok earlier.

Compared to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, Koh Tao is a relatively small island and particularly popular among divers. There are dive centers everywhere, and masses of people complete diving certifications. We were extremely grateful to have chosen the right school. A old friend of mine is currently doing his Master Diver training there and recommended it to us - so a big thanks to him. Master Divers (beware of product placement) is well organized, the staff is friendly, and our instructor Andy was incredibly motivated and luckily patient ;) Josephine and I even had the incredible privilege of being the only two students in the group! The four days of our PADI Open Water Diver course flew by and proved to be quite challenging. Besides theory in the morning, we spent most of the afternoon in the water and on the boat. Andy didn't settle for anything less than both of us mastering all the exercises. After hours in and under the water, blisters on our feet, and dropping body temperature, the warm shower in the evening was pure bliss! But it was definitely worth it, and now we can officially call ourselves PADI Open Water Divers. We might consider taking the Advanced course at a later date in a different country.

The last day (Friday) before departure was originally planned for exploring the island, but then the lovely weather decided to completely ruin our plans. Apart from a creepy viewpoint somewhere on a hill, we didn't see much. And to top it off, we had a little accident with the scooter and had to pay 8000 Baht (about 250 CHF) when returning it. Well, shit happens. Overall, Josephine and I had a great time on Koh Tao, and who knows, maybe one day we'll see more than just the coral reefs and fish there.