Diving Oasis Koh Tao

On my first morning on Koh Tao, I started with diving theory at 09:30. I met Chris, my diving instructor, and we had a cozy breakfast together to discuss the important things for an advanced diving course. It was awesome that I was the only student who started with the advanced certificate that day. After that, I had a short 40-minute break to pack my things and get some food before packing my diving gear and heading to the pier. Once there, I had to climb onto the boat, something that would never happen in Germany - too risky. On the boat, we set up the equipment and then relaxed on deck. Chris gave me some information about the upcoming dive and about fish that we should stay away from. I was pretty nervous, considering I hadn't dived in two years and now we were going down to 30 meters deep. And just like that, we arrived at the dive site and started putting on our gear - into the cool water we went. The current was quite strong, so we descended about the first 10 meters on a line. Then we slowly went down to 26.5 meters. Chris had a tomato and an egg with him. Underwater, the color red is not perceived by the eye, so the tomato, with its weird dark brown color, could have been an unknown fruit. We cracked the egg open and the egg white rose immediately to the surface, while the yolk floated weightlessly and we played a round of ping pong with it. To test if I would experience nitrogen narcosis at greater depths, he gave me a simple math problem, and then we continued the dive. After 45 minutes, we resurfaced and quickly connected the next oxygen tank. There was an hour break between dives, and we headed to a new dive site. During the second dive, I was no longer nervous, even though it was the navigation segment. We went underwater again with a compass and dive computer. Dives just pass by way too quickly! Back on the boat, we connected a fresh oxygen tank and headed to the pier. There, Chris and I quickly grabbed a bite to eat, because half an hour later, we were back out to sea. Next up was the night dive. With a compass, dive computer, and flashlight, we entered the water at dusk. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous beforehand because I couldn't really imagine it. But it's truly amazing! After a while, we turned off our flashlights and let our movement illuminate the plankton. It's simply beautiful and indescribable. Chris asked if I wanted to continue diving with or without light,... Definitely without, because it's even more beautiful. After three dives, I was really tired and just fell into bed! The next morning, we met again at 07:15 and boarded the boat. The next two dives. This time, I brought my action camera and we took films and photos during the dive. We had also decided the day before to bring something to drink underwater, so at a depth of about 16 meters, we shared a cola - it was funny, you should try it. Unfortunately, due to the weather, we couldn't go to the wreck dive site, which I would have really liked. In the evening, Andrea and I strolled through the streets for a bit. Off to bed... The next diving day was free for me. So I decided to just go for a walk and see Koh Tao from the land side. First along the beach, have a leisurely breakfast with a sea view, and then head up into the woods. My goal was to somehow get to the top of the mountain to get an overview of Koh Tao from above. Higher and higher... Eventually, a car stopped and a woman asked if she could give me a ride for a bit. I agreed and saved myself a good 20 minutes uphill. She showed me where to continue walking, and I walked straight through the forest. After an hour, I finally reached the top and enjoyed the view. Since it was still relatively early, I walked down the other side of the mountain. There, people asked me if I wanted to hop on the back and if they should take me to the beach. And just like that, I found myself at a truly dreamy beach. Unfortunately, I didn't have a towel with me, so after a quick refreshment in the sea, I had to sit on my pants. I treated myself to half an hour of rest and then made my way back. Over an hour uphill and then the whole way back. In total, I was on the road for another two hours and arrived back at the resort just in time for the rain to start. Since it was our last evening on Koh Tao and Andrea had completed her Open Water Diver course, we watched a final video together with her diving group and then had dinner. Afterwards, we briefly went to the bar with Chris and then said our goodbyes. It always astonishes me how quickly you can take people into your heart. Off to the room, pack up, and then off to bed, because the next morning started just five hours later.

In conclusion, I can say that on Koh Tao, for the first time, I really missed my loved ones and had a real low point. Especially on the first day, after too little sleep, I would have loved to be at home. And everything was a bit overwhelming at times. Too many people, too many tourists, too much hustle and bustle. That's why I was all the happier that the next day, we made our way towards Khao Sok National Park.