Koh Tao, Thailand

The tropical island of Koh Tao lies in the Gulf of Thailand, about a two hour ferry ride from the mainland. The gulf at this time of year is calm and warm, clear and full of life. This makes it a paradise for scuba divers. There are many islands in the gulf, all of which are known for the beaches and the diving. Koh Tao is special because it is known as the most inexpensive place in the world to learn to scuba. Just what we were looking for.

We spent five days on the island, four of which were spent doing our scuba certification training at Crystal Dive resort. The dives were amazing! We dove to 18 meters (about 60 ft) one morning to view amazing coral, sting ray, eel, squid, barracuda and fish galore! The feeling of being weightless down there was wonderful--easy to get distracted from the importance of breathing and equalizing. We're now PADI Open Water Scuba certified- yeah!

The beaches and the restaurants were fabulous as well. The small island to the left of Debbie is the area of Twins, White Rock and Japanese Gardens- where we did our dives.


Although just about any type of cuisine, from Irish pub fare to Mexican to sushi was available on the island, nevertheless we budget conscious travelers ate a lot of Pad Thai, the most basic Thai food available. Very tasty and very inexpensive. Khawp khun khrap!