*Disclosure – The dive operator was great. The dive masters I met were professional.
I might get cancelled for saying my opinion, but scuba diving in Koh Tao is not the way to go unless you want to get an open water license cheaply.
Thailand is well-known for many things, such as cheap food, elephants, nightlife, ladyboys etc. But for me, Thailand is known for their great dive sites … until now.
Koh Tao, a name that translates to ‘Turtle Island’, is a popular destination for scuba diving in Thailand. What sets it apart is the affordability it offers, making it a top choice for divers seeking a budget-friendly adventure. I did not stay at Koh Tao. Instead, I was staying at Koh Samui, so I can’t comment on the dive centres in Koh Tao, but I can describe the dive sites around Koh Tao.
Due to my abundant experience compared to other people on the boat, I did not find Koh Tao interesting. I could have saved so much money by going to Pulau Langkawi instead. I had seen many dead reefs around, and there wasn’t much to view, to be honest with you. To be fair, there were two titan triggerfish, a goliath codfish, two stingrays, and some nudibranchs, but I can also see those in Malaysia. Oh yeah, the water. The water was so muddy and cloudy.
On the second day, I was heading to Sail Rock, a famous dive site in the Gulf of Thailand where whale sharks sometimes pass by. Unfortunately, I did not see a whale shark, but that is not the problem. My major problem was the sheer number of divers at one dive site! Furthermore, I could immediately tell that some divers were new and inexperienced; it brought back some bad memories. I never sat with so many people in a boat before until now.
Sail Rock was better than Koh Tao Island; we saw lots of jackfish and barracudas, but again, it may be due to my bad luck, but the visibility was abysmal. It was so bad that we lost a diver halfway through the dive. However, the worst offender was the crowd; there were too many people around Sail Rock, and we sometimes bumped into divers from another group! This had never happened to me before.
Oh yeah, I have never seen any turtles on an island named Koh Tao. Strange.
Koh Tao is a literal factory of new open-water divers. It is not necessarily bad since everyone should get the opportunity to dive, but my god, the overcrowding problem ruined it for me.
Ironically, the best part of the dive trip was not underwater but during surface intervals. I met two families from Switzerland and China and had a great time with them. Congratulations to Annie and Juliette for achieving AOW! Welcome to the club. Divemaster Jo and Zyn from the Life Aquatic in Koh Samui were great, and I highly recommend them, especially if you are new or want to do some try dives. I also want to thank Taka-san from Japan and Pearly, Stacy and her sister from Singapore for being good dive buddies.
Looking back at this trip, I want to thank my dive instructors for teaching and training me to use the proper skills in a pool before going out in open water. I don’t want to sound like I am bragging, but I am one of the better divers out there. The dive instructor in Okinawa said that my buoyancy was perfect, and he was willing to take me to USS Emmons. Although I am a good diver, I can never be complacent since scuba diving is considered dangerous. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. Plan your dive, and dive your plan.
I think Koh Tao is a lost cause, and the Thai government should do something to protect the west side of Thailand, especially the Similan islands. I heard that Similan islands have some of the best dive sites worldwide, which can only be reached by liveaboads. This may filter out the casuals from the hardcore divers and make my dives more interesting.
Thailand should also follow Malaysia’s action to protect the best dive sites (Sipadan in Malaysia): limit the number of divers per day, only allow AOW divers and above, and have scuba police. The job of scuba police is to check the divers to see if they obey the local regulations.
Of course, here’s the video. Enjoy.