Our main mission in Koh Tao, Thailand was to get me certified for scuba diving. Koh Tao is the second cheapest place in the world to get certified next to Honduras. It worked out well for us because not only were we planning to go there for the beautiful beaches and cheap diving, but the diving is spectacular off of Koh Tao. We checked into our muggy guesthouse room (as soon as you walked into the room you instantly felt sticky from the lack of air flow and salty sea air), and set off to find a reputable dive shop checking out some island scenery on the way.
I visited Koh Tao two and a half years ago with Pudd, a college room mate at NC State, shortly after graduation. Stepping off the ferry I was agasp at the difference of my memories and what lay, or in this case, was erected before me. Once upon a time, Koh Tao boasted undeveloped patches of palm trees and budget bungalows. Now, every inch of shoreline is backed by pricey hotels and restaraunts. A tear drop wet the sand as I strolled up to the bungalows we previously stayed in, only to find them missing with an all inclusive resort in their place. As sad as it is to see a gem like Koh Tao change so quickly for the worst, it has only fueled my desire to find more of them before they fall victim to mass terrorism - uh, I mean mass tourism.
Back to me:
Jonathan was set on a place called Phoenix Divers and we booked the open water course for me and the advanced course for Jonathan. That afternoon I watched the first couple of DVDs to introduce me to the world of diving: a mask allows you to see underwater, fins propel you through water faster than your normal feet, and the diving tank is filled with compressed air...overall it was a very informative DVD - I'm not sure I would have known what my mask was for. We caught a beautiful sunset afterwards and then hit the sack so I could be well rested for my first dive the next day.
That night we set off to find a good local meal. Starving after a day in the water we were hoping to come across something good and cheap quickly. But being on an island, prices can be a little steep. We wandered for about an hour and found the perfect place. Jonathan ordered a red curry (one of the spicy-est you can get) and not being a fan of spicy, I ordered a yellow curry (the least spicy you can get). I made sure to stress to the cook that I did not want any spice. About an hour later our food arrived. Starving by this point we both started scarfing down the curries and instantly my mouth caught on fire. Frustrated with my hunger level and the cooks inability to understand English, I started crying knowing that I would not be able to eat another bite. I looked over at Jonathan and I could see immediately that he was in pain. Beads of sweat were dripping down his face and he was chugging water. Of course he didn't want our meals to go to waste so he finished his and then mine. (Yes, he was regretting this decision the next morning...luckily toilets in SEA have a bidet like feature with ice cold water spraying out.) We stopped at 7/11 on the way to the hotel and I settled for a hot dog with ketchup and mayo.
The next day we went out again for another two dives, which completed my open water course - apart from taking the written exam. Once back at the dive shop, Terry gave me a quick last lesson and handed me the test. After 30 minutes of bubbling in a scan-tron sheet, I turned it in and it was graded. Missing only one question, I got a 98% out of 100. Yay!! Scuba certified!!
That night Jonathan completed his final dive which was a night dive. He said that he loved it. Always after a good thrill, he said it was an eerie feeling when in the deep ocean at night. Your flash light reflects off of something as it jets passed and you are not sure if it was a tiny fish or a huge shark and you are constantly whipping around to try and shine the light on whatever it was. But once you get accustomed to swimming in darkness it's a whole new world at night and the ocean comes alive with so much more than when diving during the day.
We snorkeled until our bodies were prunes then we loaded back into the faulty kayak to head back to Koh Tao. After we showered and packed we made our way to the dock so we could catch the night ferry to Phuket (pronounced Poo - ket) where we will meet Mr. Williams and Mary Beth so they can explore some of Thailand with us!!!