Day 1 in Koh Tao

So after my very early morning flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui, I arrived on the island lickety split and was whisked away on the Lompraha cataman before I really even knew where I was! A 2 hour ride spent enjoying the incredible scenery that is Thailand and chatting it up with a nice boy from Chicago before arriving at Koh Tao. Both islands are quite small, and much more rugged/untamed than my experiences in Phuket down south. I hitched a ride with the boy's scuba truck into town, and made my way over to my own dive school. It was nice to have the company getting from the pier into town so I didn't have to negotiate the crazy taxi stand!

Diving was WONderful... I did my 'refresher' course today... when you haven't gone diving for more than 6 months they recommend it, so for once I listened  :)  My instructor Evan from Scuba Junction (more on them later, I give them 50good/50bad so far) was fantastic and I picked everything up again really quickly.

I got to do 2 dives today along with my refresher, one mini walkabout (just a kind of underwater stroll/float through shallower water along a coral reef) and saw tons of fish, even more stinky pointy-pokey-spikey sea urchins, bannerfish, parrot fish, groupers and heaps of sea cucumbers. I reviewed all of my scuba skills (including removing my mask and swimming with just my regulator and NOT plugging my nose!) so I am all good and comfortable back in the water now - yay!

The second dive didn't have any teaching, it was just all diving, and I saw more really incredible fish... my two favorites were the juvinile boxfish and a huuuuuuuge white and yellow spotted pufferfish! I also saw those lovely bannerfish again, I am going to have to get an underwater digital!!!

I have come back from the 2 dives quite tired (maybe from not sleeping in the last 24 hours??) and hungry, so I'm about to take my new sunburn out to dinner up the road before an early evening into bed... I start my advanced course tomorrow, naviation and buoyancy dives tomorrow, deep, photography, and night diving on Monday - wheeee!!!!!

Wonnnnnderful... now I'm starving, photos will follow soon!!  :)