Ko T"wow"

Katy eagerly preparing for our snorkeling trip.
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The final stop on our voyage through Southern Thailand was the small island of Ko Tao, located in the Gulf of Thailand. The island is well known for its crystal-clear waters and pristine coral reefs.  The ferry over to the island was surprisingly desolate, which gave us our first sign that the high tourist season was finally coming to an end. As further evidence, we were able to snag a gorgeous corner room with a beautiful view overlooking Taa Toh Bay for significantly less money than our ghetto bungalow in Ko Phi Phi just a few weeks prior.

The top deck of our snorkeling vessel.
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Our first full day was spent on a snorkeling tour around the island. Not really knowing what to expect, we boarded our salty wooden sea vessel just after 9am. The weather was not fantastic and gray clouds loomed ominously around the island. Our trusty captain skillfully guided us through the four foot seas to the opposite side of the island, where we made our first stop in Hin Wong Bay. The water here was calm and ripe for snorkeling.

The first thing we noticed was the shocking clarity of the water. We had been slightly wary that Ko Tao would follow in the footsteps of other islands that claimed to have crystal clear waters with incredible snorkeling, but in fact displayed murky waters and destroyed coral. With our expectations justly lowered, we were ecstatic with what we saw. Our boat was moored in at least 30 feet of water and we could see to the bottom as if we were in a swimming pool. A large school of colorful fish had collected under the boat and they were swimming amongst us excitedly.

Night activities on Taa Toh Bay, notice the fireshow on the beach.
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The reef was packed with pristine hard and soft corals and showed no evidence of being beaten by anchors. We saw skunk clownfish in bright purple anemones, colorful parrotfish, crocodile longtoms, and schools of electric blue damsel fish. We even caught a glimpse of a school of reef squid slip by before fading out of sight and into the blue.

We stopped at three more sites around the island, the last one named the Japanese Gardens after the hundreds of hard and soft coral formations that give it the distinct feel of an oriental garden.

Restaurant on stilts above Taa Toh Bay.
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The remainder of our time on Ko Tao was spent snorkeling off an isolated beach in Taa Toh Bay called Freedom Beach, just a brief hike from where we were staying. It was a beautiful beach that looked every bit the part of a deserted island. On our final day we were lucky enough to see a small octopus scurrying along the sea floor just a few feet beneath us!