Yesterday we booked a full day boat trip including two meals and 4 snorkelling locations for 500baht per person (or 10 pounds). I thought it would be a bit disappointing as the skies were cloudy and there was some rain in the air.
Aittipol Tours run at least 4 big boats from the pier near Cliff Cottages, each with capcity for 100 or more people. They look a bit rustic but underneath the flaking paint and rusty fittings is a slick operation. Wisely, we took the top deck as although there was some nausea inducing roll out at sea, it was less crowded.
We motored for one and a half hours to the furthest point at Koh Thanglong island, donned flippers, mask and snorkel and jumped in. It is a small rocky outcrop in a larger bay and on the surface, nothing spectacular. Beneath the waves it was a different world. A coral forest dropped to a white sandy shelf at 15m and the sea was teeming with many, many different species of colourful fish. This was what the Go Pro underwater camera was born for.
Clare ventured into the water with a camouflaged life preserver although quite why she needed to avoid being seen was beyond me. I think someone had a cheap deal on Thai military surplus. We bobbed around on the swell, marvelling at the cartoon fish. They advertise Dory and Nemo and it sounds trite on dry land. Under the water it is genuinely magical. I dived down to the bottom and exchanged waves with the scuba divers and then surfaced through their bubbles. The silver flash of a large four foot predator shot across the reef and into the shoal. Colourful fish exploded in all directions. One unlucky fish disaapeared and the rest then resumed their aimless meandering for our pleasure.
The horn went and we reboarded after an hour in the water that seemed like half that. The crew entertained us with magic tricks and insane diving antics off the roof of the boat before we moved on to Koh Yak, Koh Lan and finally Koh Wai, billed as the highlight of the tour. We snorkelled in the shallows over impossibly white sand that reflected the sunshine, now that the weather had improved. Anemones and sea-cucumbers littered the bottom. Clare discarded the life jacket and became much more proficient in the water in a matter of minutes. I dived from the roof of the boat, the first time stinging my calves as they slapped onto the water. The second time I lost my nerve and went in feet first, only to propel a litre of sea water up my nose, causing squeaky ear for the rest of the day.
Sadly one of the reefs had recently been damaged by careless boat handling. A fresh white scar two feet wide and ten high disfigured the face of the reef but Aittipol seemed careful and maintained a cautious distance. We motored home after a barbeque and fruit and were home at 5.30pm after setting off at 9am.
It was only later that my failure to reapply factor 50 started to demand attention. By degrees my back and shoulders progressed from pink to red. I thought nothing of it until the next day when the straps of a 20kg ruck sack could not find a comfortable spot to rest. It smarted just a little.
After raisin pancakes on the pier, we wound home across the headland and collapsed into the cliff cottage bar for food and drink before retiring gratefully to our comfortable bed and well earned rest.
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