Koh Tao

    45km to the north of Koh Phangan, and 70km east of the mainland lies the island of Koh Tao, the third largest island in the Samui archipelago. Koh Tao means Turtle Island and in former days the island was awash with colonies of breeding sea turtles - unfortunately the majority have now either moved on to new breeding grounds, or died out due to fishing… although one can still be glimpsed in the rich sea waters surrounding Koh Tao.

    The island is humpbacked in shape, reminiscent itself of a turtle , with dense vegetation rising steeply up from coral-fringed white sand beaches . Koh Tao is known locally as the dive island of the Samui group, due to its multi-various coral formations and abundance of marine life, look out for whalesharks in the late March/April plankton season. These huge harmless sharks,  feed on nature's smallest creatures, the plankton at the bottom of the food chain. There are many dive sites situated in a close proximity to Koh Tao and there are many dive operations on the island to take you there, but even snorkeling from  most beaches can reward you with excellent views of parrot fish, triggers, groupers, butterfly & angelfish, moorish idols and other bright tropical species all swimming amidst the coral .

    El Nino Although the El Nino effect which ravaged coral sites around the world also took effect in this area of Thailand, it is heartening to see that live coral is already beginning to grow back on top of the whitened, or 'bleached' coral. Watch out for the blue coral clams and soft orange anemones already colonizing the coral once again.

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