Koh Tao for the Advanced Diver

We checked out of Power Beach Resort and caught a ferry to Koh Tao - the rockiest ferry ride ever. The boat swayed from side to side, and Caitlin and I were planning a safe exit strategy in case we capsized. All the buds and the new Californians came as some of us wanted to do more diving.

After scouting out tons of dive shops, we went with Phoenix Divers - we got a good deal since 10 of us were diving. Five of us, including myself, did the advanced course, Caitlin and Jill (one of the Californians) and Lauren and Dave (friends from home) did the open water course and Alex did a discover dive. It was awesome to see Lauren and Dave - I hadn't seen Lauren since July of last year, and we had a great time for the few days we got to hang out.

Caitlin and I got rooms included with our course and the other four just crashed in our room for one night before they headed up to Bangkok. I had an awesome time on my advanced course, and four of the Californians were with me - they were great entertainment and our instructor, Neil, is a legend here!

On our 3rd dive, half of the people on our boat surfaced a few minutes after us and were frantically screaming that they saw a whale shark. There had been a few sightings this month, and I was bummed we missed it. We all decided to stay at Chumpon Pinnacle for the 4th dive and tried to find this shark. In our last 5 minutes, we saw it! Check out Peter's GoPro footage here. I felt pretty lucky since people have been diving everyday for years and not seen one, and this was dive #8 for me. We went back to land for a break before our night dive. It was cool, but I would prefer to dive in the daylight!

Meanwhile, Caitlin was struggling with her open water course and only stayed down 5 minutes of one dive. Her instructor said she could try again the next day, and she insisted that I join her if she covered the costs. I was kind of ready for a break from diving, but I really wanted her to complete her course. We did her 4 dives close to the beach - one just walking right into the water - and she passed!

We spent a little more time with Lauren and Dave before they headed to Koh Phangan and we headed up to Bangkok on the overnight to meet Kayleigh, another Korea friend. Dave left me with the best parting gift ever - his old iPhone! Connected again! I booked my flights from Bangkok-Kathmandu-Sri Lanka-Bangkok and then Bali! Scary. 

Koh Phangan and Koh Tao

Lena and I were convinced to stay in this area called Baan Tai upon arrival in Koh Phangan rather than the Full Moon Party beach, Haad Rin. We reluctantly paid for four nights and had to take 100 Baht rides to the town and back. Our door had a piece of wire as a doorknob, and a janky padlock went through a hole to keep it locked. After one night there, we knew that we'd have to find an alternative, even if we couldn't get any money back from the dreadful Great Bay Resort. We got a recommendation from a local expat who sent us to Suncliff Bungalows - it was perfect. We paid 300 Baht a night for a charming bungalow, fully equipped with the random millipede, frog in the bathroom and an upright fan and cold shower - it was all we needed. They had the upgrades for 1000 Baht a night, but with the money lost, the only thing in mind was "cheap!" Anyway, the pool there had a perfect view for sunset, and it was absolutely stunning. Finally, something worked out for us. We met up with the friends from Vietnam again - Ryan, Dillon and Craig - and the long-lost Siri! We also met a few more Brits that were a ton of fun to party with.

Suncliff Bungalows Pool at sunset. 

Our bungalow.

The island was swamped with Israelis, more than anywhere else; however, the island wasn't as full as I was expecting from the stories I had heard. Pre-FMP (full moon party), we all reconvened for a painting party at Siri's hostel - Same Same But Different Hostel. I had some creative works painted on me to include a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and a Super Mario Bros. extra guy mushroom. We were all looking awesome and had a fun night. Different groups were split up and found again throughout the night. I lost one flip-flop after about 15 minutes, and I jump-roped with a fire jump-rope and went down a flaming waterslide - safely. It was not the horrible party that I thought it would be.

We spent a day at Haad Yao beach, which was so beautiful and relaxing, and I also found a delicious greek salad! Then everyone tried to sort out an exit route off the island. I ended up paying 400 Baht to get to Koh Tao for a PADI diving course - expensive considering I paid 550 to get from Bangkok to Koh Phangan. I had just enough time for an Open Water course before my Thai visa expired. I started watching videos as soon as I arrived at Asia Divers Resort, and the confined dives started in the morning.

I didn't have any problems until the filling of the mask with water. I have always had to hold my nose at any time while under water, and this didn't work well. After some struggling, I managed to do it successfully once or twice, but I wasn't feeling confident for the open water. Luckily, my three French instructors were fantastic.

After jumping in the water and deflating my BCD (buoyancy control device), slowly going down to the ocean floor, I got more comfortable. It was actually fun, with the exception of the mask tests. I still passed, and I had a great time diving. I can't wait to get my advanced certification and dive somewhere else.

From there, I got a ferry to Koh Samui and a flight to meet Joyce in Kuala Lumpur - reunited!