No more Thai culture here. It is like every intensely popular island I have been to the machinery is the same. We are enjoying the fresh ocean breezes cooling the beaches and open air restaurants. We have a room with ocean view for $40 per night. This resort is totally SCUBA diving oriented; next week we will switch to a more pool and beach laid back place on the same island.
We went for our refresher SCUBA open water diver lesson and then went for a dive in a nearby bay. I am exhausted. All these young folks are in top shape (generally). The reef is fun, full of colorful fish and active coral. Our guide Cariss was wonderful, full of energy and happily popping from French to Birmingham English with a posh twist to Spanish. I had not been diving for almost ten years.
The long tail boat that took us out to the dive boat twisted a rope around it's propeller, but it was handled efficiently by the pilot and team. (Well they got pretty wet)Carabao Dive Center Koh Tao: "This is the Site of Carabao Diving School, located in Chalok Ban Kao on the island of Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand.Carabao Dive School is a SSI Instructor Training Facility and a PADI Dive Center in the middle of over 20 fantastic dive spots. One of the most amazing places to dive in Asia."
I didn't see the whale shark, it is out of season, but here is a nice video of one anyway: Carabao Dive Center - Scuba Diving in Davao - A Whale Shark in Talikud VIDEOCarabao Diving Center - Koh Tao - Reviews of Carabao Diving Center - TripAdvisorThis was the last place we visited in Thailand and after spending time in upscale hotels I was a bit scared of what we would find at Carabao. The accommodations were simple with the bare minimum, but what the rooms lack, the staff makes up in personality. After meeting everyone, I couldn't have cared less about what the rooms looked
