my Koh Tao album is up

[Gilligan]

I posted my Koh Tao, Thailand photo album in the gallery.

My trip report is posted here.

 

[kapula]

Very nice pictures! Thailand brings so many excellent memories to my mind. Hope to get back there as soon as possible.. unfortunately it's propably not before next winter. Have to read your trip report when I have more time.

 

[mjh]

Very nice. Like the bat fish

 

[wedivebc]

Sorry you had such a bad time there. Your pictures don't support your claims of bad vis or lack of marine life in your dive report but I guess it's all what one is used to.
I really liked the cuttlefish shot.
Thanks for the pics.
I intend to go back BTW.

 

[Dave C]

Wow, your pictures sure don't make it look that bad. Maybe you have just been spoiled by the fantastic vis. in Hawaii. I've always read that vis. in the Gulf of Thailand around Koh Samui is not especially good, so I am a little surprised you went there if you wanted excellent vis. What factors went into your decision to select this as a dive destination and were you mis-informed or mislead in some way? If you look at a map, all the Gulf of Thailand is shallow continental shelf with no infusion of clear, deep oceanic water, which I presume explains why the vis. is not world-class crystal clear. Even though it looks from your pics that I would be satisfied with the underwater experience, just as you I would not be happy to travel to a destination and find it was loaded with age 20-something partiers. Was the above water experience what really turned you off to this place?

 

[Gilligan]

Wow, your pictures sure don't make it look that bad. Maybe you have just been spoiled by the fantastic vis. in Hawaii. I've always read that vis. in the Gulf of Thailand around Koh Samui is not especially good, so I am a little surprised you went there if you wanted excellent vis. What factors went into your decision to select this as a dive destination and were you mis-informed or mislead in some way? If you look at a map, all the Gulf of Thailand is shallow continental shelf with no infusion of clear, deep oceanic water, which I presume explains why the vis. is not world-class crystal clear. Even though it looks from your pics that I would be satisfied with the underwater experience, just as you I would not be happy to travel to a destination and find it was loaded with age 20-something partiers. Was the above water experience what really turned you off to this place?

Everything is relative including mis-informed and misled. It is true that the vis in Hawaii is outstanding most of the time but I wasn't looking for a place to dive that compares to Hawaii's visibility. On the other hand Hawaii lacks the marine life compared to places like Bali and the Philippines.

The visibility in Koh Tao was not the major disappointment but the lack of variety of marine life was. And that is also relative. So when you talk to people that have dove there and liked it they no doubt are comparing it to other places they have been.

There were days of poor visibility in the Philippines and Bali but the variety of marine life was there and far exceeded that of Koh Tao. I look for places with a broad variety of marine life so that every dive presents photographic possibilities. The dive sites at Koh Tao lack that variey. Every dive site had the same species of marine life with few exceptions. And the variety of species was minimal.

So my "thumbs down" recommendation for Koh Tao is primarily based on its lack of variety of marine life. I do not consider it a world class dive location as I don't Hawaii.