divinh
Contributor
I was just diving from Koh Tao, Sep 7-20.
If time is of the essence, perhaps you might do what I did, which is book transport from DMK (Don Mueang) to Koh Tao via Nok Air, which is Thai Airways' budget brand. The flight goes from DMK to Surat Thani or Chumphon, then transfer to a bus/minivan to a pier, then Lomprayah high-speed catamaran to Koh Tao. The trip varies from 5-6 hours to 9-12 hours depending on the time options you choose. My return ticket came to $177 USD. To book, go through Nok Air's website and look for the combined ticket option, which will list a destination of Koh Tao. When you check-in, you'll be given a sticker to put onto yourself and that will tell all the customer service people how to guide you. I found the transition points to be smooth and straight-forward.
Nok Air is a budget airline, so the complimentary beverage is only water. You can always upgrade to better beverages and food, but the flight is only about an hour and technically, you're not allowed to bring outside food onboard. Also, the lowest priced ticket only includes a carry-on. If you have dive gear, like me, then pay for Nok Xtra and perhaps even more weight limit ahead of time. I added another 10kg to the 15kg of Nok Xtra ticket for $6 USD. They will weigh your luggage to collect fees. It's $10-15 USD at the gate for the 10kg.
Koh Tao isn't as rich in biodiversity as on the Andaman side and it's more beginner, as it does train about 10% of all divers. However, I did see my first Whale Shark on the third day and we swam with it for about 15 minutes. It was pretty special, as Whale Sharks have been on my bucket list. The island itself is pretty fun, especially if you stay in Sairee Beach. I'm bias to Davy Jones Locker for a dive shop, as that's where I got my OW, and AOW certs. The crew there are friendly and professional. When I was there, the big boat was in dry dock for repairs, but we dove from the tech boat instead. The tech boat is too small to get to Chumphon Pinnacle or Sail Rock, typical locations for Whale Shark sightings, but our sighting was at Koh Tao, at Hin Wong Pinnacle.
Finally, for transport, I selected the 2:45 PM ferry from Koh Tao to Chumphon, then catching the flight at 8-9 PM-ish. That allowed me to dive in the morning and afternoon the day before leaving /and/ have time overnight to dry all my gear.
If time is of the essence, perhaps you might do what I did, which is book transport from DMK (Don Mueang) to Koh Tao via Nok Air, which is Thai Airways' budget brand. The flight goes from DMK to Surat Thani or Chumphon, then transfer to a bus/minivan to a pier, then Lomprayah high-speed catamaran to Koh Tao. The trip varies from 5-6 hours to 9-12 hours depending on the time options you choose. My return ticket came to $177 USD. To book, go through Nok Air's website and look for the combined ticket option, which will list a destination of Koh Tao. When you check-in, you'll be given a sticker to put onto yourself and that will tell all the customer service people how to guide you. I found the transition points to be smooth and straight-forward.
Nok Air is a budget airline, so the complimentary beverage is only water. You can always upgrade to better beverages and food, but the flight is only about an hour and technically, you're not allowed to bring outside food onboard. Also, the lowest priced ticket only includes a carry-on. If you have dive gear, like me, then pay for Nok Xtra and perhaps even more weight limit ahead of time. I added another 10kg to the 15kg of Nok Xtra ticket for $6 USD. They will weigh your luggage to collect fees. It's $10-15 USD at the gate for the 10kg.
Koh Tao isn't as rich in biodiversity as on the Andaman side and it's more beginner, as it does train about 10% of all divers. However, I did see my first Whale Shark on the third day and we swam with it for about 15 minutes. It was pretty special, as Whale Sharks have been on my bucket list. The island itself is pretty fun, especially if you stay in Sairee Beach. I'm bias to Davy Jones Locker for a dive shop, as that's where I got my OW, and AOW certs. The crew there are friendly and professional. When I was there, the big boat was in dry dock for repairs, but we dove from the tech boat instead. The tech boat is too small to get to Chumphon Pinnacle or Sail Rock, typical locations for Whale Shark sightings, but our sighting was at Koh Tao, at Hin Wong Pinnacle.
Finally, for transport, I selected the 2:45 PM ferry from Koh Tao to Chumphon, then catching the flight at 8-9 PM-ish. That allowed me to dive in the morning and afternoon the day before leaving /and/ have time overnight to dry all my gear.
