I’ve been in Thailand for a month already and on Koh Tao for half of that time, and I’m gradually getting used to island life once again. Koh Tao is far bigger than the island I used to live on, but the diving community is small and I’m putting faces to the gossip all the time. Because that’s exactly what island life is like- everyone always knows your business. Coming from a very friendly town, I find this reassuring, but I can see why it drives some people nuts.
There are quirks to this island though. It being a huge tourist destination (though I’ve yet to see any straw donkeys), there is a real mix of culture here, but I wasn’t expecting was there so few Thais. The few times that I’ve tried to speak my (limited) Thai, I’ve been met with blank looks. I’ve gone back to the phrasebook feeling very confused and after this happening several times, I spoke to someone about it. Apparently the Burmese migrant community here is huge, and the common language that most people speak is English. Thai seems to get you nowhere here.
One of the things I love most about Thailand is the abundance of temples, even in the busiest section of a city, you can seek solace in the serenity of a temple- but not here. Apparently there is only one temple on Koh Tao, and I’ve yet to find it. I’ve been trying to put my finger on why this unsettles me slightly, and the only thing that I can reason is that temples are such a big part of so many Thai people’s lives, that it feels distinctly un-Thai not to have them dotted around every town.
The island has only been continuously inhabited since 1933, starting off as a prison island, and a few people from neighbouring islands came to set up colonies at about the same time. It only became popular with travellers in the 80s and since then the population has grown massively along with the construction of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and bars that goes hand in hand with the tourist industry.
Now it is an island that dives by day and parties by night. Sairee beach is the famous party hotspot, but drinking seems to as much as a hobby as diving does around here, and it takes some getting used to.
I think I’ve been spoiled rotten with the diving that I’ve done all over the world, but I have to say that I’m disappointed with the diving on Koh Tao. I had been warned that the dives sites were busy, because the island’s notoriety for offering cheap dive courses brings many people here, but I wasn’t expecting the poor visibility and what I regard as a poor selection of marine life. Yes, there are huge shoals of fish (which are readily being harvested by fishing boats close by), but it’s difficult to see anything remarkable to point out. If you’re lucky you might see an eel, and if you’re even luckier you might see a turtle, but from what I can gather the marine life here is in rapid decline. Whether that’s from overfishing at the surface, the decline of the coral, or just the fish not being keen on so many divers invading their habitat is debatable.
All of these things are so at odds with the Thailand that I know, it makes me feel that I could be on any party island, regardless of what coast it is closest too. I feel that the island is suffering an identity crisis.
Once I’ve qualified my course which enables me to be a scuba instructor, I’m thinking of moving on again, but this time I’m thinking somewhere a bit further afield. I’m still not quite sure where yet, but the world is my oyster.
A Penny For Them 