Gulf of Thailand
Koh Samui, Koh Phangan & Koh Tao.
The Gulf of Thailand is the area where Thai tourism began in resorts like Pattaya and Hua Hin and it has continued in the idyllic offshore islands like Koh Samui, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan. Resorts here span the entire spectrum of budget and taste from cheap to expensive, backpacker style to six star luxury, quiet and idyllic to brash and boisterous. The islands themselves differ too. Koh Samui is by far the most developed and a good choice if you want a lively holiday with good beaches and a big choice of activities and facilities. Koh Tao is much quieter and extremely popular with divers and watersports enthusiasts. Koh Phangan still has a backpacker flavour to it - reflected in its Full Moon Parties and simple accommodation. Diving is very popular on all the islands and there are some excellent sites and many operators.
Koh Samui:
This beautiful island off southeastern Thailand is covered with coconut plantations and circled by palm-fringed beaches. Like Phuket, it was once an 'untouched' backpackers' mecca, but is now well on its way to becoming a fully-fledged tourist resort with hotels ranging from the basic to six star luxury.
The most popular beaches are Hat Chaweng and Hat Lamai: both have good swimming and snorkelling but are getting a little crowded. For more peace and quiet, try Mae Nam, Bo Phut and Big Buddha on the northern coast. The main town on the island is Na Thon.
Diving
The Samui archipelago has just about everything....... except wrecks, however there are some spectacular caves and swim-throughs offering similar experience to wreck diving.
Note: The Whaleshark migration takes place in spring but they're seen sporadically throughout the year, as are humpback, minke and pilot whales. Several species of shark are seen regularly, as are turtles, sea snakes and the notorious titan triggerfish; the latter being an aquatic 'pit-bull' (it can be comical when they attack someone else, but quite daunting when you're on the receiving end!)
Samui caters for non divers too, they can participate in a number of activities, including; Frizbee golf (a 'golf' course through jungle using frizbees), Thai cookery classes, beach activities, various zoological centres, jungle trekking, elephant safari and a conventional golf course. You're advised to bring an international drivers permit (available from provincial post offices in UK or from the AA at a cost of £5.50) if you intend to drive. 'Chicken-chasers' (small motorbikes) should be avoided (Samui has the highest RTA rate in the entire kingdom, most of which involve motorbikes).
Note: Jeeps cost around THB 800-1200 per day. Rooms vary from THB 300 to THB 5000 per night depending on taste/budget.
British Sub-Aqua Club Representation
BSAC have enhanced their profile in the region with 2 operators having "BSAC Resort" status on Samui, complimenting the BSAC 'Centre of Excellence' on Koh Tao. In addition there's a BSAC National Instructor resident on the archipelago and several instructors too.
Safety
Full details are explained in the links below, but there is a multi-place chamber on Samui and a 02/first aid station on Koh Tao with an air/sea evacuation service between the two. Hyperbaric/Medical treatment equates to the price of a mid-range car yet the number of un (or inadequately) insured divers remains alarmingly high
Note: The hyperbaric staff trained at DDRC. Pot-dives can be arranged by appointment, as can DANSEAP 1st aid and oxygen courses (recognized by BSAC).
Getting there
Flights to Thailand from UK generally take around 12 hours. Koh Samui is approximately 1hr 15mins flying time from Bangkok or 40 mins from Phuket, depending on your point of entry into the kingdom. Samui airport is too small to accommodate international flights but there are a dozen "city hopper" flights from Bangkok each day, and 2 from Phuket. Bangkok airways (the owners of Samui airport and the sole operator to use it) have an agreement with several international flight operators enabling customers to book luggage through to Samui from their port of origin. This saves a 1000 m hike at their port of entry (in tropical heat) and enables them to 'fast track' to the domestic terminal without worrying about luggage or the immigration process, the latter taking place on Samui upon arrival.
Note for return journey: Bangkok airways charge THB 400 'airport tax' for outgoing passengers and there's a further THB 500 to pay when departing the kingdom. Passengers that have taken the advice in the opening paragraph benefit from;
a) Checking their luggage through to Europe without the route-march between terminals,
b) Conducting immigration exit procedure at Samui.
c) Only paying THB 500 'airport tax'.
Travellers on a budget can make their way to Samui by Bus/Ferry for around £10.00 but this adds a further 12 hours to their journey and there are some unscrupulous people along the way eager to exploit their naivety.
Koh Phangan:
Koh Phangan is located in the Gulf of Siam a little north of Koh Samui. About 75% of the island is mountains covered by tropical jungle. The island is famous for its "Full Moon Parties" which still continue. However these days there are many tourists of all types on the island, who come for the fabulous beaches and the exotic coconut grove scenery. The main town is Thong Sala where you will find a good range of shops and restaurants. There are no large hotels on the island but there are small guest houses and bungalows for rent. Many of the beaches are still undeveloped, but this is likely to change.
Diving:
There are various operators and a good range of dive sites on offer.
Getting There:
Koh Phangan island can be reached quite easily from the islands of Koh Samui (airport) or Koh Tao (no airport); or with more difficulty from the Thai mainland at Surat Thani or Chumphon.
Koh Samui is served by domestic Bangkok Airways flights from Bangkok (7-10 flights/day, 3500 THB), Phuket (2/day, 1700 THB), Krabi (4/week, 1600 THB) and Singapore (4/week, 4600 THB). All ticket prices are indicative one-way fares. From Samui, it's best to catch the big ferry from Big Buddha pier near Samui airport (daily departures at 10.30, 13.00, 16.00, 18.30) to Had Rin, and from there take a taxi-boat to your hotel. There are two piers at Had Rin. There are also ferries and speedboats from Samui to Thong Sala, on Koh Phangan's SW coast, but these can be a bit uncomfortable if you have luggage!
From Surat Thani you've a choice of a dreadful overnight ferry, or a Songserm Express boat leaving from nearby Tha Thong (connected to Surat by bus). Both take you to Thong Sala, on Koh Phangan's SW coast, so you'll need to take a taxi-van from there to Had Rin (½ hr, 50 THB) and then a taxi-boat from Had Rin to your hotel.
From Chumphon there are two ferries via Koh Tao to Thong Sala (see above), both of which leave Chumphon in the early morning, passing Koh Tao in the late morning, to arrive around noon.
Koh Tao:
A tiny speck in the middle of the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao was once a place where political prisoners were incarcerated! These days, this gorgeous island, with its mix of rocky secluded coastline and palm-fringed beaches, attracts travellers who want to relax or learn to scuba dive. (Koh Tao hosts the highest concentration of dive schools in Asia.) The seas around Koh Tao are an excellent place to learn to dive, with weak currents, good visibility and a full repertoire of exotic fish and corals.
There are a range of hotels to pick from of all types, most having a dive school on the premises. There is a good range of watersports available on the island and this is an idyllic spot for a beach based holiday.
How to get there: About 12 trains to Chumphon leave Bangkok daily. The journey takes eight hours, with fares starting from 300 baht (£4.50). Get an early train to connect with the daily boats that go from Chumpon to Koh Tao in two to six hours, with fares costing 150 to 500 baht (£2.30-£8). Or fly with Air Andaman to Chumphon. Private speedboats can also be rented for transfers from Chumphon, which seat 10 and cost about 20,000 baht (£300) though you'll have to negotiate on the day.
Financial affairs
The local currency is the Thai Bhat (THB). It is usually around 60-65 to the £1.00 but reached 70-76 around Easter 2004 and has stayed there. ATM's are widespread and dispense THB 20,000 per day. Anyone bringing travellers cheques are advised not to use the dollar; sterling being much better value
Tsunami
The Gulf of Thailand was not affected by the Tsunami of 26 December 2004.
Links
Bangkok Airways
Dive Samui See 'Safety' page.
Help 4 Brits See 'Hospitals' page.
Thailand main page
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BSAC TRAVEL CLUB BOOKSHOP SELECTION
in association with amazon.co.uk
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Airlines "Mug" travellers during peak periods. A flight for £300 in non-peak time can exceed £700 for Easter or school summer holidays and £1200 at Christmas. The optimum diving season is Jan-Oct but be aware of the hot season (April; dehydration greatly increases the chances of getting 'bent') and monsoon (November).
Bobby's Dive World
Captain Cavemans Dive Center
Davy Jones' Locker
Master Tec
Bangkok, Krabi and Koh Samui - by Richard Scarsbrook
The return visit - by Harry Ryalls
Diving the Samui Archipelago - by David Covey
Swapping Backpacks for BCs
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