SNORKELING IN KOH TAO

While in Koh Tao, we decided to go on an all-day snorkel tour around the island. We sailed to five different places: Nangyuan Island, Mango Bay, Hin Wong Bay, Shark Bay, and just off the coast of  Sai Nuan Beach. My two favorite spots were Nangyuan island and Sai Nuan Beach because of the snorkeling and the water. And despite the self-absorbed young adults who took our seats on the boat (!!!), we still had a lot of fun! 

Nangyuan Island is one of the most photographed places in all of Thailand. When you search for islands in Thailand or Koh Tao on Google, this island will be the first picture you see! At high tide, this island becomes three islands, but at low tide, it is one island with only a thin sandbar connecting parts of the island. Even though it is overrun by tourists, it is still beautiful. The water is unimaginably clear which makes perfect snorkeling conditions. We saw many parrotfish and angelfish, along with many different types of coral. We were told baby sharks often swim around this island, but unfortunately we didn't see any! 

My second favorite stop was our last – Sai Nuan Beach. Underwater, the visibility was incredible. You could see the flourishing coral and fish so well! What I also liked about this stop was that this coral looked nothing like the others we’ve seen! I thought that it looked like a bunch of kale growing on the seafloor. This particular reef was very colorful and very shallow, which made it perfect for duck diving to get up close to the fish!

This was a very fun and relaxed activity for a very hot day. We were able to explore the island while staying cool and dipping in the water at multiple points throughout the day!