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KOH TAO

KOH TAO : THE TURTLE ISLAND

source: Koh Tao Coral Grand Resort

General :

Koh Tao is a small island covering 21 sq km., located 44 km. north of Koh Pha-Ngan and 45 km Northeast of Samui. It is rumored that during the 40’s it was used to hold political prisoners captive. Koh Tao’s boom started when it was discovered by the diving industry. It is a paradise for both beginning and experienced divers, and also the largest dive training center in Southeast Asia. Sea turtles are ever present around the island’s shores, and more turtles are expected to thrive in the coming years. The "We love Koh Tao" foundation has been turning their efforts toward bringing more turtles to the island, and last year they released 300 baby turtles into the beaches.

Spots of Interest:

Although the island of Koh Tao is a beauty in itself, the most spectacular scenery can be found in the underwater world. This is the primary reason why the island has become a mecca for scuba divers across the world. Coral reefs, deep off-shore pinnacles and rock formations can be reached within ten minutes by boat. Here you can find rocks that come alive through sponges, anemones, soft and hard corals. Lucky divers and snorkelers can even spot the massive, harmless whale sharks in season, or manta rays and turtles while swimming among schools of exotic fish. To those unwilling to scuba dive but dying to see the underwater world, snorkeling gear is available all over the island. With a water temperature between 27 – 30 degrees Celsius one easily falls in love with the sea.

As for those who don’t like water sports and only plan to stay for a day or so, the Thai food on the island is amazing. Pizza or a tender steak with good wine are some of the more popular dinner choices. The sunsets of Koh Tao are known as some of the most spectacular to watch, and places to relax and view them while having a " sundowner " are easy to find.

BANKING/FOREIGN EXCHANGE/ATMS :

Although Koh Tao is remote to a point (90 minutes) from the mainland, there is an abundance of ATM’s on the Island located in Chalok Ban Khao, Sairee Village and Maehaad town. All the ATMs accept international credit card withdrawals and are rarely offline. There are also licensed Foreign Exchange facilities throughout the Island as well as two Siam City Bank exchange facilities again in Sairee village and Maehaad town. Siam City Bank is the only banking facility on the Island at this time. Credit cards, particularly Visa & Mastercard, are widely accepted throughout the Island. Today’s Baht exchange rate is?

KOH TAO CLIMATE:

The climate on Koh Tao is generally pleasant all year around, with temperatures varying from around 25 to 34 degrees Celsius.
There are three seasons…
" Warm season from February until May.
" Rainy season from the end of September until November.
" Cooler season from October until January.
From February until October, the temperature averages of 32 to 38 degrees, but from July until September, there can be some heavy showers, which for the most [part seem to hit early morning or late afternoon.
The tropical climate is quite humid all year round, but fortunately Koh Tao, being a tropical paradise also gets a refreshing sea breeze every now and then stretching in from the Gulf of Thailand. If you are planning a trip to Koh Tao soon and want to plan your diving and vacation a little better, you can check out the weather forecast for the next 10-days.

The quickest way to Koh Tao Map is by way of Bangkok Airways who fly direct from Bangkok, Krabi, Phuket, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and a number of other destinations.

Upon arrival at Koh Samui, one can arrange transfer to through the airport information desk. Samui can only be reached by boat as there is no airport on Koh Tao Map. We recommend the 1? hours voyage by either the Lomprayah Catamaran or the Seatran Discovery which leave twice daily for Koh Tao Map. There are other options available via other boats, but these are by far the fastest and best ways to reach Koh Tao Map. Regardless of which option you choose you should be aware that the last boat leaving Koh Samui for Koh Tao Map is 12 noon.

The last catamaran leaving Koh Tao Map is at 3pm daily, so any onward flight bookings/reservations should ideally be scheduled for after 6pm to allow for any unforeseen delays. Transfers from the piers to the airport are readily available for minimal sums and in some cases included in the catamaran pricelist. Whatever you prefer, you can book directly through the above links online or you can book all your transfers through Coral Grand Resort.

Koh Tao Map

Koh Tao Coral Grand Resort

Koh Tao Coral Grand Resort

Rating:

Number of rooms: 50

Location: Koh Tao

Address: 15/4 Moo 1, Sairee Beach, Koh Tao, Koh Tao (Suratthani), Thailand

Check Rates & Availability

Koh Tao Coral Grand Resort Koh Tao (Suratthani) Info

Charming cottages made from local wood with some of the world’s best scuba diving make this a must for water lovers and adventurous tourists. PADI certified dive courses are offered in many languages and are geared for the beginner to professional. This is the opportunity to scuba dive and view another dimension as you watch sea turtles dine on sponges, enjoy the clownfish and color of the underworld. The hotel’s cottages are at least 33 square meters, neat comfortable and quiet. Good meals in the restaurants and other dining choices are nearby. Do take a long tail boat trip to the nearby islands. You can snorkel, swim or just walk through the beautiful surroundings.

Guest Room	Guest Room
Restaurant	Pool Training
Cottages	Hotel Exterior
Hotel Exterior Night	Beachview

Koh Tao

Koh Tao

Koh Tao, little more than 21 km², is located about 70 km east of the coastline between Suratthani and Chumphon, in the Gulf of Thailand.
Koh Tao means Turtle Island, because in the past the waters in the area had been rich with sea turtles, nowadays they have mostly moved on to other breeding grounds.
Initially the island was not inhabited, there was only the occasional fisherman from the neighboring islands, looking for shelter in a storm or just taking a break before continuing his tiresome journey.
On June 18, 1899, His Majesty the King Chulalongkorn (Rama V 1868-1910) visited Koh Tao and left as evidence his monogram on a huge boulder at Jor Por Ror Bay next to Sairee Beach. This place is worshipped even today and should be treated with respect.

From 1933 on the island was used as a political prison. In 1947, Khun A-Paiwong, prime minister at the time, pleaded and received a royal pardon for all prisoners on the island. Everybody was taken to the Suratthani shore and the "Turtle" was abandoned again. But not for long. In the same year Khun Ueam and his twin brother Khun Oh reached Koh Tao from the neighboring Koh Phangan by trying out their traditional sail boat, for that time a quite long and dangerous journey. Even though the island was still under royal patronage, it didn’t stop these pioneers claiming themselves a good piece of land on today’s Sairee Beach. Having brought their families over, they began to cultivate and harvest the excellent soil. The first generation of today’s community had settled!

They lived a very simple and tough life harvesting coconuts, fishing and growing vegetables, which were also traded with Koh Phangan. Despite the difficulties in reaching the island, the population then grew steadily.

In the eighties the first travelers discovered the island paradise and their special "backpacker-network" quickly made it widely known and a popular destination. As a consequence, bigger, faster and safer boats were used to allow easier access to Koh Tao.
During the past ten years the reputation of Turtle Island’s natural beauty, especially its marine life and coral reefs, spread the world over and the number of paradise seekers increased rapidly.
It soon became one of the major dive sites in Thailand, attracting beginners and professionals alike. The local businesses expanded immediately to catch up with the needs of the new clientele. The island today, though still remaining an absolute paradise, caters for all tastes and budgets.
If you are interested in more historical details and stories about the Turtle, go to visit Khun Orawan at Seashell Resort, Sairee. She is the great-grand daughter of Khun Ueam and will be more than glad to give you further information.

Koh Tao map

source: http://kohtao.sawadee.com/

ฉลามหัวบาตรที่เกาะเต่า

Bull Shark in Koh Tao

Bull Shark เป็นดาราประจำเกาะเต่า ใครที่ได้ไปเกาะเต่ามักจะกลับมาเล่าด้วยความตื่นเต้นว่าได้พบกับ เจ้า Bull Shark หรือ  ฉลามหัวบาตร ถ้านักดำน้ำไม่ไปทำอันตรายเค้าก่อน ฉลามเหล่านี้ก็จะไม่ทำร้ายเรา อีกจุดเด่นของ Bull Shark ก็คือ เค้าสามารถเข้าใกล้แหล่งน้ำจืดได้ มีคนเล่าให้ฟังว่า เคยพบ Bull Shark ในแม่น้ำโขง อาจจะเพราะเหตุผลที่มนุษย์สามารถพบเห็น Bull Shark ได้ง่าย ทั้งแหล่งน้ำจืด และใต้ทะเล

เกาะเต่า ประกอบด้วย 2 เกาะสำคัญ คือเกาะเต่า และเกาะนางยวน หรือเกาะหางเต่า ทั้งสองเ ป็นเกาะเล็กๆที่ตั้งอยู่ ณ จังหวัดสุราษฏ์ธานี ห่างจากชายฝั่งและใช้เวลาเดินทางไม่มากนัก เป็นเกาะที่มีชื่อเสียงมากสำหรับการท่องเที่ยวดำน้ำ ถือว่าเกาะเกาะสวรรค์ของนักดำน้ำแห่งหนึ่งของโลก ทั้งจุดดำน้ำลึกและจุดดำน้ำตื้น

ชื่อเกาะเต่ามาจากที่ตั้งของเกาะที่เป็นจุดซึ่งเต่าตนุขึ้นมาวางไข่ อดีตไม่มีผู้คนอาศัยอยู่ และยังเคยเป็นสถานที่กักขังนักโทษการเมืองที่มีชื่อเสียงหลายคน เช่น สอ เสถบุตร ฯลฯ

ปัจจุบันเกาะเต่าได้ถูกสำรวจและพัฒนาให้เป็นแหล่งท่องเที่ยวที่สำคัญ โดยเฉพาะธุรกิจท่องเที่ยวดำน้ำ มีนักธุรกิจเข้ามาขอสัมปทาน
และเปิดร้านดำน้ำเป็นจำนวนมาก
ทำให้โลกใต้ทะเลถูกความเห็นแก่ตัวของตัวของคนบางกลุ่มทำร้าย และทำให้เกาะเต่าต่างจากเมื่อสิบปีที่แล้วไปค่อนข้างมาก แต่ทั้งนี้ก็ยังคงความสวยงาม และเป็นบ้านของสัตว์น้อยใหญ่ที่มีความหลายหลายจุดหนึ่งของโลก และยังเป็นศูนย์กลางแหล่งท่องเที่ยวดำน้ำของฝั่งทะเลอ่าวไทย จุดดำน้ำที่มีชื่อเสียงมาก คือ กองชุมพร ที่นักดำน้ำมักจะได้ทักทายกับสัตว์ใหญ่ เช่น เจ้าBull Shark ฉลามหนุ่มใจดีแห่งเกาะเต่า หรือที่หินใบซึ่งน้ำสมาก และถ้าโชคดี อาจจะได้พบกับ Manta ขี้เล่น และยังมีถ้ำใต้น้ำที่สวยงามอีกด้วย