Free Diving in Chumphon

Whilst embarking on the mammoth southward trek from Battambang to Phuket we stopped briefly in Chumphon. A small town on the Eastern coast of Thailand. 

It gave such a contrast to the bustling, bright, atmospheric Thailand we had become familiar with; it was in the middle of nowhere, the hotel cook was terrifying, and the food was utterly inedible. 

Feeling very isolated and knowing we still had so much land to cover we decided a treat was well-deserved. 

Regardless of our almost empty budget, and our desire to live in "luxury" for the following few weeks, we splashed out on a promising-looking day trip to snorkel and free dive around some uninhabited islands. The most exciting prospect, and the thing that fed right into our consumerist hearts, were the reported sightings of whale sharks. 

When the morning of the trip came we arose very early, forgetfully raced to a nearby shop to stock up on snacks for the day, and then were collected from our hotel and driven an hour-ish to the pier to catch the boat. In the car already were an old couple who smiled pleasantly as we got in. 

It wasn't until we pulled right into the port that we were certain we wouldn't be picking anyone else up. Just the four of us it was! Which made our grand welcome feel even more awkward. 9 staff members stood to greet us, dressed in their finery - one even as the company mascot. We were given our snorkeling kit and flippers, then a full-on brief of the day. They decided it would be best that we took a smaller boat, being as there were not many of us. I prefer smaller boats anyway so was pleased. The four of us boarded, followed by the excessive 8 crew members, unfortunately, the mascot remained on land!

Our first stop was Ngam Noi Island, once home to flocks of exotic sea birds. The other couple on board told us that people were having to live on the island all year round as tourists had been hunting the birds, causing their numbers to dwindle. The living conditions on the island looked dreadful, just a few tin huts dotted around. Very lonely and secluded. However, just below the island life was plentiful. The snorkelling was unreal. We saw so many fish, manta rays, urchins, and huge clams. 

 

We then moved on to, Ngam Yai Island, Koh Ga-Loke the deep water zone of Chumphon Marine Natural Park, and Talu Island. Again, the vast and energetic undersea life was immense, much more like the Thailand we knew, bright, bustling, and awe-inspiring. 

Unsurprisingly, to the crew at least, we did not see any whale sharks however the almost private tour and diving experience we did have was so worth the lavish spending of almost a quarter (!!) of our remaining budget. And what we missed under the water Ev made up for the onboard buffet, eating almost his body weight in chicken wings before realising that the crew were also intending to eat after guiding us around under the water for hours.   

Sailing back to the pier I sat lounging over the bow, feeling as if I were the main character in an adventure movie and allowed the spray to freckle my sweltering face, whilst idiotically ignoring the searing scorch of my exposed back. 

This trip was one of the best we've ever done, purely down to the untouched habitats and calmness of being in such a small group.

 

Returning to the hotel and being greeted by the towering two-toothed chef, and pretending to eat the lumpy beef slop made me no longer able to ignore the heat radiating from my back.....