Many visitors to Koh Tao worry about seeing a shark whilst they are snorkeling. We only get Black Tip Reef sharks in the shallows around the island and they pose no threat or danger what-so-ever. In fact we always feel that seeing a shark ‘makes our day’ when we do see one (or two) whilst snorkeling around the island. And if you add the odd turtle into the mix too, then that is a really good snorkeling session.

In fact, January, February and March are great months to visit Koh Tao as this is when ‘mummy sharks’ come to the island to have their young. Shark Bay (or to give it it’s true name: Thian Og Bay) is THE place to go and see sharks at this time of year. If you are lucky you may see as many as 20 to 30 sharks in the bay and that is what I call a great day’s snorkeling. Also the bay is only shallow (2-3 meters deep) so the shark are never that far away from you. We have taken guests there in the past – guests that were scared sh#^!@ss of sharks – and they have loved it (almost had a heart attack, but still loved it) and were happy that they had seen these amazing creatures.

One more thing on the ‘Shark’ front: PLEASE, if you are in a restaurant anywhere in Thailand (or the rest of the world for that matter), if you see ‘shark’ of any description on the menu, do the oceans of our planet a HUGE favour: ask the waiter if they have it; if they do, please pay for any drinks you have had and Leave The Restaurant explaining to the waiter (or preferably the manager) that you will not be eating there because they are serving shark. I know that this may seem a little ‘over the top’ but the ecosystems of our planet (on land and in the sea) need their ‘top of the food chain’ predators and people are killing hundreds, if not thousands, of these fantastic creatures every day. And all we have to do is stop eating them (and more importantly their fins). If enough people walk out because they are serving shark, perhaps – eventually – the restaurant managers will calculate the amount of money they are losing and stop selling it. If they don’t sell it, they wont buy it, and if they don’t buy it, then it will no longer be a worthwhile catch for the fishermen and they will stop targeting them. And then divers and snorkelers alike may get to enjoy the delights of seeing many more of these majestic animals.

Alan Cassar
(climbing down off his high horse).