Sleeping with the Fishes

It seems incredible, but we managed to spend almost two months in SE Asia without even seeing a beach. Determined to rectify this madness, we made a beeline for the white sand and coral reefs of Ko Tao, a tiny island in the Gulf of Thailand. There's no cultural or historic significance to the place, and it's become one of the most popular diving destinations in the world. No off-the-beaten-path stories here. We came to Ko Tao to simply a place to relax and enjoy the ocean, and weren't disappointed.

We spent five full days diving the island's coral reefs, and our evenings watching the sun going down over the breakers. Susannah learned to dive in Seattle, in JANUARY, so this was a wonderful introduction to tropical waters. Fish everywhere, and no hypothermia. The diving was fantastic, and we were notably lucky on a few occasions. We followed a sea turtle as it cruised around the reef one afternoon, and spotted a huge number of exotic fish, eels and invertebrates. On a night dive, luminescent plankton flashed like lightening as our bubbles rose to the surface. The climax of the trip was a 90-foot dive on Chumphon Pinnacle, a depth record for both of us. Less than a minute after we reached the bottom, we were circled by no less than five Bull Sharks, cruising by less than a meter away. Though normally among the most dangerous sharks in the world, the bulls of Chumphon are famously accepting of human intrusion. Somehow, that fact didn't help us breathe any slower.