Snorkeling Koh Chang!

When it comes to snorkeling, I have never been a super big fan. I've always been a bit terrified of swimming in deep water, mostly because I saw Jaws when I was way too young. But, one of my goals this year is to get over that fear and become super comfortable swimming in the ocean!

Fast forward to the big tour of our month in Thailand: a 7 hour snorkeling trip off the coast of Koh Chang, the big, beautiful island we can see from our back porch! We set off at 6:00 AM, bright and early, to go to the pier. The ferry to the island is super big and comfortable, and it takes about 30 minutes. We got to watch a beautiful sunrise!

When we finally made it to the launching point at the southern tip of the island, we were super stoked to find out that the big boat we were going to be taking totally looked like a pirate ship. If you have to be on a big boat, it might as well look like a pirate ship, right?!?

My excitement quickly faded as we set off and I immediately started feeling SUPER seasick. The boat ride was a bit over an hour, and I felt every. single. second. I have never been so seasick in my life, and I will definitely take dramamine next time I get on a boat!

When we finally made it to our first destination, I was entirely ready to get off that boat! I didn't think at all about my lifelong fear of deep water - I just was ready to stop feeling like I was about to vomit!

There were a lot of people at our first location, so I was a little worried there wouldn't be any fish. I was wrong! The coral was giant and beautiful, and there were so many interesting fish I'd never seen before. It was so amazing to be able to swim with giant schools of tiny fish - I felt like the little mermaid!

The water was an absolutely beautiful deep blue color, and I felt like I was in an entirely different world. My urge to vomit dissipated, and I was ready for the rest of what was going to be an awesome day!

Our next stop was honestly one of the prettiest beaches I've ever been to. When I close your eyes and picture Thailand, this is what I picture! Perfect, crystal clear water, white sand beaches, and jungle! Honestly, I think this is how I'd like to spend most of my time: wading in warm, perfect water. My only complaint is we didn't spend enough time at this beach!

While we were at this beach, we had the chance to jump off the very top of the boat! So we checked off snorkeling from my list of fears, and there I was, once again, doing something that terrifies me! I'm scared of heights, but I also insist on cliff/boat jumping any time the opportunity arises. I hate the feeling of being controlled by fear, and anyway, I've figured out the secret: you can't look down first. You have to step to the edge and jump immediately, because it gets harder the longer you wait!

I was sort of putting off my jump, but there was a 13 year old boy there who was super scared. He said he'd do it if I did it, assuming that I never would...we shook on it, and I launched myself over the edge of the boat. Enjoy the look of abject fear on my face.

Next up was more snorkeling - this was a snorkeling tour, after all. I really can't tell you how cool it was to swim around live coral, literally IN schools of fish! It really made me feel so sad when I compared it to other places we'd snorkeled, like Sri Lanka where a tsunami had wiped out all the coral.

By the end of this tour, I was absolutely wiped out. I had a wicked sunburn from forgetting to reapply sunscreen, I was super dehydrated, but I didn't care at all - it was an awesome day on the water! If you ever get the chance to snorkel in Thailand, don't miss it!