Koh Tao – meaning ‘Turtle Island’ – lives up to its name, being the scuba diving destination of choice for thousands of back packers travelling through Asia. The perfect white-sand beaches which ring the hilly 21 km² island are surrounded by the crystal-clear waters of the Gulf of Thailand. The vibrant coral reefs there are home to a wide range of exciting and colourful sea creatures, including, reef sharks, whale sharks and of course turtles.

A dive holiday on the island of Koh Tao can be taken as a holiday in its own right, but also ties in very well with one of the many liveaboard itineraries operating in this large and fantastically diverse region.

The compact island is 55 km to the north of Koh Samui and was only really ‘discovered’ in the early 1980s, but now supports a varied selection of accommodation, from budget guesthouses and beach bungalows all the way up to boutique luxury resorts. The choice of places to eat and party has also grown with excellent thai cuisine and pumping night life right on the beach. So far from civilisation while still being relatively easily reached, it is the idyllic tropical island paradise to learn to dive.