70 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2015 Asia-Pacific Boating March/April 2015 71DESTINATION
Th ere is a fee of THB200 (US$6) per person to enter as the island is part
of Had Chao Mai National Park. Keep your ticket stubs, because the tickets
are good at any of the islands in the park for the next fi ve days. Th e same is
true of all the parks in the area.
Aft er leaving the emerald cave late in the morning, the wind picked up to
about 25 knots. We were happy to be in the stable catamaran, as it handled
the four-foot seas and strong breeze comfortably.
Th e wind remained strong and veered back and forth from west to north
by northeast for the next several days as this was the beginning of November
and the southwest monsoon was still fl exing its muscles and not quite ready
to give up to the northeast monsoon that prevails through the winter. Still,
we were able to sail mostly downwind at 8 to 10 knots as we island hoppedfrom one remote spot to another in the park. Th ey were fast, fun days
on the water.
Snorkelling the crystal-clear water at Koh Rok we had visibility
over 15 metres allowing us to view perfectly the astonishing array
of colourful sea life – angelfi sh, butterfl y fi sh, wrasses, eels,
sea snakes and anemone made up just a part of the local underwater
fl ora and fauna.
Koh Phaetra is one of the major bird’s nest collecting islands in the
region. Sailing by the towering, narrow piece of land, bamboo scaff olding
and ladders are visible, clinging to the sides of the treacherous cliff s.
Now and then a tiny wooden hut can be spotted. Th e collectors use
these huts temporarily while they are working at a site.We spent the night in calm water alongside local fi shing boats sheltering
at Koh Bulon. Th e local fi sherman said it was a good anchorage in a blow,
so we deferred to the local knowledge and were happy about our decision.
On Koh Bulon there are paths all over the island, leading to numerous
beaches, a Parks Offi ce and a few small resorts. We ran across a group of sea
gypsies who were collecting snails, oysters, scallops and other shellfi sh on
the exposed coral reef at low tide.
Th e following day we still had strong winds. We had planned on going to
Tarutao Island to visit the national marine park – the second marine park
formed in Th ailand in 1972. But the west wind would leave us only very
exposed anchorages on a lee shore.
Th e Butang Islands to our south are also part of the Tarutao National
Marine Park, which consists of 51 islands. Th e Butang Islands are made of
granite and are distinctly diff erent from the limestone islands we had been
exploring so far.
Koh Lipe is the only inhabited island in the group and anchoring off the
island’s Sunset Beach would leave us protected no matter which way the
fi ckle winds chose to blow.
Ashore we discovered Sabye Divers, nestled amongst several other
small resorts and beachfront bars. Th e owner made us feel right at home.
With our toes in the sand, we sampled a selection of Th ai food prepared
by his local staff.
We wanted to go diving and the granite islands ensure clear water as the
rain creates no cloudy runoff. For the six of us, Sabye provided a private long-
tail boat. We went to the far west and made a dive with our dive master to
about 20m deep and saw incredible gardens of soft coral stretching hundreds
of metres. Th ese corals come in iridescent green, purple, red and orange.
Th eir soft bodies are fi lled with water, which makes them translucent and
they are supported by small spicules of calcium. Th e variety of reef fi shes was
the largest we had seen and included moray eels and even a scorpion fi sh.66-73 Destinations.indd 70-71 07/03/15 2:24 pm