Whilst motoring out to Koh Tao‘s Southwest Pinnacles dive site aboard the Simple Life dive boat, the engine suddenly cut! Captain Nam Chai had received a call over the radio that there was a whale shark at Shark Island, off the southern tip of Koh Tao.
After a quick check with all the certified divers and people taking PADI dive courses, (who didn’t need much persuading that a change of plan was in order) salty sea-dog Nam Chai spun the boat around in a u-turn and set a course for Shark Island.
Luckily on approach to the Koh Tao diving site we discovered that the whale shark was still there, clearly visible from the surface. Already kitting up as the Simple Life dive boat moored up on one of Shark Island’s fixed mooring buoys, we entered the water and enjoyed a memorable dive with one of the most playful whale sharks I’ve encountered (over many years of scuba diving in Koh Tao).
Image: Whale shark at Shark Island, South of Koh Tao, Thailand
Even better I had my digital underwater camera with me, ready to take advantage of this great opportunity for underwater photography. Using a compact Canon G10 with underwater housing, this was the best of the shots that I managed to capture, setting the camera to it’s slowest possible film speed and fastest shutter speeds. The end result is the whale shark silhouetted against the sun and clear blue water – a beautiful Koh Tao diving image (with a bit of help from Photo-shop!).
Image: At the helm, salty sea-dog Captain Nam Chai pulls one out for the team
