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Also called Turtle Island, as it means in Thai, Koh Tao is a small island of  21 km² located in the Gulf of Thailand, close to Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, in the district of Surat Thani. 

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It is well known for its marine life and easy conditions to learn how to dive. Indeed, weather is good most of the year with good visibility underwater and most dive sites (~30 in total) are quite shallow with few having any current. This is probably why so many people get their certification there, as well as for the cost of it : one of the cheapest in the world.

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The access to Koh Tao is strictly done by boat with different companies offering more or less fast trips. You will need about 3 hours with Songserm or Seatran to get there from Chumphon, when you can do it in 1,5h with Lomprayah (high speed catamaran) for different a price of course. 

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From Bangkok, you can book tickets for Chumphon with bus and boat included, take the train down to Chumphon and buy boat tickets with transfer from the airport or fly to Surat Thani and then bus plus boat.

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If you plan to come to Koh Tao, I share with you this quite complete guide that gives information on the Island facilities and activities available. Feel free to contact me if you need any further information.