Koh Chang

[Centrals]

Thunderstorm early in the morning but luckily it did not last long.
Caught a songthaew to the pier for B100.00.
Ferry was B80.00.
Songthaew to Trat bus terminal was B80.00
Fare for the 11:00 bus to Ekkamai was B279.00. It was very slow and eventually arrived at the destination after nearly 8hrs!
Home tomorrow.

 

[Traminer]

Interesting trip but not convinced that I will return in the near future.
HTMS Chang is the best in this trip.
Anyone looking for a holiday with a bit of easy diving then this place is recommended.
Do not waste your money/time diving at Koh Tien(Thian) and Koh Nok.

Just did these dive sites last weekend and I completely agree with this assessment.

It was breathtaking to be descending into the main deck of the HTMS Chang into a school of juvenile barracuda. We were stuck with a conservative DM who didn't take us inside the wreck but we still saw tons of fish. Visibility was poor all around Koh Chang now in mid May due to the much-needed rain. However, this was easily one of my favourite dives in Thailand. The other two dives in Hin Raab and Blueberry Hill were decent with a wide variety of coral but somewhat disappointing after this highlight. Will be happy to come back to dive this wreck over multiple days when the visibility improves from Nov - March.

I wished I had skipped the sites in the national park like Koh Thien and Koh Laun altogether. It was an additional 400 baht and it was a 3 hour long commute from Bang Bao for a lacklustre experience. You will also be sharing the sites with heaps of snorkellers and OW students. With most of the coral around the 8-10m mark, It may be a better to leave the tanks onboard or switch to snorkels. Or stay onshore and relax with a massage by the beach!