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OTHER
SITES
Koh Rok
Koh Rok is actually
a twin island: Koh Rok Nork and Koh Rok Nai (Outer Koh Rok and
Inner Koh Rok). You can reach Koh Rok by speedboat or traditional
long-tail boat. Koh Rok is in Mu Ko Lanta National Park’s
jurisdiction but is also part of nearby Trang province. The distance
between the two islands is a few hundred meters, spanned by a
water channel. The beach at Koh Rok Nok is pretty with powdery
white sand, a perfect place for swimming, sunbathing and snorkeling.
Behind the island lies a bay that bears a rocky beach. Surrounding
the area is a large Banyan tree, tropical rain forests and mangroves.
Koh Rok Nai is located east of Koh Rok Nork and features a pristine
beach. The attractions of Koh Rok Nai are stunning coral reefs.
Diving is possible but it’s shallow. Snorkeling is better
here. The visibility is always clear and it’s possible to
see 30 meters down. Lanta Garden Hill Speed Boat also takes visitors
to the two islands.
The Four Islands Tour (Koh Ngai, Koh Muk, Koh Chuek and Koh
Kradan)
The Four Islands
tour is a popular activity for island hoppers. These are some
of the most beautiful islands you can imagine. Although these
four islands belong to Trang’s jurisdiction (under the close
watch of Mu Koh Lanta National Park), people who come to Koh Lanta
also take the opportunity to visit them as part of a one-day trip
if they cannot stay longer on Koh Ngai (Koh Ngai also has a few
resorts to offer). Remoteness and crystal blue water are the major
attractions of these islands.
You can also stay
at Koh Muk, as there are a few bungalows and resorts. A must-see
is the Emerald Cave with its exquisite lagoon. The exciting part
is that the lagoon can only be reached by swimming down a tunnel
underneath the rocks that leads to an isolated area with limestone
cliffs. Koh Chuek and Koh Kradan have beautiful coral reefs and
a variety of species underwater. The depths here are about 20
to 25 ms.
A typical diving trip starts at about 8 am. You take a boat trip
with a group of beginners and experienced divers alike. The dive
master will put people into groups of two who have similar skill
levels and experience so people can have a better dive. You will
get the chance to do two dives per day. For instance, it takes
one hr to reach Koh Haa. Then you dive for one hr (while the snorkelers
can snorkel). The lunch break is about one and a half hours. There
are water, soft drinks and fruits on the boat. Then the boat moves
on to another nearby location for another dive that lasts about
an hour. You arrive back to Koh Lanta at around 2.30 pm.
The beginners
are likely to be diving around Koh Haa as the dive masters will
not take them to Hin Daeng and Hin Muang if they’ve just
been certified. The water there is quite deep and there can be
strong currents. Safety is the priority and all dive instructors
and dive masters are medically trained to help you at all times.
But to get more
satisfaction, you need to be able to go deeper, which means getting
certified. The ‘Discover Scuba Diving’ course at Narima
Diving is one day out on the boat and the previous day has 1 to
2 hrs of instructions. You spend half an hour watching video,
1 hr in the swimming pool (or as long as you want), you learn
the basics and then you go out on the boat and do two dives in
very shallow water, with a maximum depth of 12 ms. Afterwards
you get a certificate that says you’ve completed this open
water exercise. This can be counted towards the ‘Open Water’
course which is a certification course that will give you a license
to dive.
The Open Water
course is four days of training. You’ll learn about the
safety aspects of diving, your body and other safety precautions
and preparations. You will also learn skills in the swimming pool,
there are 18 skills in total to learn. If you can’t achieve
one of these skills, then you’ll have to do it over until
you pass. The first two dives for the Open Water course are a
maximum 12 ms and the next day you’ll do two more dives
at the maximum depth of 18 ms. Once you’ve completed all
the course work and taken the examination, you will get your certification
and have a license to dive anywhere in the world. One of the recommended
dive centers with professional instructions is Go Dive
(Tel: (66) 7568 4320, (66) 7568 4640, (66) 8 1657 0939).
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Email : reservation@lantaresort.com Attn : Ms. Polly
TAT TRAVEL LICENSE No. 11/02161
