We woke up early and went down to wait for our pick up at 09:30 for the snorkelling trip. As we waited we saw divers preparing for a day exploring the sea around Koh Tao. The taxi came and we climbed into the back as it's more like a pick up truck and said hi to the two men who were already on board before driving to pick up four more people. The pier is in mae haad which is a slightly quieter town than where we are staying. We got dropped off and checked in our tickets and got two snorkels in return, we had to pay 100TB extra for admission into a small island just off Koh Tao. Before sitting down to wait to get onto the boat we quickly went to see if we can find a chuckaway waterproof camera which we did but the woman in the shop said we have to buy a roll of film to put inside (when we checked later there was already film inside the camera so didn't need to spend the extra money on a film). We walked back to the waiting area until we were called forward to board our boat.

Getting on the boat included one small step off the pier and one giant leap off the pier and onto another boat. We sat upstairs, there wasn't a sun deck unfortunately but we would get a nice breeze by sitting at the top. The boat pulled out of the bay and we headed to a good snorkelling spot. On the boat we met our guide who said we would be seeing turtles and sharks and joked about seeing massive crocodiles which made a ginger irish boy's face drop, thank god it was only a joke though! The boat stopped and dropped the anchor so we all got into the sea, dan chose to jump off the top of the boat but i got in the sea from the back and as soon as you got in and looked under it was like i was transported to another world. Around me were hundreds of stripy fish feeding at the small pieces of pineapple the boatmen had chucked in. The man said that we should follow him if we want to see a turtle which i wanted to see so badly but i couldn't find the man! Dan and i went off around the bay admiring all the marine life around us when a shark swam directly under us. I had a mini heart attack as i wasn't expecting it and was scared that it would be able to sniff out the blood from my cat bite through the plaster so i was panicking a bit. We continued floating around the sea until a whistle coming from one of the boatmen signalled for everyone to get back on.

Pineapple was given to us as a snack while we set off for the next snorkelling destination. There wasn't so much to see at the next stop, the water was pretty cloudy so couldn't see as far down but there were quite a few fish around the boat as well as a massive hers of fish right underneath the boat which looked so trippy to look at; like hundreds of mackerel gathered together under the darkness of our boat. As i was swimming a fat bird whacked her flipper on me and another woman whose skin looked awful as she was peeling all over swam right up to me and kind of hit me with her hand as she passed, what a cow. We all got back on board to get to our next snorkelling area. The island is a lot more quiet around here and there seem to be a lot less going on. The resorts look expensive and quiet and some were nestled on the mountains overlooking the sea which looked lovely but i wouldn't be up for trekking to get to the hotel every day.

There was tea and coffee on board and so dan and i had a cup each while we made our way to the next spot. When it came to getting in the water i was sure to be right next to the tour guide so that he could guide me around and point things out to look at. I followed him through lots of rocky coral which looked so unique and beautiful. There were some big rocks that were covered in coral as well as odd formations all across the sea bed. He showed me some sort of coral crab that closes up when something swims inside as well as one of the places that a clown fish would live in. We swam around with him for a while until my goggles began leaking water so went into a more deeper area so i could empty it all out. Dan and i took some photos on the chuckaway waterproof camera of the fish and coral. Right by the back of the boat there were hundred of fish all fighting for pieces of pineapple that they were coming right to the surface and even though i was surrounded by them, i couldn't touch one even if i tried.

Once everyone was back on the boat we were handed plastic containers of rice, egg, and spicy chicken stuff for lunch which we took upstairs to eat. I couldn't finish mine as i find rice very filling so daniel had the rest of mine. We began to make our way to the small island off koh tao with the sand bank connecting two different islands. As we arrived at the port we saw a wooden walkway that was built around the island to access the beach. We got off and received our ticket as it costs 100TB to enter the island and we walked across the wooden planks to the beach. The sand wasn't as soft as it first appeared, it was quite coarse with lots of pieces of coral mixed in with it. We lay our towels down and went into the water with our snorkels.

There were lots of sea cucumbers and rocks as well as a few small and bigger colourful rainbow fish; the water wasn't so deep around here though. I got out and lay down on the towel to try and catch some sun as we weren't really getting any on the boat. Dan followed me shortly and we both had a rest under the sun as we we had two hours to spend on the island. We then crossed over to the other bay where we took some photos and two german men on a kayack came into the bay when they were approached by island security asking one of them to pay but he wasn't having it. It seems so stupid to pay to enjoy one of natures gems but there was no way he would let them off as he threatened to get his boss. We chilled in the water for a while speaking to him about where to visit in Vietnam before leaving to buy a drink at one of the bars. It was extortionate, 40TB for a bottle of water which was warm and when i asked for ice she asked me for 5tb to pay for it, i don't think so! We sat down at a table with our drinks and smokes before walking back through the wooden walkway onto our boat.

Dan and i sat on the roof bit this time which meant that sun would get on our legs while we waited for a late comer back to the boat, it was one of the french guys we shared the taxi with on the way to the pier. Not long after, we set sail again back to the pier. As we were making our way back, one of the workers came around with a big tray of sliced watermelon which was perfect considering it was such a hot day. When we got back to the pier, the boatmen came around and shook everyones hand before we had to leap off the boat onto the pier. We then hopped onto a taxi with the french men and irish men (who had gotten pretty badly burned during the trip, not surprising) and we made our way back to our hotels. One if the french guys filmed us with his go pro as we bounced around in the back of the truck up and down the steep hills and bends.

When we got back we grabbed our ipads to take to reception so we could message home and i went into the pool for a quick dip as i finally was able to get my leg in water! I swam a few lengths before a ginger man came in and put me off a bit. I then went back to the room to shower and get ready to have dinner and meet the others. The beautiful white speckled cat we named storm came to say hi but i'm not sure which one it was as there two who look very similar (i think?!). Tonight is a half moon party at cancun bar on the beach so we agreed to meet Jacky, beth and Eddy later on to go and check it out. Once Dan and j were ready we headed out for some dinner and ended up back at the italian place we went to on our first night. We were both torn between pizza or pasta but as we had pasta last time, we opted for pizza. I got one with tuna, capers and onions and daniel had one with salami and jalapenos. It was really tasty and took us a while to eat it which meant we were already late meeting the others. We paid the bill and headed down to silver sands bungalows to meet up with the gang.

When we got there we were all chilling on the porch of their shared bungalow while they were drinking. I couldn't have a drink because of the antibiotics but that didn't mean i wasn't going to have a good time. We chilled listening to music on Jacky's speakers and i noticed that jacky had put her hammock up now as the one that came with the bungalow broke when Eddy and i were sat on it. Eddy wanted us all to play in the sea and on the big float by the shore later on so he came with dan and i back to our room to change into swimwear and on the way he told us about his relationship with beth and what not. Once we had both changed we made our way back towards the bungalow to see if beth and jacky were still there. The lights were off so we assumed they were already there so we walked down to the beach and into Cancun bar where they had the half moon party advertised on a banner outside. The fire show was in full swing with the same little boy spinning ignited sticks around his body while the dj was pumping out dance songs and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Dan went to buy a bucket while Jacky was on the balloons so i figured i would join her with that. Whenever jacky had a balloon she ends up swimming around the club in a breast stroke manner which never fails to make me laugh.

We all danced together for a good while and on the shore to continue dancing until we were told to move as we were in the way of the fire show. Beth and Eddy disappeared shortly after and turns out Beth pulled a strop for some reason and so they walked down the beach arguing so he took her home but came back out to join us again after. We all danced together while jacky went off to sit with some Canadians and make friends. Shortly after, we all left Cancun bar and walked down a bit where the big res float is sitting ontop of the water so we all stripped down and climbed onto it. Eddy had to pull me up as i couldn't muster the strength i must have looked like a slimey seal. We all ran around the float and danced on it until jacky got back out to check on her bag. Daniel wanted to do a back flip off the float and into the sea and as he was stepping back, he fell right in which looked hilarious and had me and Eddy in hysterics. As we were sat down floating on the water we spied beth who had changed and come back out again and so we called her over to which she looked at us and pit up her middle finger so Eddy had to go over and have a chat with her. It was just me and dan left at this point and he had found an old broom stick in the water so i grabbed it and used it as a flying broom and ran around the float pretending to play quidditch with him while dancing to the music that was blaring out of the bar opposite us. It was crazy, i was acting drunk and felt a bit tipsy but hadn't had any alcohol at all, it's all in the power of the mind!

After a while of skipping around pretending to be a witch in my bikini i got off and went to see jacky (plus at this point a few men were waving me over to them from the bar which was getting a tad akward). Jacky was having a blast dancing by the DJ that she fancies on her own until dan also came out of the sea and we all decided to head back to the bungalow to see what's happened with eddy and beth. When we got there we could hear that they were arguing but Jacky needed to go inside so we sat akwardly on the porch while eddy came out and jacky went in to have a chat with beth and calm her down as she was packing her bags. We had a chat with Eddy about it all saying not the ruin the trip and to get beth off the booze and on the bud as she seems to be in a better mood when she's high. Eddy told us about his passed with his parents and his ordeal with drugs and it sounds like the kid had had it really bad but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. When jacky and beth returned she had calmed down a bit and as it was getting on a bit dan and i went back to our hotel to get high and get some rest as we were up early this morning.