TRAVEL. ISLAND LIFE
Paddling Through Crystal Clear Waters
Exploring the coastline of a tropical island
It almost felt like floating. The water was crystal clear. I could see the sand ripples on the ocean ground meters below me. The water was deep. That is for sure. But the water was clean and clear as well.
The sun was burning down on us and we might not have applied sunscreen but the water was refreshingly cool. And just so beautiful to look at. I would be lying if I’d say I’ve never seen such clear water. Just because I’ve traveled a lot and have been to countless beaches and coastlines in the world.
But this is for sure on the list of turquoise blue waters and crystal clear ocean.
Exploring the island of Koh Larn
While we are more than aware of the fact our time here in Thailand is limited, we’re trying to make the best out of it. The island of Koh Larn just off the coast from Pattaya was so close, yet we never made it across. Yet.
For our most recent off days, we planned the excursion. With only two nights available it might sound like a short one but if your journey is only 30 minutes by car plus another 30 minutes on the ferry, it’s surely worth the trip.
We arrived on Monday afternoon and I still got to do a lovely sunset paddle before the night was rolling in. The next morning we went for a nice long swim in the crystal clear water, not knowing we would end up doing a lot more cardio that day.
A day full of paddling
Just before lunch we grabbed the paddleboard and kayak, put our snorkeling gear in a bag, and packed some water bottles. We decided to head out on the water and explore the island in a different way. Instead of cruising on land with a scooter, we chose to inspect the coastline.
The clouds from the early morning had burned off and just a light breeze was blowing. The ocean was flat like a lake which made the paddling a piece of cake.
We also packed our small speaker and my husband was dancing and singing with the rhythm of the music. Sitting in his kayak he enjoyed the relaxed play in the water while I was standing up on my board making sure I wouldn’t fall in (which would have been — oh so tragic — not.)
We didn’t really know what to expect “around the corner” since we only got a very basic map from our resort. We planned to go for lunch to the next beach but didn’t expect it to be so close.
Just as we passed the rocks at the end of the beach we stayed at, we could see already the next bay. However, the water seemed even more clear and turquoise blue over there.
Paddling along the beach we inspected the restaurant and bars available out here. Some jet skis were in the water and a banana boat in action. This bay was clearly more active than ours. Which proved again I found a quiet spot for us.
We continued to paddle out of the bay and further down the shoreline. We decided to keep on going and see if we’d get to another beach or just turn around eventually again.
Another small beach was just around the corner but it seemed like there was a guy embracing himself naked in the sun and we decided not to interfere. We stayed a bit further off the coast while enjoying the views of the cliffs.
One more bend was coming up but the ocean looked rough around the corner. A strong current was flowing down the side and as we got closer we could see the beach with a pier. It didn’t seem attractive.
While I still went ahead and paddled into the strong current, my husband was shouting at me what I was doing. I got the point, the water wasn’t nice. We turned around and began to paddle back up the coast again.
In the morning before heading out we analyzed the water and decided to go up the current so that we could come back down with the current once we got tired.
Well, it turns out we were mistaken. As soon as we turned around we could feel the current pushing against us and even the wind had picked up and wasn’t helping at all.
However, we were this far out now, we just had to keep paddling to get back. Or at least that far to get to the other beach and have a lunch break.
Which was what we ended up doing. Hungry for some decent meal, we stopped, brought our gear on land, and sat down at one of the restaurants on the beach.
Just as we were sitting down for lunch and choosing our dishes, I started to hear geese. I thought about some geese being held somewhere like backyard chickens. But I was wrong.
Three geese appeared from behind the building and started to walk down the beach. They chased off one girl sitting in the hammock and let everyone know they were taking over.
I usually try to ignore my urge to take photographs while having a meal together with my husband but this time I had to get up and capture the scene. It was too unreal to me.
I had never seen geese on an island before. And surely not walking in the sand on the beach. Just after I sat back down again and our food arrived, the group of three started waddling down to the ocean.
At the same time, I jumped up from the table, apologized, and followed the geese.
Indeed, they were going straight for the sea. Why not? If you’re living on a tropical island and have a beach with crystal clear water in front of you, you just have to take a dip in the cold from time to time. Even where you’re a goose.
So there they went.
Happily chatting, the geese waddled into the ocean, picking for some food in the salty water. I was so amazed by this entire scene. I just followed them.
Almost forgetting about my husband and the lunch on the table, I eventually headed back and sat down again. Not without glancing at the geese in the ocean from time to time.
Things that only happen in Thailand.
After our delicious meal, we jumped back on the board and in the kayak and continued the paddle against the wind and current to our beach.
Before calling it a day, we dropped the equipment on the beach and went for a snorkeling session along the reef. Not expecting much we could only be amazed by what we saw.
I was a bit stressed in the beginning because the water was very shallow and the ocean floor was covered in sea urchins. I wasn’t fully panicking but my husband was trying to tell me to slow down in my movements and just gently swim.
I didn't like it and moved to the deeper water. Eventually, I could enjoy seeing all the small fish. My favorite ones were a few yellow Angel Fish. They weren’t as big as the ones we’ve seen diving before, but they looked cute. And were yellow.
Unfortunately, they moved so fast, I couldn’t capture them nicely on camera. But instead, I was just hovering on the surface watching them.
At one point my husband was a bit further away from me filming some fish underneath a rock. I had found a small boulder in the water with lots of life around it. I watched all the fish while not moving right above them.
The longer you remain on one spot without doing any movements, the more fish you get to see. All of a sudden something appeared in the corner of my eye. I turned my head and was looking straight into the eyes of a sea snake.
The snake had lifted its head from the seafloor and was slowly but surely moving towards me. Instantly, I started to swim backward, then turned around and paddled away as fast as I could.
I only turned around one time when the snake was still looking at me. Then I shifted one gear up and almost flew past my husband as fast as I was going.
I stopped for a moment, told him about my encounter, and kept paddling further. He thought I got stung by a sea urchin and was trying to get out of the water as quickly as possible.
I might have overreacted a bit, but I’m telling you, that sea snake sneaking up to me wasn’t one of my favorite things I’ve experienced in the water so far. I don’t know if it was a poisonous one or not. But I don’t like snakes. Not on land and surely not in the water either.
On our way out, my husband spotted this big Puffer Fish which calmed me down again. I’ve never seen such a big one while snorkeling and we could follow him and watch him for a while.
Surely the highlight of this excursion.
But after this snorkeling session and the long paddle we were both exhausted. Ready for a long shower and then a good dinner on the beach. But that is another story of how a great day ends.
More stories on my adventures in Thailand:
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