Swimming with Biolumincent Plankton, Koh Lipe
Yep, we got tired of lounging around on Koh Lipe. So, we decided to do an evening excursion that included snorkeling, a sunset dinner on a deserted island, and the icing on the cake - swimming with bio-luminescent plankton. Yes you read that right, they glow in the friggin dark. Only thing was... number one, we don't have an underwater camera or housing for our camera, and number two, it was extremely dark so even if we did have the camera gear, the shots wouldn't have turned out like we wanted them. The snorkeling during the day was good. Well except for having to navigate around the other snorkelers who couldn't swim. Yes, the tour group allows people who can't swim to go snorkeling! They merely don a life vest, hang onto a life buoy, and get pulled around by the tour guide who happens to be a very good swimmer and extremely underpaid for having to deal with that sort of issue. That would never fly in the States. Too many lawsuits and just a little more common sense. The sunset dinner was also good. A perfect way to relax and refuel after a few hours of underwater exploration. The sunset was absolutely stunning, definitely one of our favorites! However, the creme de la creme was swimming with the bio-luminescent plankton. They don't just sit there and glow despite what you've seen in movies. They have to be disturbed to a degree. So, while you're in the water, every move you make, every disturbance that creates a ripple, results in the plankton lighting up. It was very surreal to say the least. Definitely the highlight of the day. Though jumping into a pitch dark sea is a little unnerving, you realize that even though there may not be a fish or other visible underwater creature near you, you are surrounded by life at all times. And, the plankton don't even begin to scratch the surface of other microscopic life forms that you swim through. They're just the coolest.
This last image is courtesy of KrabiActivities.com