Phuket, Thailand, March 2

Snorkeling in Paradise

The guidebooks say that the resorts of southern Thailand’s long peninsula are pure hedonism.  You can find five-star luxury hotels, all kinds of water sports, and beaches washed by pure azure waters, they say.

And that’s just what my friend Jackie and I had decided we wanted.  Not the five-star hotel, necessarily, but a beautiful quiet beach and emerald seas where we could snorkel to our heart’s desire.  And the beaches of Phuket were famous for such an idyllic adventure.

Only we hadn’t a clue as to where to start. 

We got off the ship early in the morning and stood on the Phuket dock watching most of our friends head off on a tour, bargain with taxi drivers, or stroll along the omnipresent bargaining stalls.  Looking around for some site of tourist information, we couldn’t spot a single source, so we wandered over to one side of the dock to a small, spotless white building.  Figuring we might get some information on how to find a good beach, we walked inside.  

Immediately, a huge wall of gorgeous photos and posters greeted us, with the words, “Welcome to the Maiton Resort, a tropical paradise island in Thailand’s Andaman Sea.” 

We learned that just nine kilometers southeast of Phuket, this secluded private island resort featured pristine white sandy beaches, snorkeling and scuba diving in clear cool seas, exotic tropical drinks available as you sat in the Olympic-size pool, and an elegant Thai lunch on the private hotel terrace adjoining the pool. All for a set price. And the boat was leaving in just fifteen minutes.

Jackie and I didn’t waste a minute.  We forked over a few hundred bhats and headed for the sleek passenger boat that would take us to this incredible island paradise.  And what a paradise it was!

Beautiful white columned verandas extending from a beautiful low-lying five-star hotel, tiny cottages dotting the hillside along the bougainvillea flowered trail, yellow umbrellas, fresh blue beach towels and cushioned chairs overlooking the sparkling blue sea and gorgeous pool, and the promise of snorkeling everywhere. 

Needless to say, our stay in  Phuket, courtesy of Maiton resort, was memorable.  We snorkeled. We swam.We ate. We sunbathed in comfortable chaise lounges overlooking the huge empty pool, basking in the cold tumbling water of a miniature waterfall emptying into the pool.  The only other people there were a small group of Japanese students and a few Japanese couples with adorable tiny children. 

We could snorkel all morning the water was so warm, and we followed our exercises in the sea with a thirst quenching Maiton special drink of the day,  sipping as we sat in the cool water of the pool.  Dish after dish of a gourmet Japanese lunch followed on the terrace. Then we strolled the length of the island and snorkeled again in the afternoon. 

That’s when an unforseen situation that could have been disastrous happened.  As a newcomer to the sport, I am a cautious snorkeler. We had walked far beyond the confines of the buoy-marked beach and were snorkeling far down along the deserted  beach where we thought we’d find more fish.  Jackie, an old hand at swimming in the sea, was far more adventuresome than me, and she soon swam over into the deeper water near the cliffs on the point.  I could see her at a distance and watched as her head  bobbed up and down in the waves.  Time passed, and after half an hour in the emerald waters, I was ready to dry off.  Jackie was still out there swimming and snorkeling.  As I watched, she seemed to be returning toward shore, but very very slowly.  More time passed. I thought, maybe she's seeing more varieties of fish underwater than I had, but I was patient. 

Finally, perhaps twenty minutes later, she finally made her way to shallow water and  shore, but very slowly.  She walked up the beach toward me, and only then I could see how exhausted she really was.  She panted that she needed to sit down, and I could see she was completely worn out and could hardly breathe.

She then told me that she hadn’t realized the extent of the currrent  rushing around the point and as hard as she paddled, it kept carrying her out once more.  After struggling so long she said she almost panicked, she finally managed to swim to where she could touch the rocks of the cliff and thought she might have to climb up onto the rocks and shout for help.  But she managed to walk through the neck-deep waves and made it to shore with great difficulty.  I had watched without knowing the extent of her struggle.  And we agreed,  I could not have helped her in the water anyhow.

However, all’s well that ends well.  We returned to the hotel beach, and as our afternoon on the island slowly drew to a close, we agreed that this day would  be etched in our memories as the highlight of our entire Southeast Asia trip.  Our return back to Phuket and our boat underscored that notion!

We had to leave the island at 3:30 p.m. to make it back in time to the dock and ship---and we were the only two passengers on the island returning to shore that day.  The resort sent out a sleek speedboat to the resort just for our passage.  So there we were, the returning dignitaries, flying over the waves  by speedboat past our ship and to the dock.  We felt like  royalty returning to Phuket and reality, and in truth it was like emerging from some  fairy-tale. For me it was a dream come true, of snorkeling in Thailand in an azure blue sea.

We vowed to return!  And to find a similar island!