The quiet Surin Islands are situated 60ish km off the Thai coast, and are famed for their snorkelling and scuba diving spots. The archipelago of five islands are a National Park. Apparently the geography of the island cluster block the wind all year round, allowing coral reefs to flourish non-stop just under the surface. The Surin Islands are said to boast some of the most unblemished shallow sea corals in the world. But no one told us about the boat trip to the Islands...
Leaving the port all was pristinely beautiful, lush green rainforest rising from the waters edge, untouched it would seem. The speedboat we were on cruised through the calm turquoise waters, to the open sea. We sat near the front of the boat, enjoying the views, and laughing with the locals. A Thai mother and her two grown daughters were really smiley, and we laughed a lot. Another Thai guy was travelling with his boss, the boss was in Thai military uniform, and they were heading to the military station on the island for five days.
As the chop and waves increased, so did the bouncing around of the boat. There were oohs and ahhs at first, and then giggles at each other's reactions. About an hour into the journey, the swell was bigger than comfortable for the speed we were going. We crunched into a couple of walls of water, and the impact went straight up our spines. It was really sore. The oohs and ahhs turned to grimaces and arghs, and one by one people in the front of the boat headed for the back.
The Thai military guy got off his seat, crouching to keep his centre of gravity as low as possible, and took about one step towards the back of the boat. At that moment, we hit a wave real hard, and the soldier smashed into the deck. Ouch! As we all landed on our seats again the arghs were exceptionally loud. A split-second later the boat lurched high into the air as it crested another wave. Both of us were well off the seat. In fact out of the corner of my eye, everyone was in the air. The leanly-built Thai military guy who was still crumpled on the deck from the last hit, was catapulted through the air and smacked the back of his head on the top of the doorway leading to the back of the boat. He thudded down in a sickening manner, and lay unconscious. We were all holding on for dear life, white knuckled and teeth clenched. A guy shouted at the oblivious captain, who was probably concentrating pretty hard on the waves rolling in, and we slowed a little. Christof, a German guy in his thirties, rushed over from the back of the boat. He was a police medic (?) and was amazing at giving first aid to our Thai Military guy who had been knocked unconscious for a few minutes, but came to. A very telling and sad reflection on Thai/modern society hit home when one of the first things the guy said when he regained consciousness was 'I have insurance.' Through a translator he also said that the pain was an 8 out of 10, (later a 9) which must've been excruciating. Im sure he'd have been bred pretty tough.
There was still thirty minutes of rough open sea before we would arrive at the shelter of the Surin Islands. The injured guy lay on the deck of the boat, cushioned a little by life jackets, and padded somewhat still by a wad of towels. Pain centred in his hips, and there was a small cut just under his ear. He was 53, and had been to Surin many times. He winced with every wave we crashed through, as we all did. Poor dude.
The boat crew were helpful, but the Thai Military guy can thank his lucky stars that Christof was onboard. Christof insisted that a medical team meet us on the beach, and that they should call a helicopter to immediately transport the dude to a hospital for X-rays and ECG scans. Finally we reached the beach. What awaited us was a nurse from the Thai Search and Recue unit. He boarded our boat with a stretcher, and with a lot of pain our dude was manoeuvred out. All of us piled out of the boat, glad to be on solid ground. Glad to be alive. Glad to be safe. What an eventful ride. The massive bruises on our arms and legs came up eventually, and looked odd as we lay in the sun over the next few days!
After lunch, the snorkelling was stunning! Brightly coloured coral, large bulbous coral, flourishing coral. The visibility was perfect, and a plenitude of sea life darted about below us. As we floated in marine paradise, we were surrounded by vibrant aquatic life. Fluorescent blue and yellow striped fish. Black and yellow Angel fish popped in and out of view. Mini fluoro indigo (?!) fish found their lunch in spikey coral crevices. We saw Nemo and his mates - their intense orange and black not at all hidden by the type of massive anemone they were trying to protect themselves in.
It was marvellous!
We snorkelled in a different spot before being brought ashore to our tent, right on the sandy beach. Monkeys swung in trees, centipedes slithered to who knows where, and all sorts of creatures made jungle noises. And we were free. Free to do a whole lot of glorious nothing!
The island paradise has become home to the Moken 'sea gypsies.' For generations the Mokens have lived completely at sea, fishing and trading. At the Kathmandu Film Festival we watched a documentary about a Moken guy, named Hook, who shared the difficulties he and his tribe were facing to keep their culture. In 1981 (I think!), the islands became a National Park, which meant there was no more harvesting of trees or vegetation on the islands. Prior to that time, the Mokens had felled a specific type of tree to craft their kabangs (liveaboard canoes). As the kabangs began to fade into disrepair, it was impossible to maintain their traditional fishing and living arrangements. The Thai government granted permission for the Moken to inhabit a bay of one of the Surin Islands. Family after family moved ashore, building bamboo stilted houses on the edge of the beach. Now about 60 families live in a little bay close to where we camped. Many of the men headed for tourist destinations like Phuket to get work. Hook was one of these guys, and after returning for his grandmother's funeral he noticed that the knowledge of how to build a kabang was dying out with the old men. His Dad was sick, and so Hook set off with some friends to find a tree to build his kabang. He sailed to Myanmar under the cover of darkness, explaining that Mokens hold no passports because they have no recognised nationality. With no diplomatic protection, and no authority to seek help from in case of pirates attacking the boat, the Mokens needed to be stealthy. Hook traveled the Myanmar coast searching for fellow Moken, and a tree. He was saddened by what he saw - similar to his village, other Mokens had been forced ashore. All the men of the villages were chasing money in tourist destinations, the knowledge of the sea and of building kabangs was almost gone. The movie ends with Hook returning to his village on Surin, and locating a mature tree perfect for building a kabang (if it wasn't forbidden) only metres behind his brother's house. The movie is called No Word for Worry, as Hook explained in their language they have no word that translates as worry. It's a movie worth checking out!
Back to our own island experience ... Six hours after the incident had happened with the Thai Military guy that morning, we heard a military chopper land on a flat patch of beach on the island next to ours. Our friend was bundled into a runabout, still strapped to his stretcher from six hours ago, and ferried across the chanel to the helicopter. There was no rush, apparently. The Search and Recue unit stopped at every opportunity to take photos of the scenario, selfies, and pictures of their mates with the chopper. It was bizarre. We heard the next day that our friend had been taken to Bangkok hospital, and he was doing well.
How grateful we are to live in a country where emergency services are trained to a high standard, are efficient, and it is the norm that people get what they need as soon as humanly possible.
We spent two nights on the island, and were glad to be away from the crowded mainland. We swam, read, ate, slept ... All those good things! The winds increased after our eventful passage to the island, so no boat returned on our second day. We were scheduled to return on Christmas eve, but the winds made it pretty dicey. We were told late in the day that yes a boat would come, which meant we didn't need to spend Christmas Day on the tiny island after all!
As the few departing visitors congregated on the beach waiting for the boat, we saw a longtail fishing boat pull up on the sand. A middle aged man was being carried out, and they lay him flat on a table. His companions gathered around him, and again we saw the SAR unit arrive on our beach. The man had been fishing and suffered a heart attack, and it had taken two hours to get him to the island. He was put on a stretcher, but apart from that nothing else was happening. I wandered over, suggested that they elevate his knees, and asked what was happening to help him, and if the helicopter had been called. The astonishing response was that usually they wait a few hours to see if the sick/injured person makes it, and if they do, then they decide whether to fery them back or get a helicopter. Oh la la. Are you frickn serious?! I tried to explain that heart attacks and head injuries are very serious, and people usually have a greater chance of recovery of they are attended to quickly. Asking if the same thing would happen if it was a tourist, the reply was noncommittal, but no doubt the answer revolves around money and how hard the next of kin push to get help. Little lesson for us ... If someone you love is hurt or sick, pull out all the stops to get help, and ask a thousand questions to inform yourself of what's going on. Our poor mate was bundled onto the deck of our boat to head to the mainland. So we sat on the benches next to this guy, and hoped and prayed for the best.
A couple of people travelled with the guy, including a man in a SAR tshirt, so we assumed they had the situation under control. A few minutes into the passage, I touched the guys arm, and it was really cold. He looked fearful. Sitting on the deck beside him, I held his hand. He was not speaking and his eyes were closed. We covered him with towels, and another traveller passed us their blanket. Trying to find a pulse proved impossible. Relief was huge when the guy responded to questions. It was a long journey back as the captain did a fine job of getting us safely though the rough seas.
It was wonderful to be back on the mainland, and yes it's crowded, but it's also physically so much easier to get to a doctors than the remote islands of Surin. We would definitely recommend a visit, but maybe check the weather forecast first.
(In case you're trying to figure it out, we skipped over to Surin in the middle of our Khao Lak stay, but thought it easier to write about it as a seperate post)
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