Remote work has it’s own set of cultural stereotypes. On one hand, there is “Work from home”.
Put your pants in the bottom drawer, because you won’t need them anymore. Now you will work from home and never again will you have contact with a human being.
The second end of the spectrum is full-on digital nomad. Someone who has all belongings packed in a carry-on bag and travels the world perpetually living in hostels and airbnbs.
And… Of course is working from a beach in Thailand.
Thailand comes up a lot while mentioning remote work. And for a good reason.
- It’s cheap
- Chiang Mai or Bangkok enjoy a bustling tech scene
- People there are very friendly
- Food is amazing
- The nature is spectacular
- But the beaches out of this world!
So we decided to give it a go. The only downside is that… I hate beaches. Literally, I would rather be anywhere else that on the beach.
This is hell
Diving in Thailand
Fortunately, Thailand has more to offer than those menacing sandy beaches and annoying gentle waves.
It has some great diving. In fact, the diving is so great that we practiced in 2C ( 35.6 F ) water in Poland just to finish our scuba certifications before coming here. This is a story for another post, but I will mention this while I have a chance: DO NOT DIVE IN 2C ( 35.6 F ) WATER.
For our Thai diving, we were interested in Ko Tao. This is a whole island famous for quick & cheap diving certifications located on the bay side of peninsula. But it turns out, that the best diving spots are on the Andaman sea! Places like:
- Similan Islands
- Surin Islands
- Hin Daeng and Hin Muang
- Famous Ko Phi Phi featured in the movie “The Beach” (with that title it’s rightly a Thriller if you ask me)
- And Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock
Richelieu Rock is considered a #8 best diving spot in the world. It is a vertical limestone pinnacle just barely touching the surface. It looks very unassuming, but under the water… It’s a magnificent experience.
We booked a trip from Khao Lak explorer and our dive master was Matt Waters from Nomadic Scuba. An amazing and friendly man who took the photos you see above.
He also brought our attention to the debate regarding the naming.
Richelieu Rock was discovered by Jacques Cousteau – a relentless oceanographer. Some say that the purple reefs reminded him of the colors of Cardinal Richelieu’s robes. Matt says that the name comes from General Richeliu, a Danish officer who became an admiral of Royal Thai Navy.
Regardless of etymology, Richelieu Rock is worth a visit. Khao Lak is a good home base, but Phuket has ships coming to Richelieu Rock as well.
Thailand is not only Bangkok, beaches and booze. It’s Barracudas as well.