Day 20 – The Wobble Highway & The (second) Best Snorkelling of My Life | Thailand Travel Diary
Monday, Nov 15 – Day 20, Phuket (Cape Panwa Area)
Location: Cape Panwa → Coral Island (Banana Beach) → Ko Lon (Plastic Beach)
Mood: Mermaid energy activated; stomach cautiously optimistic.
The Morning My Stomach Rolled the Dice
After last night’s street market feast, I woke up expecting a gastrointestinal betrayal.
A full mutiny.
A coup.
But… nothing.
Just a delicate, slightly bruised-feeling belly that whispered, “Be kind to me today,” but didn’t actually stage any protests.
Bless. So I kept breakfast simple with a few forkfuls of pad see ew and some fruit.
We walked down to the pier at 7:45am for our private long-tail rental with Rowaopf — I have exactly no idea how to pronounce it.
He was quiet, gentle, and radiated the kind of “no problem” energy that immediately relaxes your nervous system. His long-tail boat was simple and modest — not the flashy, Instagram-bent ones that pose like supermodels off Phi Phi.
Just a real boat for a real day.
Perfect.
We waded into the shallows, climbed aboard, and off we went toward Banana Beach on Coral Island.
And then…
Oh my god.
Arrival at Banana Beach (aka: The Wobble Highway Trials)
We arrived early — well before the tourist boats — which meant the entire place was ours. Just us, the reef, and the rising sun.
But first, we had to conquer The Wobble Highway.
Banana Beach has a floating pier made of interlocked plastic cubes — about 120 metres (400 feet) long — that moves like a drunk centipede in the surf. You step on it and immediately question:
your balance
your choices
your relationship with gravity
Brent jumped off the long-tail and the dock immediately sank an inch under his foot.
He yelled, “JESUS CHRIST!”
The dock did not care.
It kept wobbling like a buoyant death trap.
We shuffled along the Drunk Lego Bridge — our own personal obstacle course — laughing the whole way. I felt like I was walking through a TikTok compilation of people wiping out. Spoiler alert, we nailed it without incident and I actually went back for seconds becuase it was so fun!
Snorkelling That Changed My Trip (Not Dramatic, Just True)
We paid 100 baht each for beach chairs — a bargain for front-row access to some of the clearest water I’ve ever seen — tossed our stuff under the palms, and headed straight in.
And listen… I genuinely don’t know how to describe what happened next without sounding unhinged. So I’ll keep it simple:
It felt like falling headfirst into a National Geographic documentary I didn’t know I’d been cast in.
For two straight hours, I snorkelled the edge of the reef — deep sapphire water on my left, a full coral metropolis on my right — narrating every discovery into my snorkel like a woman who had completely lost touch with reality.
“Oh my god—”
“HELLO THERE!” (because we talk to fish around here)
“WOW WOW WOW THAT’S A—”
If anyone heard me, they didn’t say a word. Either too polite… or equally possessed by the reef.
And because I refuse to gatekeep magic, here’s the full cast list — now with proper IDs and fun facts, because apparently I’ve entered my “ocean biology summer student” era:
The Reef Cast (Banana Beach Edition)
• Moray Eels
All spotted morays — the white-spotted moray (Gymnothorax meleagris), which is super common in the Andaman Sea.
They’ve got that creamy-white body with chocolate-brown or black speckles, and the classic “side-eye” energy that makes them look perpetually unimpressed.
They tucked themselves into coral crevices like grumpy old men watching the neighbourhood from their porch, occasionally poking out to assess the chaos.
And honestly?
At this point, I’m officially calling myself the Moray Whisperer, because I’m finding these queens everywhere.
• Red-lipped Parrotfish
Glossy black bodies, fire-engine red lips like they’re late for a cabaret show.
These were everywhere along the deeper drop-off. I learned that these black parrotfish are actually juveniles, before they grow into their full colours.
• Schools of big black fish loudly munching coral
Probably Sergeant Majors or Damsels mid-feeding frenzy.
Fun fact: you can literally hear parrotfish and damsels chewing coral underwater.
(It sounds like someone eating chips aggressively in a quiet office.)
• Needlefish
Long, silver, ghostly things hovering at the surface like skinny aquatic UFOs. I had a date with one for quite a while and just tailed behind her, mezmorized.
• False Clown Anemonefish
Yes, “Nemo.” Yes, I squealed. Don’t judge me.
• Bright Blue Damselfish
Those tiny electric-blue flashers that appear one at a time like underwater LEDs.
I saw mainly Neon Damsels or Blue Devil Damsels — both common here.
• Rainbow Parrotfish
Neon, pastel, gradient, wild patterns — some of the most colourful fish on Earth.
They poop sand. Literally. Parrotfish produce much of the tropical white sand you walk on.
• Sea Cucumbers
Giant, squishy, slow-moving vacuum cleaners of the ocean floor.
• Long-spined Sea Urchins
Like gothic little punks guarding the coral.
Spines can grow up to 30 cm (don’t step on these unless you want a surprise tetanus adventure).
• Pufferfish / Sandperch
These little brown bobbing dudes were hovering near the bottom and were adorable.
• Giant Clams (Tridacna species)
The psychedelic, rippling “shells” are embedded in the reef.
Fun fact:
They can grow over 4 feet wide
Weigh up to 400 lbs
And they NEVER move — once they attach to the reef as juveniles, that’s their home forever.
• Blue Sea Stars (Linckia laevigata)
So bright they look fake.
I only saw one, draped dramatically over the coral like an underwater pin-up.
• Cushion Stars
Huge, peach-toned stars that look like throw pillows for mermaids.
The Coral Galaxy
While you can absolutely see some pretty cool fish in the shallows, the best coral is reserved for those who can head further offshore into the deeper water. Naturally, I did. And I’ve got the sunburned butt cheeks to prove it.
Boulder coral (those brain-like mounds)
Plate coral (flat, stacked, shelf-like formations)
Leather coral (waving, soft, mushroomy shapes)
Staghorn coral (branching structures, though sadly damaged in many areas around Phuket)
For context:
The reefs around Coral Island are part of the Andaman Sea ecosystem, one of the most biodiverse marine areas in Southeast Asia — and also one of the most threatened by tourism, bleaching, and overuse. Snorkelling responsibly (floating, not touching, wearing reef-safe sunscreen) is a big deal here. I know our readers are just a drop in the bucket of millions that visit these islands, but we should all be doing our part.
A Note on the GoPro (My One Regret + Secret Joy)
My only regret of the entire day?
Not bringing the GoPro.
But… I kind of love that it forces this memory to live only in our minds.
Something about that feels deeply romantic — like the reef decided this moment was for us, not the internet.
Brent’s Jacques Cousteau Era
Even Brent — my sweet “preferably dry” land mammal — grabbed snorkel gear, waded in, and instantly had his mind blown.
Watching him pop up, eyes wide, like
“Why did no one tell me it was THIS cool??”
…was the highlight of my entire day (maybe even the whole trip).
A soft-launch Jacques Cousteau moment.
My heart melted into the Andaman.
Truthfully?
I adore snorkelling, but I don’t do it often because it’s not really Brent’s thing.
But now?
Now we’re exploring reefs together.
A whole new chapter unlocked.
*These are not my images, but I wanted you to see some of what we spotted beneath the waves*
Private Beach Dreaming: Ko Lon’s “Plastic Beach”
Just as the crowds rolled in, we hopped back into the long-tail and headed to Ko Lon, to a secluded strip known as Plastic Beach — named so, exactly why you think it is. The currents and monsoon seasons dump large amounts of debris on the beach (apparently) but when we were there. It was close to pristine. I’m not sure if it’s because it’s all been cleaned up — I’ve read that there are active environmental groups who clean up this beach, or if we just got lucky. But for us, no plastic in sight.
And we were the only people there.
Nothing.
Nobody.
Just the four of us, turquoise water, and a colony of ghost crabs skittering around like anxious cartoon characters with eyes on stalks.
We saw monkey tracks too — but no monkeys — which was either a blessing (they’re thieves) or a disappointment (they’re cute thieves). We took turns “guarding” our belongings anyway.
We swam.
We snorkelled in warmer water than a heated hotel pool.
We walked the deserted shoreline like castaways with good skincare routines.
It was magic.
The kind of private-beach moment people think only exists in movies or honeymoons priced in tears and debt. But we found one. People may come here sometimes, there was some evidence of others, but we were entirely alone for this magical hour.
The Soft Landing: Eat Me, Naps & Bambi for Dinner
By the time we got home, we were crispy, salt-crusted, and euphoric.
We grabbed a quick lunch at Eat Me — I had Tom Ka Gai and it was perfect — then went our separate ways for naps.
Dinner was at Bambi, where we had:
Chicken caramel peanuts (me)
Cashew chicken (Brent)
Chicken steak + fries (Mom)
Onion rings + more chicken caramel peanuts (Steve)
Total: 1600 baht for four people, including drinks.
= $69.45 CAD
For FOUR entrees, wine, and beer.
Nova Scotia could NEVER.
Photo of the Day
📸 Me, living my snorkel dream above the reef like someone turned the saturation up to 300%.
Missed an Entry? Catch Up Here:
👉 Day 1 – The Uber Ride from Hell
👉 Day 2 – The Lounge Life & the Struggle Bus
👉 Day 3 – Hot, Hotter, & Really F*ing Hot
👉 Day 4 – Floating Markets, Boat Noodles & the Great Coke Zero Explosion
👉 Day 5 – Heaven, Hell & the Hands at the White Temple
👉 Day 6 – Hill Tribes, Hard Truths & a Side of Curry
👉 Day 7 – Who Needs Guardrails, Anyway?
👉 Day 8 – Elephant-Sized Moral Hangover
👉 Day 9 – The Great Decaf Drought | Thailand Travel Diary
👉 Day 10 – Rash Decisions & Redemption Arcs | Thailand Travel Diary
👉 Day 11 – The Calm Before the Chaos
👉 Day 12 – Islands, Introspection & the Illusion of Luxury
👉 Day 13 – Fruit, Foot Rubs & Family Conversions
👉 Day 14 – Flip Turns, Weed Bars & Pet Peeves
👉 Day 15 – The Myth of Paradise
👉 Day 16 – Betting on Butter Chicken
👉 Day 17 – Pink Skies, Bad Bellies & Beach Chair Philosophy
👉 Day 18 – Slow Mornings, Salty Skin & Ghost Crab Patrol
👉 Day 19 – Street Meat, Snake Encounters & Sunday Night Magic
✈️ Travel Tip of the Day
Always snorkel early — the water’s calmer, the reef is quieter, and you get the fish before they clock in for their shift of “avoiding tourists.”
Let’s Talk
Are you a snorkel-everywhere type or a float on the surface and squeal type?
And tell me — could you handle The Wobble Highway, or would you wipe out immediately?
