THERE IS WONDER

where you would least expect it. The party paradise of Koh Tao is well-known for training more divers than anywhere else in Asia. It is definitely not famous for its critters. However, off the beaten track, another world exists.

“Ao Luek” is a hidden gem of a dive site. Strewn with colourful nudibranchs and dotted with blue-ring octopus, an even closer look will reveal one of the world’s most sought after macro creatures, one that few knew to be found in Thailand, and even fewer knew to exist in Koh Tao.

The hairy shrimp is a speck-sized critter that needs some pretty special eyes to spot. If you are not familiar with them then all you will see is a piece of lifeless “dust”. But if you take the time to scope the benthos, and investigate the world of the tiny, then you will be rewarded with a sighting of one of the most bizarre little animals on our planet.

Behold, the hairy shrimp, one of Koh Tao’s most unexpected residents!

“If you do not expect the unexpected you will not find it, for it is not to be reached by search or trail.”

Heraclitus