It was kind of like a scene from "The Beach". Unfortunately, there were no mythical marijuana plantations or spectacular waterfalls, or Lord of the Flies lifestyle (Kill the Pig!), but there was a lure, a hook if you will (as fishing seems to be my new hobby and the ocean my new supermarket).
My friend Chen whispered about a place he called "Aow Yai Kim", not far from his village on the mainland. When I presented him with a chart, he was uncertain, but thought it was one of two islands between Koh Phayam and the mainland. Chen recognized the island in front of his village and showed me where his home was on the chart - so I knew he was in the zone when he pointed at a possible location. What piqued my interest was the part about big waves when the swell was up - Chen said that the fishermen speak of huge waves on the beach.
So, one morning I paddled out in search of a beach that locals from the mainland seem to revere and few from Koh Phayam know by name. Initially, I crossed to Koh Tha Wua Dam, about 17km from Aow Yai, just off the mainland. When I arrived, I discovered it was all rocky, no beach. From the chart, I thought this island was a potential surf break as there is a large rock at the end of the bay that looks like it could kick up the swell. The rock is not on the Admiralty Charts but it is definitely on my GPS. But the GPS is not "god" because according to my electronic data, I paddled across an island. Add or subtract a few hundred meters and everything is OK. On this side of the world, a few hundred meters is nothing.
Undeterred, I asked a local crab fisherman if he knew where "Aow Yai Kim" was. Without hesitation, he pointed further north to Koh Sai Dam. In the distance, I could see the white strip of sand on the beach.
As my Feathercraft glided through the surprisingly blue-green sea, I approached the beach. I could see a small longtail anchored in the shallow water and four Thai men cooking. I landed and walked over to greet them. As Thai people always do, the second thing they said was "khin khao" (literally, it means 'eat rice', but it is the Thai invitation to eat). And so, we did.
We ate fish they caught on their "boys 24-hour fishing and drinking trip" and - naturally - rice. Captain Chao showed me a 15kg barracuda they caught and we laughed as we ate together. As bad as my Thai is, we were still able to communicate without problem. "Thai style", as they say, the guys picked up their dishes, boarded the longtail, shook hands, said goodbye and were off.
I walked up and down the beach - envisaged the swell packing in between the two wee islands just a hundred meters offshore and pictured myself as the first rider on a new break. Dreams are free - and they are fantastic!
