Koh Samui is the perfect place to discover some of the best dive sites in the Gulf of Thailand. Wether you want to dive in Koh Tao, Sail Rock or Angthong Marine Park, all dive sites are no more than an hour and a half away from the island by speed boat.
Koh Tao is also known as Turtle Island and is a haven for Scuba divers all over the world. Only 1h15 by speed boat from Koh Samui, Koh Tao is home to a vast array of diving opportunities. With its many beautiful coral gardens and submerged pinnacles to explore, there is an abundance of marine life waiting to be discovered.
Ang Thong National Marine Park is a pristine archipelago of 42 islands with towering limestone mountains, thick jungle, white-sand beaches, waterfalls and hidden coves and lakes to explore. Ang Thong park is a protected area of more than 100 square kilometres of land and sea, and home to a rich variety of exotic wildlife and sea creatures.
1m - 35m / Intermediate
Dive Site Description
Sail Rock is the best dive site in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s a huge rock pinnacle that rises from the seabed all the way to and above the surface. Sail Rock is a heaven for fish with huge amounts of fish and big schools of fish everywhere. It also has a “Chimney”, a swim trough that has entrances at 5 meters, 12 meters and 20 meters.
Things To See
The ‘Chimney’, Giant groupers, Trevally, Barracuda, Giant moray eels, Whale shark, Batfish, Fusiliers.
5m - 30m / Intermediate - Advanced
Dive Site Description
A series of rock formations located at depths of 5 to 30m, surrounding the main pinnacle; covered with fabulously colorful anemones.
Things To See
Porcupinefishes, groupers, lots of shrimp, moray eels, scorpion fish, stonefish, whale sharks.
5m - 18m / Easy - Intermediate
Dive Site Description
Definitely one of the most popular dive sites on Koh Tao, Twins is made up of two main rock formations in calm shallow waters. It is a site that will appeal to all levels of divers as it is lots of fun and has so much to offer.
Things To See
Saddleback anemonefish (Nemo), Gobys, Blue spotted stingrays, White eyed moray eels, Yellow boxfish, Titan triggerfish.
5m - 25m / Intermediate
Dive Site Description
Green Rock, really is a fun dive site. It is made up of many large boulders, with lots of swim troughs weaving their way in between. Watch out for the many Triggerfish who inhabit this dive site, as they mau ensure your dive will be an ‘exciting’ one.
Things To See
Titan triggerfish, Yellow margin triggerfish, Banded sea snake, Bannerfish, White eyed moray eels, and lots of swim throughs
1m - 14m / Easy
Dive Site Description
Japanese Gardens is pretty and shallow dive site, perfect for beginners. With its large selection of corals, divers find it very beautiful. On the south side of this dive site, swim troughs can be found; these are great for testing your buoyancy control.
Things To See
Funnel corals, Mushroom corals, Angelfish, Titan triggerfish, Porcupine pufferfish and many swim troughs.
12m - 35m / Advanced
Dive Site Description
Chumphon Pinnacle is widely regarded as Koh Tao’s best dive site. It is one huge pinnacle that starts from 30m, and goes up to 14m. There is a separate smaller pinnacle, Barracuda Rock (located to the South West), which is also defently worth a visit. Enjoy Koh Tao’s premier deep dive site.
Things To See
Whale shark, Greu reef shark, Bull shark, Giant grouper, Great barracuda, Lionfish, Scorpionfish, Pink anemonefish
2m - 18m / Easy
Dive Site Description
Mango Bay is a really good shallow dive site, perfect for open water divers. The bay is full of large coral heads to explore, especially the west side of the bay. The drop-off on the way into Mango Bay is perfect for fun divers and offers a deeper dive (18m).
Things To See
A large selection of hard coral, Fusiliers, Jenkins ray, Blue spotted stingray, Titan triggerfish, Parrotfish, Longfin bannerfish.
15m - 25m / Intermediate
Dive Site Description
Hin Wong Pinnacle is a special dive site as it is home to a huge amount of fan type corals – more than any other dive site on Koh Tao. At the south end of Hin Wong Pinnacle are some large boulders for divers to explore.
Things To See
Giant groupers, Goatfish, Razorfish, Chevron barracuda, Great barracuda, turtle
5m - 16m / Intermediate - Advanced
Dive Site Description
Located on the east coast of Koh Tao, Laem Thian is an exiting dive site. The many huge boulders that cluster on the coastline provide numerous swim troughs and caves. This dive site is perfect for the more experienced diver who really wants to test their buoyancy control.
Things To See
Swim throughs, Blue spotteg stingray, Angelfish, Bannerfish
4m - 18m / Easy
Dive Site Description
Hin Ngam and Aow Leuk are found to the south east of the island. Hin Ngam is a great place to go fun diving, offering a huge variety of fish life and large boulders (to the south). A good option is to do a Hin Ngam drop-off and swimm into Aow Leuk. Aow Leuk is a nice shallow dive site, perfect for training dives.
Things To See
Blue spotted stingray, Yellow boxfish, Harlequin sweetlips, Yellowtail barracuda, Titan triggerfish
4m - 25m / Advanced
Dive Site Description
Shark Island is a dive site best suited to the more experienced diver. Located just outside Aow Leuk Bay, it is an impressive looking island. Many large boulders and rock formations encircle the edge of the island, giving divers lots to explore and discover. Be wary of currents though, as they can sometimes become rather strong here.
Things To See
Titan triggerfish, Great barracuda, Yellowtail barracuda, Batfish, White eyed moray eel, turtle
Dive maps: courtesy of dive-guide.org