The Abundance of marine life and the beauty of the coral reefs surrounding the island have lead Koh Tao to become one of the major dive sites in Thailand, attracting beginners and professionals alike. There are over 30 dive sites surrounding Koh Tao, most within close proximity to the island. The water is an average temperature of 28 degrees Celsius with few currents. Dive site depths range from 10 – 40 plus meters making diving enjoyable for all levels of divers.

Around Koh Tao a variety of marine life can be viewed: boxfish, banner fish, moray eels, scorpion fish, sea snakes, butterfly fish, sweet lips, groupers, barracuda, turtles, octopus, reef sharks, whale sharks, and much much more! Diving is possible year round with peak seasons tending to be around March, April and again from June to September. During these times visibility can reach up to 30 meters. The monsoon season in the Gulf of Thailand starts in November and goes until about January. Though it is typically rainy only in November, diving is still possible. Whale sharks, Minke Whales, pilot whales and Bruda Whales have been spotted around Koh Tao during these months.

Whale sharks also typically visit the island during the months of April and September, during their migrations to and from Australia. Although, over the last year we have been seeing them year round from the shallows of King Kong to the deeper waters of Sail Rock and everywhere in between! At Black Tip we visit the top 3 sites Sail Rock, Chumporn Pinnacle and South West Pinnacle several times a week along with a variety of other sites throughout the week. Below is just a brief taste of what to expect, so come and find out more about these amazing sites for yourself!

Sail Rock is the premier dive site in the Gulf of Thailand. The main single pinnacle rises out of the water and plunges to a depth of 40 plus meters. Home to everything from cushion star shrimp to whale sharks this site is a favorite of divers and snorkelers alike. Probably the most exciting feature of this site is the vertical chimney which starts around 9 meters and goes down to about 16 meters.

Chumporn Pinnacle is a series of under water pinnacles grouped closely together. The pinnacles start at about 14 meters below the surface and drop down to about 36 meters. The tops of the pinnacles are completely covered by a field of anemones under which you can find crabs and moray eels hiding. Chumporn is also home to many Grey Reef Sharks and a Bull Shark!

South West Pinnacle consists of about seven underwater pinnacles and a secret outer pinnacle that will put your navigation skills to the test. Starting just 5 meters below the surface and dropping down to an average depth of 26 meters, this beautiful site will have you mesmerized. Here you can be surrounded by a giant ball of fusiliers or maybe even see a Zebra Shark.

Rising up out of the water from a depth of about 25 meters Shark Island is a great site day or night. Check out hunting Great Barracuda at night, and by day explore the vivid soft coral gardens. This site also offers some great drift dives around the full moon. With stunning hard coral formations and a wide variety of marine life White Rock is a photographer’s dream. Here you’ll find plenty of Blue Spotted Stingrays posing for the camera as well as morays, King fish, snappers, giant puffers and maybe even Albert, an extremely friendly Triple Tailed Wrasse who likes to follow the divers around the site.

Our house reef in Aow Tanote has really got it all! Sharks, turtles, octopus, pipe fish even a small catamaran wreck! Tanote Bay is great for snorkeling and diving day or night and never ceases to surprise you with its wide variety of inhabitants. The maximum depth inside the bay is 12 meters, so it’s great for beginning divers and student training with its calm conditions. The wreck is just outside the bay in about 18 meters of water. It’s a 5 meter long catamaran we sank back in 2002. It’s now home to porcupine fish, bat fish, remora and a Jenkins Whip Ray.

Put your buoyancy skills to the test at Hin Wong Bay! With an average depth of 15 meters this site offers a great variety of swim throughs to challenge all levels of divers. Beyond the swim throughs the bay is covered by stag horn corals and table corals making homes for Scribbled File fish and dancing juvenile Harlequin Sweet lips!

For more information about snorkeling & dive sites around Koh Tao check out Thailand's greatest sites.