Dive & snorkel bay · South-east
Aow Leuk
Baby reef sharks, calm water and an artificial reef.
Dive & snorkel bay · South-east
Baby reef sharks, calm water and an artificial reef.
Aow Leuk is a wide, sandy bay on Koh Tao's south-east coast, and one of the island's friendliest pieces of water: it starts at the beach, averages about 8 metres and bottoms out around 15 or 16. When the west coast gets choppy, Aow Leuk usually stays calm, which is why boats use it all year round.
The stars of the bay are the juvenile blacktip reef sharks that patrol the shallows, small, shy and completely harmless, and the single best reason snorkellers love this spot. Around the fringing reef you'll also find blue-spotted ribbontail rays, yellow boxfish, parrotfish, rabbitfish, scorpionfish doing their invisible act and the odd turtle.
On the sand at 14 to 16 metres sits Suan Olan, an artificial reef project started in 2010 with a reef pyramid, concrete structures and even a sunken Mini Cooper, all slowly turning into habitat. The big sandy bottom between the reefs makes the bay a natural classroom, and schools run plenty of training dives here, with freedivers using the calm water too.
On the south-east coast of Koh Tao, a short ride from Chalok. It's a regular stop on round-island snorkel trips and an easy add-on to a southern dive day.