Hin Pee Wee Koh Tao's Pinnacle Beside the Sattakut Wreck

Hin Pee Wee is a small cluster of granite pinnacles about 2 km off the north-west coast of Koh Tao, roughly 200 m south of White Rock. The HTMS Sattakut wreck lies just south of it, anywhere from a few metres to about 40 m away depending on who you ask. Hin Pee Wee Koh Tao divers also know it as Pee Wee Rock or Hin Peewee.

Most people meet it as the second half of a wreck dive: deep on the Sattakut first, then a gentle swim north to finish on the rocks. That is a fine plan, but the site deserves more than a pass-through. It is quiet compared with its neighbours, and the macro life is the real draw.

Hin Pee Wee dive site map

1. 2Main pinnacle, top 8 m
2. 3Northern pinnacles, deeper side
3. 4South-east rocks, down to 28 m
4. 5HTMS Sattakut wreck, 18 to 32 m

Diving Hin Pee Wee: the route

Start on the deeper northern rocks and work south and up around the main pinnacle, ending on the shallow top. If you arrive from the Sattakut wreck, you do it the other way around: swim north over the sand and shallow up on the rocks.

Dive it on its own and give it a full dive. The small stuff takes time to find.

Underwater layout

One large pinnacle sits in the middle and rises to about 8 or 9 m. A smaller group of pinnacles lies to the north, and more small rock formations are scattered to the south-east. All of it stands on a sandy bottom.

Circling the base of the rocks takes you to about 16 to 22 m, with the north side deeper than the south. The south-eastern edge drops to around 28 m, and the sand keeps going south toward the wreck. The rocks are draped in table corals, whip corals, sea fans and anemones, with crevices and overhangs between them and a few ledges where turtles rest.

Because the rocks are so compact, you can swim around the whole site in a single dive and still have time to stop and look. The big pinnacle makes a clear landmark, so it is easy to keep your bearings even when the water is murky.

Marine life at Hin Pee Wee

• Macro: ornate ghost pipefish, nudibranchs, bearded scorpionfish, pipefish, hermit crabs and white-eyed morays. Look for the ghost pipefish in the soft coral.
• Big fish: great barracuda often circle above the main pinnacle.
• Reptiles and rays: hawksbill and green turtles, banded sea snakes, blue-spotted stingrays and Jenkins whiprays on the sand.
• Reef fish: long-faced emperors, brown-barred groupers, moon wrasse, snapper, fusiliers, triggerfish and puffers.

Whale sharks have been seen here occasionally, though you should not count on it.

Bring a patient eye. Much of the life here is small and tucked into the coral, so the divers who hover and look closely see far more than the ones who cruise past. Check the crevices between the rocks and the base of the pinnacles, where hermit crabs, pipefish and scorpionfish like to sit.

Conditions and best time to dive

Current is usually limited to moderate, but it can pick up around the pinnacles. Visibility ranges from a few metres to about 20 m, and a thermocline often starts around 18 m. Calmer months, roughly March to September, tend to give the clearest water on this side of the island.

Tips from local divers

• Spend a full dive here, not a few minutes at the end of another one.
• Do the wreck first and Hin Pee Wee second, so you shallow up naturally.
• Nitrox helps if you want to link the Sattakut, Hin Pee Wee and White Rock in one dive.
• Bring a torch to find what lives in the crevices.

The site is often paired with White Rock to the north as well, so ask your dive guide if a longer, three-site profile is planned for the day.

Safety notes

The south-east edge drops to about 28 m, so keep an eye on your depth if you wander. Current around the rocks can be variable, and visibility is sometimes poor. It is listed as an Advanced site, mostly because it is dived alongside the deep wreck.

Because many dives here follow a deep wreck dive, plan your gas and no-decompression time before you leave the Sattakut, not after. The ascent over the pinnacle is the whole point of the combination, so make it slow.

Why dive Hin Pee Wee

• Compact pinnacles with healthy hard and soft coral
• Ornate ghost pipefish and nudibranchs
• Great barracuda circling the top
• Turtles, sea snakes and Jenkins whiprays
• Right next to the HTMS Sattakut wreck
• Ideal place to shallow up after the wreck

Hin Pee Wee: frequently asked questions

Nearby dive sites

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