Dive site · Offshore south-west
Southwest Pinnacle
Seven peaks in a circle, ruled by giant groupers.
Dive site · Offshore south-west
Seven peaks in a circle, ruled by giant groupers.
Southwest Pinnacle sits about 7 km south-west of Koh Tao, forty to forty-five minutes by boat. Divers describe it as an underwater city: a group of submerged granite peaks, classically counted as seven, arranged in a rough circle with the main summit reaching up to just 5 or 6 metres below the surface.
The main summit is covered in anemones, and the deeper you go the richer it gets: sea whips, black coral and barrel sponges around the bases at 22 to 28 metres, sand at about 30. In good conditions an Open Water diver can enjoy the tops; an Advanced certification opens up the whole site.
The residents are what make its name. Southwest is famous for its groupers, giant and marbled ones that seem to own the place, alongside schools of chevron and yellowtail barracuda, trevally, snappers and blue-spotted ribbontail rays on the sand. In season, whale sharks pass through here too.
It's an exposed offshore site: current shows up some days and visibility swings with the season, which is part of why the fish life is so rich.
About 7 km south-west of Koh Tao in open water, forty to forty-five minutes by boat. Schools across the island run it regularly, often paired with another southern site for a two-dive trip.