Koh Tao Dive Sites

Koh Tao has more than 25 dive sites, most of them under thirty minutes from the piers, and they cover the whole spectrum: pool-calm bays where thousands take their first breath underwater, granite pinnacles wrapped in barracuda, a genuine WWII-era wreck, and open-water giants where whale sharks cruise through in season, peaking from late March to May and again around September and October.

This guide covers the twelve sites that define diving here. Each one links to a full page with depths, levels, conditions and the marine life you can realistically expect, no brochure promises.

The deep pinnacles

• Chumphon Pinnacle · 14 to 36 m · the signature site, giant groupers and the best whale shark odds
• Sail Rock (Hin Bai) · to 30 m and beyond · the Gulf's most famous dive, with the vertical Chimney
• Southwest Pinnacle · 5 to 30 m · seven peaks in a circle, ruled by giant groupers

The wreck

• HTMS Sattakut · 18 to 30 m · a 48 m WWII-era warship, upright on the sand since 2011

The all-rounders

• White Rock · 1 to 22 m · the island's biggest site and its classic night dive
• Shark Island · 4 to 28 m · purple soft corals and sea fans, named for its silhouette
• Green Rock · 5 to 28 m · swim-throughs, tunnels and the famous trigger pits
• Hin Wong Pinnacle · 8 to 30 m · sea fans and soft corals on the quiet east coast

Shallow bays, first dives and snorkelling

• Twins · 5 to 18 m · calm pinnacles, home of the famous saddleback anemonefish
• Japanese Gardens · 2 to 12 m · the island's first-dive and snorkel classic at Koh Nang Yuan
• Mango Bay · 2 to 15 m · pool-calm water where try dives happen daily
• Aow Leuk · 0 to 16 m · baby blacktip reef sharks and an artificial reef

Which site is right for you?

• First time underwater: Mango Bay, Japanese Gardens or Aow Leuk
• Open Water student: Twins, White Rock, Japanese Gardens
• Advanced diver: Chumphon Pinnacle, Sail Rock, the Sattakut wreck, Green Rock
• Hoping for a whale shark: Chumphon Pinnacle, Sail Rock or Southwest Pinnacle, in season
• Night dive: White Rock, no contest
• Snorkelling only: Japanese Gardens, Aow Leuk, Mango Bay and Shark Bay

When to dive Koh Tao

Koh Tao dives year-round. Whale shark sightings peak from late March to May and again around September and October, and the rough weeks usually land with the November monsoon. Visibility swings with the day and the site, from a few metres to over thirty on the good ones.

How to dive these sites

Every school on the island rotates through these sites weekly, and boats leave morning, afternoon and night. Start with our diving guide, or go straight to a school: Master Divers and Scuba Shack in Sairee, French Kiss Divers in Mae Haad and Chalok, Carabao Diving and Assava Dive Resort down south.

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