Ultimate Guide to Koh Tao Diving: Best Dive Sites, Tips & What to Expect

Every year, thousands of travelers head to Koh Tao to earn their open water diving certification, making it one of the most sought-after diving spots in the world. But what is it about this little island that keeps divers coming back? And what should you know before you go? Let’s dive into everything you need to plan the perfect underwater adventure in Koh Tao.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve spent months in Koh Tao. My husband and I have both done diving courses there, and last year alone we did 100+ dives around the island while he did his divemaster training and I ran the social media accounts for a dive shop on the island. 

Beyond diving, Koh Tao is home to amazing snorkeling,  some of my favorite restaurants in the world, and incredible people that always welcome us back as though we never left.

In this guide, I’m going to attempt to share everything I know and love about Koh Tao. I want this to be your ultimate guide to diving in Koh Tao, from someone who has dived those sites over 100 times. I’ll share my favorite dive sites with you, a few restaurants you shouldn’t miss and other tips for your trip. 

Justyn’s Quick Koh Tao Recommendations: 

🛵 For convenience: If you don’t want to rent a scooter, stay close to Sairee Beach. Koh Tao Life Resort is an amazing (budget-friendly) choice!

🌴My favorite hotel in Koh Tao: For a bit of peace and quiet, book a room at Big Tree Boutique Hotel.

🍙 The best restaurant in Koh Tao: Babaloo, hands down – no arguments. Please order the vegan duck. They are the slowest restaurant in the world, but it’s worth it. 

🇹🇭Travel tip: Get connected fast with a Thailand eSim.

🤿 Dive gear: If you want a great, affordable dive computer, check out the Suunto D4i. It’s the dive computer I’ve been using for the last year and it’s a good option for your first dive computer.

Please note: This post contains affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase by clicking a link (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting my blog! 

Everything You Need to Know About Diving in Koh Tao, Thailand

• What makes Koh Tao diving special
• The best time to dive in Koh Tao
• My favorite dive sites around Koh Tao
• Who to dive with in Koh Tao
• How much is Koh Tao diving?
• How to get to Koh Tao
• Where to stay in Koh Tao
• Tips for Koh Tao diving
• Other things to do in Koh Tao

Where is Koh Tao?

Koh Tao is an island in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s best known for its history with scuba diving, but it’s gained popularity over the years amongst backpackers. The neighboring islands of Koh Samui and Koh Phangan are also popular travel destinations, but neither have the abundance of dive sites like Koh Tao. 

The best time to dive in Koh Tao

The best time to dive in Koh Tao is during the dry season between December and May. This is when you’re going to have the best conditions and be able to frequent my favorite dive sites. I love diving in Koh Tao around April and May. Each time I’ve been there we’ve had amazing visibility, lots of fish and good sea conditions. 

Koh Tao has a ‘windy’ season that usually begins around July/August each year. I’ve never been to Koh Tao during that time, but I’ve been told that sometimes the wind is so bad you have to dive around the other side of the island. 

I’m not sure Koh Tao has a ‘low’ season anymore. Our friends who live on the island say that it’s just getting busier each year, but I know that it’s especially busy around December to February.

What makes Koh Tao diving special

Around the world, Koh Tao often gets a bad reputation – but I honestly think that’s unfair. I’ve dived in 10 countries around the world – and I’ve never dived anywhere else where you will often see huge schools of fusiliers, batfish and barracuda often on the same dive site. 

My favorite thing about Koh Tao diving is the fish. The whole time we were diving in the Philippines, I just wanted to be surrounded by schools of fish – but this experience of being entirely surrounded by a school of fish is something I’ve only really experienced in Thailand. 

I will always remember the first time I dove in Koh Tao, it was right after COVID so the island was very quiet. It was just my dive guide and myself, and he led me directly into a school of fish. I remember being completely surrounded by them and completely in awe of the experience.

I thought that was a once in a lifetime experience, but it turns out that’s just Koh Tao diving. And that’s what I love so much about diving on this island.

My favorite dive sites around Koh Tao

Normally this is where I would share dive logs, but I’ve done over 100 dives in Koh Tao, and listing out all of the dive logs here would be very long. Instead, I’m going to share my favorite dive sites and some of the things that we often saw at those sites. 

Chumpon Pinnacle

To this day, this is my ‘most-dived’ site in the world. I’ve visited Chumpon Pinnacle more than 20 times and it’s easily one of my favorite sites around Koh Tao. It’s a deep pinnacle about 45 minutes from Koh Tao. The deepest I’ve been at Chumpon is 40 meters, but most of the dive site sits between 14-22 meters.

Here you’ll often see schools of fusiliers, barracuda, and batfish, huge groupers and apparently the occasional whaleshark. (I’ve personally never seen a whaleshark in Koh Tao and have stopped believing they exist there!) The top of the pinnacle is covered in anemones that blow in the current. There is so much to explore around Chumpon and I will always love this dive site. 

Southwest Pinnacle

While I love Chumpon, I think Southwest is my favorite Koh Tao dive site. Located about 45 minutes in the opposite direction, Southwest is a dive site with around 6-7 granite pinnacles. The depth is between 6-28 meters and like Chumpon, it can sometimes have strong currents and waves on the surface. 

What I always loved about Southwest were the sheer number of fish around the dive site. There were multiple times we dove at Southwest where there was a school of fish beneath us and above us – and large fish hunting within them both! We’ve seen blue-spotted ribbontail rays, great barracuda and dogtooth tuna. It’s a beautiful dive site that I think gets often overlooked.

White Rock

White Rock is closer to Koh Tao and therefore tends to be one of the busier dive sites around the island – but regardless of how busy it is… it’s one of my favorites! It’s a huge dive site with lots of reef to explore. I could spend hours cruising over the Acropora looking for yellow boxfish and other unique reef fish.

This shallower reef is also home to massive groupers, eels, Ribbontail rays and schools of fish. You’ll find all the Koh Tao locals in residence here – and if you’re lucky you might even see a banded sea krait or sea turtle munching away at corals. 

Shark Island

Shark Island is easily my favorite dive site for coral diversity alone. I wish it got its name for the abundance of sharks on its reef, but instead it’s named shark island because the exposed rock on the surface looks like the fin of a shark. 

Shark island is home to beautiful soft corals, hundreds of reef fish and you might even occasionally see sea turtles roaming the area. Because of the location of the site – it’s one of the only places around Koh Tao that get strong currents. But that current is also what makes this site so diverse and interesting.

Sail Rock

Last but certainly not least, Sail Rock. The most famous dive site in the Gulf of Thailand – and for good reason. When the conditions are good at Sail Rock, they’re very good. Much further from Koh Tao, most dive shops only go once a week – and it feels like they’re staggered so the dive site is never too busy. It’s a long day, you’ll usually do two dives and have lunch on the cruise back to Koh Tao. 

The dive site features a chimney where you can swim down vertically from 5 to 18 meters. But what really makes Sail Rock special is schooling fish in the thousands. We’ve seen barracuda, tuna, trevally, snappers and fusiliers surrounding the site like a fishy tornado with predator fish like Queenfish and Great Barracuda hunting among them. 

Each dive I did at Sail Rock felt so unique. It’s no wonder it’s the most famous dive site in the Gulf of Thailand. You can see a short video about Sail Rock on Instagram.

Who to dive with in Koh Tao

Now for the big question of who to dive with in Koh Tao. With over 85 dive centers on the island – picking the one to go with isn’t easy. My recommendations for picking a dive center anywhere in the world also apply to Koh Tao. 

How to pick a dive shop:

• Research 4-5 dive shops before you arrive
• Go and speak to each one you researched
  • Ask them about group sizes, dive sites, equipment, guides, etc
  • Get a feel for the shop in general

Then, once you’ve spoken to each of them, pick the dive shop that feels right to you. You’ve already read the reviews and likely only picked shops with overwhelmingly good reviews – so what it comes down to for me is the ‘vibe’. 

I know it sounds ‘woohoo’ but I swear I know right away if I like the ‘vibe’ of a shop, and that plays such a big role in who we decide to dive with.

And if you want to dive with dive centers that share your values to take care of the sea – make sure to look for Green Fins recommendations.

If you want a personal recommendation, we always dive with Roctopus when we are in Koh Tao. My husband and I have both done training with them and we think they’re DMs and Instructors are great. 

They go to Sail Rock on Sundays and often host discounted clean up dives on Saturdays. If you want to check them out as a shop, make sure to join their Beach Clean on Fridays at sunset (sign up early for a free beer!)

How much is Koh Tao diving?

Honestly, we try not to pick dive centers based on their prices. If you’re trying to cut corners on diving… you’re in the wrong hobby. We’ve done that in the past and haven’t had great experiences. Now, we know that diving is an expensive hobby – but it’s worth paying the extra money for shops with high quality gear and professional staff.

As safe as diving is, there are still risks involved and I don’t think you should cut corners on the cost. 

OK, that being said, Koh Tao has some of the most affordable diving in the entire world. Prices are going to vary, but you can expect to pay around $25 (USD) per dive which is insane. Trips to Sail Rock will always cost a bit more because of the extra fuel – but they do usually come with lunch! 

How to get to Koh Tao

Getting to Koh Tao and around Thailand in general is so incredibly easy. 

For Koh Tao, you have a few options. You can fly to Bangkok and take an overnight bus and ferry. You can fly to Koh Samui and take a ferry. Or you can fly to Surat Thani and take a ferry. 

There’s also an overnight train from Surat Thani to Bangkok and back if you prefer train travel. For travel all around Southeast Asia, we always use 12Go. It’s the easiest and we’ve found that they actually have really fair and competitive prices. 

See transport options and book your trip to Koh Tao with 12Go. 

Where to stay in Koh Tao

This is one of my most asked questions – and I’ve created an entire post about where to stay in Koh Tao (for every budget) and where to stay in Koh Tao as a digital nomad (for more long term accommodation options). However, if you just want to know my favorites, these are the hotels that I love and recommend in Koh Tao. 

Travel tips for Koh Tao

Koh Tao is a beautiful island, but it gets really busy and crowded. Please help us protect and take care of this special island by saying no to plastic, joining in cleanup dives and beach cleanups and don’t drive under the influence. 

Too often we would end up cleaning up the remnants of other people’s parties on the island – something that just breaks my heart. This is such a special place for so many people, we really need to make sure we’re caring for it. 

Be very careful on your scooter, especially at night. We lived along a busy road in Koh Tao and we were woken up on more than one occasion to motorbike accidents in the street. We also know people who’ve ended up in intensive care for driving under the influence in Koh Tao – it’s a real problem so please be careful.

I only recommend renting a scooter in Koh Tao if you feel really comfortable driving it. And make sure you always have the proper insurance for your trip. 

The food in Koh Tao is amazing, there are some of our favorite restaurants in the world on this small island. I recommend going to eat at Babaloo, but be prepared for your food to take a long time to come. Trust me though, if you’re vegetarian – they have some of the best food on the island, and it’s worth the wait. We also love Dee Dee’s in Chalok and Chu Chu’s in Sairee. 

Coffee is also amazing in Koh Tao. My personal favorites are Pippins and Nui Bakery in Sairee and Koppee in Chalok.

Make sure to explore all that this beautiful island has to offer. I highly recommend spending a day snorkeling, hiking to the viewpoints and exploring the many white sand beaches around the island. It’s busy, but there are still plenty of places waiting to be explored. 

Other things to do in Koh Tao

Speaking of exploring the island, there are plenty of things to do in Koh Tao! I recommend doing a snorkeling tour one day – this one will take you to all of the highlights around the island. 

Another day you can visit Koh Nang Yuan for snorkeling, relaxing on the beach and a hike to that famous viewpoint. If you plan on snorkeling at Koh Nang Yuan, make sure to leave your fins at home. Fins are not allowed on the island.

You can also hike to some of the incredible viewpoints on the island, go to Choppers for the weekly pub quiz and sing your heart out at the Local. 

Book your Koh Tao Day Trips

Things to Pack for Koh Tao 

• Good sandals. This is the only pair of shoes that I wear while traveling around Southeast Asia. I don’t even know why I bothered to bring sneakers… 
• A microfiber poncho for diving/snorkeling days. This microfiber poncho is one of my favorite things to travel with. I love pulling it on after dives to get dry, stay warm and have some sun protection.
• The first piece of dive kit you should get is your own mask. Having a mask that fits your face well will make such a difference. And it gives you the chance to go snorkeling anywhere you want. A mask is small, lightweight and fits easily in your bag. Focus on getting a high quality mask – and then just pick up a snorkel. This is a great budget-friendly option.
• Modest, lightweight clothing and a scarf for visiting the temples and memorials. You’ll need to dress modestly when you’re visiting any palaces or temples in Thailand. You are going to want flowy, lightweight pants, lightweight tops with sleeves, and a scarf that you can use to cover your shoulders. Keep in mind that for some temples, simply covering your shoulders with a scarf won’t be enough. You’ll need to wear modest clothing. 
• A reusable water bottle. Thailand definitely suffers from plastic pollution, but more and more places are offering filtered water refills for around 5 THB a bottle. Make sure that you bring a reusable water bottle. I love this water bottle because it comes with a lid for coffee or a smoothie, which means you can get smoothies without the excessive plastic cup, straw and bag! 
• Entertainment for long diving days. It’s usually 50/50 if I’m going to get motion sick on a long bus or ferry ride. Luckily, I always travel with motion sickness drops and tablets so that I can spend long journeys reading. My Kindle has explored more countries than most adults. I love using the Libby App to borrow Kindle books even while I’m abroad. 
• Wet wipes and tissues. Bathrooms across Southeast Asia don’t usually have toilet paper, so I like to keep wet wipes and tissues in my purse. It also doesn’t hurt to carry hand sanitizer.

If you’re traveling around Southeast Asia, make sure to check out some of my other guides when planning your trip. 

• Where to Stay in Koh Tao
• The Perfect 3-Day Hanoi Itinerary
• How to Spend 48-Hours in Bangkok
• Steal my Ideal 4-Day Siem Reap Itinerary
• How to Spend 48-Hours in Phnom Penh
• How to Spend a Week in Koh Samui
• 10-Day Cambodia Itinerary

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