Snorkeling Koh Tao, Thailand: Best Spots and Tours

Koh Tao snorkeling

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Snorkeling? Scuba diving? Sign us up!

We’re snorkel and dive junkies. We’ve swum with whale sharks in Mexico and dived coral gardens in Indonesia.

Some of the best snorkeling in Thailand (and diving) is found on Koh Tao.

Cavort with sharks and rays in a playground of tangled neon coral…”

So teases Lonely Planet about Koh Tao.

Like kittens drawn to catnip, we of course decided to spend a few days on Koh Tao on our last trip to Thailand (we’ve visited the country several times).

Some Koh Tao snorkeling would scratch that snorkel-and-dive itch!

Who's happy to be snorkeling Koh Tao?
Who’s happy to be snorkeling Koh Tao?

Koh Tao snorkeling

Koh Tao is a boho-chic island close to Koh Samui
Koh Tao is a boho-chic island close to Koh Samui

Koh Tao is a small bohemian island (only some eight square miles in size), located about 42 miles away from big sister Koh Samui.

Ringed with coral reefs teeming with tropical fish and other marine life, it attracts thousands of visitors each year who come to learn to dive.

Indeed, Koh Tao certifies so many scuba divers that it churns out more dive certifications than anywhere else in the world, except for Queensland, Australia.

Koh Tao is known for its snorkeling, diving and laid-back island vibe
Koh Tao is known for its snorkeling, diving and laid-back island vibe

But you don’t have to take the plunge and blow bubbles under the water.

Diving requires more of a commitment than snorkeling. And we’ve found that you often see as much snorkeling as you do diving.

On Koh Tao, we wanted to take it easy and go snorkeling instead.

Snorkeling trip, Koh Tao, by big boat

The most popular way to go snorkeling in Koh Tao is a “big boat” snorkeling day trip around Koh Tao.

You get to snorkel and see the island too.

"Big boat" snorkeling tours around Koh Tao are popular
“Big boat” snorkeling tours around Koh Tao are popular

(You can also snorkel Koh Tao on a day trip from Koh Samui – see “Koh Samui Day Trip to Koh Tao” near the end of this post.)

Mae Haad is the main village on Koh Tao. And a gazillion little tour shops tucked into the sides of the central sandy street hawk the big boat tours.

We tried TripAdvisor and other online sites as to what would be the “best” Koh Tao snorkeling tour.

No luck though. The Internet was slow – island life! No matter. We walked the strip and asked in person.

Same same” said our enthusiastic tour seller. And she was right.

It really doesn’t matter what tour company or boat you pick.

Close to a dozen companies operate the big boat snorkel trips. Costing roughly the same, they all offer the “same same” itinerary and services.

Koh Tao boat tour (big boat)

Time

Most big boat trips leave daily at about 9:30 am and get you back about 5:00 pm.

Inclusions

What’s included on the big boat trips?

  • Drinking water, coffee, tea and fresh fruit
  • Snorkeling gear
  • A simple Thai box lunch: Ours was served onboard in a plastic Tupperware-style container, with warm rice topped with a fried egg, accompanied by a ground pork concoction in a plastic bag, and a plastic spoon for eating our lunch. Not gourmet! But edible.
Extras

The entrance fee of 100 baht (about $3.30 USD) to beautiful Koh Nang Yuan is usually extra.

5 Koh Tao snorkeling spots

The big boats slowly putter around Koh Tao and visit Koh Nang Yuan too, stopping to snorkel at five spots:

1) Shark Bay

No need to worry about these reef sharks - they're pretty harmless
No need to worry about these reef sharks – they don’t bite

Shark Bay, Koh Tao, also known as Haad Tien Beach, is at the south end of Koh Tao.

It gets its name from the small blacktip reef sharks that frequent the bay.

Don’t worry, the sharks are harmless, and there have never been any attacks! If you do glimpse a shark, be kind and give it lots of space to swim undisturbed.

Green sea turtles are sometimes spotted in Shark Bay too.

We, unfortunately, didn’t see a shark or a turtle.

Sadly, the shallow coral reef is almost totally dead – a result of global warming and the waters being too warm.

2) Aow Leuk

Also on the south end of the island, Aow Leuk is a large picturesque bay, known for its crystal clear waters. The water wasn’t gin clear for us though – just not our day!

Again, the coral isn’t in the best of shape.

Disused machinery has been sunk to create artificial reefs around Koh Tao.
Disused machinery has been sunk to create artificial reefs around Koh Tao

But some artificial reef structures have been placed by the New Heaven Reef Conservation Program to encourage restoration of the reef there.

There are lots of fish to see, however – butterfly fish, trigger fish, needle fish, parrot fish, Sergeant Majors and more.

3) Hin Wong Bay

A good variety of sea anemones can be seen when snorkeling Koh Tao.
A good variety of sea anemones can be seen when snorkeling Koh Tao

This is a cute little spot, one of the best places to snorkel in Koh Tao.

The coral is better at Hin Wong Bay than at other spots around Koh Tao, and we saw the most fish there.

Keep an eye out for huge schools of sardines and large groupers!

4) Mango Bay

Mango Bay as seen from our big boat
Mango Bay as seen from our big boat

Ahhhh, Mango Bay.

It’s a pretty pretty place, where the water is almost luminescent in different shades of turquoise.

We loved just gazing at it above the water, never mind poking our heads underwater.

Located on the north end of Koh Tao, Mango Bay is difficult to get to except by boat.

For snorkeling, though, it’s one of the best places to snorkel in Koh Tao, with a shallow reef.

What to see underwater?

Large shoals of yellowtail barracuda are regularly spotted there, along with damselfish and lots of candy-colored wrasse.

5) Koh Nang Yuan

Beautiful, yes? Koh Nang Yuan is one of those dream islands.
Beautiful, yes? Koh Nang Yuan is one of those dream islands

Our last stop was a small private island, Koh Nang Yuan (also spelled Koh Nan Yuan), where you have to pay an extra fee.

Drop-dead stunning in its natural beauty, Koh Nang Yuan is actually three little islands connected by sand spits.

It’s a private island with one 3-star resort – Nangyuan Island Dive Resort.

(It must be quite amazing to stay there and enjoy the whole island to yourself after the day-trippers leave! But bungalow prices are higher than on Koh Tao.)

The water is nice and calm, so the swimming and snorkeling is ideal for beginners.

Huh! We managed to get a photo of Koh Nang Yuan with relatively few people in it.
Huh! We managed to get a photo of Koh Nang Yuan with relatively few people in it

Lined by large granite boulders, the Japanese Gardens is a good place to snorkel.

Regrettably, the coral bed is also damaged there. But you’ll see plenty of fish.

It was very busy when we went, so it felt like there were over 1,000 people vying for space to drop a towel on the sand or hide from the burning sun under one of the limited numbers of teeny umbrellas.

Uh oh, there are quite a few people visiting Koh Nang Yuan on day tours.
Uh oh, there are quite a few people visiting Koh Nang Yuan on day tours

We took advantage of the shady barefoot bar and restaurant – the cold beer and drinks were very welcome!

Bottom line? Our Koh Tao snorkeling trip

So how do we say this without sounding too discouraging?

The truth is that the snorkeling on Koh Tao was a bit disappointing for us.

The water wasn’t terribly clear when we went.

Also, much of the coral is dead, so we were looking at brown and grey broken bits (not too interesting to see underwater).

And we weren’t surrounded by the galaxies of fish we’d expected.

Unfortunately, much of the coral is dead around Koh Tao.
Unfortunately, much of the coral is dead around Koh Tao

A French couple we chatted to on our tour also commented that their Koh Tao diving experience the previous day wasn’t very inspiring – certainly compared to what they’d seen in Mozambique and the Dead Sea around Egypt.

Perhaps the snorkeling gods just weren’t with us this day.

Conditions do vary, and lots of travelers report that their snorkeling experience was great. (See comments below at the end of this post.)

Overall, what we got was a wonderful scenic boat tour around the whole island of Koh Tao.

The weather was hot, the swimming fun and the vibe relaxed. The tour was also great value at a little more than $25 USD p.p.

And if we hadn’t signed up for this Koh Tao snorkeling day trip, we’d forever wonder what we had missed!

One of the best Koh Tao activities

White-eyed moray eel seen when snorkeling Koh Tao
Hey, you’re a white-eyed moray eel!

Snorkeling is one of the best things to do in Koh Tao.

So maybe just go – and discover for yourself what it’s like to snorkel Koh Tao :-).

Have fun! And if you go, let us know how you enjoyed your trip! (Comment below.)

Blue-spotted stingrays, eels and fantastically colored fish are some of the creatures you can see when snorkeling Koh Tao (on a good day!)
Blue-spotted stingrays, eels and fantastically colored fish are some of the creatures you can see when snorkeling Koh Tao (on a good day!)

Other snorkeling Koh Tao tours

Longtail boat

If you’d prefer to go out on your own, book a private tour on a longtail boat.

On a private longtail boat, you’re free to arrange your own schedule. You can stop at less busy spots to snorkel and pick a beach to snooze on if you want a break from snorkeling.

On the flip side, you’ll probably have to bring your own snorkeling gear and arrange your own stop for lunch (or bring your own snacks and drinks with you).

And depending on the sea conditions, the water may be a little bumpier than on a “big boat.”

Want the freedom to go at your own pace? When the weather's great, a private longtail boat tour around Koh Tao is lots of fun.
Want the freedom to go at your own pace? When the weather’s great, a private longtail boat tour around Koh Tao is lots of fun

Costs vary.

Many longtail boat drivers will be eager to take you.

Ask around and see what price you can negotiate.

Luxury speed boat

For the ultimate in luxury, snorkel Koh Tao and surrounding islands by luxury speed boat.

A few companies offer tours by speed boat. These can easily be organized from Koh Samui.

There are many different types of boats to take you snorkeling around Koh Tao on a private trip
There are many different types of boats to take you snorkeling around Koh Tao on a private trip

Koh Samui day trip to Koh Tao

Koh Tao is close enough to Koh Samui that you can visit the island on a day trip from Koh Samui.

You might like this full-day snorkeling tour to Koh Tao (and Koh Nang Yuan) by speedboat. It includes pick-up from your Koh Samui hotel.

Best time to snorkel Koh Tao

You can pretty well snorkel and dive Koh Tao 10 months of the year (avoiding the monsoon season of November and December).

The peak Koh Tao diving season is March to September, when visibility can be up to 100 feet or more (July and August are the busiest months).

This is the best time for snorkeling too, when water conditions are at their best.

March and April are the best times to see whale sharks in Koh Tao.

Most of the whale shark spots are suited mainly to divers, but you may be lucky and spot a whale shark near Shark Island (offshore from Shark Bay).

Where to stay on Koh Tao?

We stayed at Sensi Paradise Beach Resort, a beachfront bungalow resort with a cool hippie-chic vibe.

See our review of these Koh Tao bungalows.

Experience more of Asia

Thailand: See stalactites and stalagmites. And squeeze through narrow tunnels to enter wondrous sea caves. Sea canoeing in Phang Nga Bay is a day trip of a lifetime!

Bali: Watching Balinese dance? Monkeying around in the Ubud Monkey Forest? Exploring abandoned airplanes? Oh yes. Bali’s romantic activities are quite special.

Our top travel tips and resources

Hotels: Booking.com is perfect for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. We especially like Booking’s flexible cancellation policy!

Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).

Cruises: CruiseDirect offers amazing deals on cruises (including Holland America, Viking Ocean Cruises, Seabourn and other lines we’ve reviewed).

Flights: To book the cheapest flights, search on Google Flights or Expedia. (Just be aware Expedia tickets may be non-refundable.)

Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!

Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.

Car rental: Renting a car is often a great way to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the lowest rates.

eSIMS: Stay connected affordably with Airalo eSIMS covering 200+ countries and trusted by 10 million+ users, including us! (No more huge roaming bills!)

Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.

Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)

Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.

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Photo credits: 5, 9, 11, 12 and 16 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase


About the authors

Janice and George Mucalov are award-winning travel journalists who’ve explored all seven continents. They share destination guidesluxury hotel reviewscultural adventurescruise insightstravel tips and more on their luxury travel blog, Sand In My Suitcase. See About.

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28 Comments

  1. so sorry to hear that Koh Tao let you down! I have a friend who recently went diving there, she absolutely loved the Sail Rock and generally the whole island. but I agree, though, too many people in the same place and a general lack of diversity in services can ruin what would otherwise be a fantastic experience.

    1. Nice to hear your friend loved the island and especially the diving there! Maybe our experience was a one-off :-)

  2. I am visiting Koh Tao with my wife and 1 year baby girl. I am in for diving and wifey needs some good snorkel. Hoping for a good trip. Quick question: which part of the year did u visit Koh Tao? Coz we are visiting September and have read that the sea is quite good that time with less crowds.

    1. Sorry for the belated reply! (We just moved to Victoria – new blog posts on that coming soon…) To answer your question – we visited in February, when conditions are generally described as “okay” and “changeable.” July to August is said to be the best time for diving and snorkeling with the best visibility. So your visit should be great! Have a great trip! (Let us know after how you enjoyed it…)

  3. Seemingly a pretty negative post, I am in Koh Tao at the moment and having hired a bike to visit majority of the beaches and snorkelled I couldn’t disagree anymore.

    We went to shark bay and within minutes was greeted by 5 black tip sharks no further than 4 meters off steps. I do agree that the coral isn’t pretty but it still attracts bundles of colourful fish which on a good day set up for a nice time.

    As for it being overcrowded – a lot of the tourist/day boats do the same route so it does get over crowded but this can be avoided by taking a taxi boat earlier and missing the crowd.

    For anyone thinking of coming to Koh Tao – don’t let this put you off, it’s a beautiful island with so much to offer.

    1. Hi Aaron,
      Thanks for writing in! It’s great to hear you really enjoyed Koh Tao – and were greeted by no less than 5 blacktip sharks :-).
      Your tip about taking an earlier tour or taxi boat to avoid the crowds is a good one.
      We’ve written about snorkeling at Santa Maria Bay near Cabo San Lucas (Mexico) and how by visiting on your own, you can go earlier before the snorkel tour boats arrive, and so get to see lots of fish (maybe even whales too!).

  4. This second trip to Koh Samui.
    In 2014 I come for Samui bike week so no time to explore this beautiful island so much.

    18th Feb 2016 I repeat again exploring the koh samui..

    Just back for snorkeling in Mango Bay,Koh Tao and Koh Nyang Yuan..not so crowded that moment ..about 145THB include buffet lunch in Koh Tao eat all u can.
    Agent say we are lucky because that date, water are calm and no big wave compare to other days.

    If have extra time and money I wish to explore other island near koh samui again one days..

    Sorry my English not so good.

    Penang,Malaysia.

    1. Thank you for giving us an update on Koh Tao! Sounds like you had a good day – glad you were blessed with calm waters, and nice to hear that Koh Nang Yuan wasn’t too crowded for you :-). Fewer people to share Koh Nang Yuan with would make all the difference to your experience, because it’s a beautiful island!

  5. Thanks for this post! We’re planning to do a similar boat trip to Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan on a Thailand trip soon. It’s good to know that we should expect some nice scenery and fun swimming but not much in the way of fish & coral. Hopefully if we go in with moderate expectations we’ll be pleasantly surprised :)

    1. That’s the attitude :-). When we’re disappointed in our travels, it’s usually because of expectations that haven’t been met. We once went on a Fiji cruise touted as “five-star.” It turned out to be three-star by North American standards. But if the cruise company had said – “Hey, just pack your swimsuit and shorts, and you’ll get to enjoy some fabulous white-sand beaches and have a simple air-conditioned cabin to sleep in” – their marketing would have been more accurate. We ended up having a great time, but we had to shift mental gears first.

  6. I can’t believe I’ve never been to Koh Tao – I’ve spent so much time down in southern Thailand. That one shot of Koh Nang Yuan looks stunning, but with too many people … yikes. Oh, I love Thailand, though.

  7. I love your honesty. It’s funny about tours, how they are all the same in some places. In Mauritius, you either get the North or South tour, no one seems to offer a bespoke one depending on what you’re interested in!

    1. Koh Tao definitely could do with a more bespoke boat tour offering :-). Now, Mauritius, don’t know much about that island – but it sure sounds exotic!

  8. Would love to snorkel there, so far the most beautiful sea I have been to is the red sea, amazing corals… hopefully will be in Thailand next year at about the same time :) A little dream of mine… Anyway, you are welcome to visit my site as well, give your opinion, on what I should/could improve, as your site seems very cool :)

    Followed you on facebook btw ;)

    1. The Red Sea is amazing! We loved diving there while staying in Sharm El Sheikh. Enjoy your trip to Thailand :-).

  9. I haven’t been to Koh Tao but I thought it was considered the “Mecca” of snorkelling and diving in Thailand – at least – like you said – that’s how it’s described in the guidebooks, so I can understand why you would have been disappointed! I lived on neighbouring Koh Phangan for a few months and as the island is not particularly famous for its snorkelling I went on a boat trip with no expectations, and was happy just to see a few colourful fish and corals!

    Apparently the best diving and snorkelling site in the Gulf of Thailand is at Sail Rock though, so maybe take a trip there next time? I am planning to test it out next month, so I’ll let you know if it’s any good!

    1. The way you did your snorkeling trip on Koh Phangan is probably the best way to do it – go with no great expectations :-). We hear Koh Phangan is a lovely island too. Must have been wonderful to live there for a few months. And yes, we look forward to hearing what the snorkeling is like at Sail Rock!

  10. I haven’t been to Koh Tao, Janice and George, but I’ve heard great things about it. Sounds like it was swamped and that things maybe weren’t too pristine for you guys. I found Koh Lanta to be stunning. Mind you, I didn’t dive, but we visited during high season and if we went south enough we had large, private beaches to ourselves basically because everybody chills at the beaches in the north. As for snorkeling I don’t know. Diving is supposed to rock but that’s way out at sea. I didn’t see many snorkelers there though, just swimmers, and some fishing from the locals with their large throw nets.

    Beautiful photos guys!

    Ryan

    1. Looks like Koh Lanta gets the thumbs up from many people :-). We too loved the island.

  11. Funnily enough, I did my very first big boat snorkel trip on a Thailand around 4 months ago but it was Ko Lanta rather than Ko Tao. I enjoyed it overall though I hear Ko Tao is great for diving and snorkelling as you say! It helped that our snorkel guise happened to be a friend who lives there! Your photo of Koh Nang Yuan looks beautiful despite the crowds you mentioned ☺

    1. Koh Lanta is another dream island :-). And, yes, being shown the best spots by a friend who lives there would be a real boon! We have really fond memories of our stay on Koh Lanta a few years ago. It’s larger than Koh Tao, but it didn’t seem as busy with tourists, at least where we stayed, which was at Pimalai. They say one should enjoy Koh Lanta now, because there’s talk of building a bridge between Koh Lanta and Krabi, which would increase the visitor numbers on the island. Don’t know if that’s true or not, but…

      1. Fell in love with the country and my beloved gf living the majority of the 2 years living there on Lanta. Unfortunately every time I go (at least 3 times a year) it is slowly evolving into the next Koh Samui. Now besotted with Koh Yao- you should book a week of purest perfection at the 6 Senses Resort. They have finally finished the bridge between Koh Lanta Yao and Koh Lanta Noi about a month ago. But unless they build a 2nd much larger bridge to the Mainland I don’t think that it will significantly increase the number of tourists. The bridge will be most useful for the locals.

        1. Yes, we love Koh Lanta (and pretty well all of Thailand). Good to hear the bridge to the mainland hasn’t been built (yet) and may not be ?? Koh Tao we were less impressed with though, as you can tell from this blog post. And we have been to Koh Yao Noi and stayed at the Six Senses Resort (it’s lovely!). Thanks for taking the time to write in :-).

  12. Gosh! Sounds somewhat disappointing! Guess we can’t always believe the guidebooks.
    :-)

    1. That’s true. For us, what was needed was just a little “truth in advertising” for the snorkeling tour. Had our expectation been – pleasant scenic boat tour, cool off at some spots with a swim, see a beautiful island (though be prepared, it’s so beautiful that everyone else wants to see it too), oh and we’ll feed you a bit too (though don’t expect anything much, as it’s hard to prepare food on a boat, so we brought in a little something premade on shore) – we would have been very happy. It’s like whale watching. If you go expecting to see whales, you’re disappointed if you don’t see them, even though you might have seen sea lions, dolphins and fabulous scenery. And as we noted, what you get on these Koh Tao boat tours really is a bargain at $30 odd p.p. Whack us with a wet noodle! Here we were in paradise, and we were disappointed because we didn’t enjoy the snorkeling experience expected :-).