Thailand Guide
Southern Thailand: the Gulf coast
Diving around Ko Tao
With a reputable Ko Tao dive company, one dive typically costs B1000, a ten-dive package B7000, with fifteen percent discounts if you bring your own gear. PADI's four-day "Openwater" course costs around B9800, B2000 for a one-day introduction.
Main dive sites around Ko Tao
Ko Nang Yuan: A variety of sites, including; the Nang Yuan Pinnacle, a granite pinnacle with boulder swim-throughs, morays and reef sharks; Green Rock, a maze of boulder swim-throughs, caves and canyons, featuring stingrays and occasional reef sharks; Twins, two rock formations covered in corals and sponges; and the Japanese Gardens, named after the hundreds of hard and soft coral formations and good for beginners and snorkellers.
White Rock (Hin Khao): Sarcophyton leather coral turns the granite boulders white when seen from the surface; also wire, antipatharian and soft corals, and gorgonian sea fans. Titan triggerfish, butterfly fish, angelfish, clown fish and morays.
Shark Island: Large granite boulders with acropora, wire and bushy antipatharian corals, sea whips, gorgonian sea fans and barrel sponges. Angelfish, triggerfish and barracuda, plus leopard and reef sharks.
Hinwong Pinnacle: At Ao Hinwong; generally for experienced divers, often with strong currents. Beautiful soft coral plus blue-spotted fantail stingrays, sweetlips pufferfish and boxfish, as well as hawksbill turtles.
Chumphon or Northwest Pinnacle: A granite pinnacle for experienced divers, starting 14m underwater and dropping off to over 36m. Barrel sponges, tree and antipatharian corals; barracudas, batfish, whale sharks (seasonal) and huge groupers.
Southwest Pinnacle: One of the top sites for experienced divers. A huge pyramid-like pinnacle rising to 6m below the surface, its upper part covered in anemones, with smaller pinnacles around; at lower levels, granite boulders, barrel sponges, sea whips, bushy antipatharian and tree corals. Big groupers, snappers and barracudas; occasionally, large rays, leopard and sand sharks, swordfish, finback whales and whale sharks.
Sail Rock (Hin Bai): Emerging from the sand at a depth of 40m and rising 15m above the sea's surface. An amazing ten-metre underwater chimney (vertical swim-through). Antipatharian corals, both bushes and whips, and carpets of anemones. Large groupers, snappers and fusiliers, blue-ringed angelfish, batfish, kingfish and juvenile clown sweetlips; a likely spot for sighting whale sharks and mantas.