Thailand Guide
The east coast
Diving and snorkelling around Ko Chang
The reefs of the Ko Chang archipelago are much less colourful and varied than Andaman coast dive sites, and they can get very crowded, but they're rewarding enough to make a day-trip worthwhile. The main dive and snorkel sites are west of Ko Mak, in the national marine park around Ko Rang and its satellite islets. These range from beginners' reefs with lots of hard corals and anemones at depths of 4–6m, frequented by plenty of reef fish – including a resident ten-thousand-strong shoal of yellow fusiliers – and the occasional moray eel, to the more challenging 25-metre dive at the Pinnacles. There are also some technical wreck dives of Japanese boats from World War 2 and even some centuries-old Chinese trading ships.
Waves permitting, Ko Chang dive centres run trips year round, though during the monsoon season, from June to September, visibility can be poor. Prices for local dive trips, with two tanks, average B2200– B2900, or B1000 for accompanying snorkellers. Dive courses cost about B14,500 for the four-day Openwater, and B4500 for the one-day Discover Scuba introduction.
From about November to May, several companies run dedicated snorkelling trips to reefs and islands around Ko Chang, Ko Wai and Ko Rang. Tickets are sold by tour agents on every beach and prices range from B600–1250, depending on the size of the boat (some take as many as 100 people in high season) and the number of islands visited. In general the more islands "featured" (sailed past), the less time there is for snorkelling, though nearly all the actual snorkelling happens around Ko Rang.