The best of the divesites of the Gulf of Thailand are found in the westside of the Gulf, around Koh Tao and Koh Samui. Especially the ones in the Koh Tao area can be spectaculair, with good chances of encounters with large pelagics like sailfish, bull sharks and most spectacular of all: the majestic whaleshark.
Divers also have a chance to spot manta rays and turtles while swimming amongst schools of pelagics, batfish and barracuda.
Being on a liveaboard gives us the opportunity to be the first ones to arrive and the last to leave at the sites within reach of the daytrip boats, and also to reach the sites situated beyond their reach.

The season in the Gulf of Thailand runs from May till October, when visibility and the chances of pelagic encounters are at their best.

The liveaboard boats stay in the western Gulf area.

For an island so small, Koh Tao has an enormous amount of great divesites. The sites here offer frequent encounters with pelagics, a great amount of small life and exciting swim throughs. Below you will find a short description of some of the sites here.

Widely considered Koh Tao's premier divesite, Chumporn Pinnacle is also one of the island's most challenging. The site is a group of massive rocks arranged in a rough oval with occasionally strong currents.

The site plays host to a wide variety of pelagics as well as reef fish. Great barracuda, king mackerel, grouper, and tuna can be found year round, and in season whale shark sightings are common. Visitors from the open ocean are unpredictable: sailfish, oceanic whitetip sharks and bull sharks have been spotted.

Southwest Pinnacle is a series of rock formations. The tops of the pinnacles are covered with a carpet of anemones in brilliant greens, pinks and blues, with their calvacade of pink anemone fish. Leopard sharks and whale sharks are occasional visitors to the site, which is home to large schools of snapper, yellowtail barracuda, and fusiliers.

A single rock that protrudes from the water between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan, the most noticeable feature of Sail Rock is 'the chimney', a vertical tunnel in the rock that leads you from 18m to 8m.
The rock is riddled with small holes which makes a perfect habitat for white eyed and yellow margin moray eels, and the large anemones that cover it are filled with anemone fish and shrimp. Whale sharks can be seen here as well, and keep an eye out for other large pelagics.

Especially at Ang Thong National Marine Park you will find some of the most impressive land sceneries in SE Asia. The divesites here are renowned for their variety of soft corals, fascinating underwater caves and swim throughs. You will be amazed by the diversity of marine life. Below you will find a short description of some of the sites here.

Anyone who read Alex Garlands "The Beach" will feel right at home as this is the portrayed group of islands featured in his novel. Remember all the swimthroughs, caves and tunnels? Well, they are all here! At Koh Yippon Lek you can even follow an underwater tunnel straight through the island. The condition of the corals is the best in the whole Gulf and as the marine park is the spawning ground for many fish species you can at times find yourself totally surrounded by jacks, fusiliers and juvenile barracuda.

Samran Pinnacles is one the divesites in the area where the current is usually strong. This attracts large schools of jackfish, big-eyed trevally and huge barracudas!

The craggy, submerged rock faces are alive with sponges, anemones, soft and hard corals. Divers have chance to spot whalesharks, manta rays and turtles while swimming amongst schools of pelagics, batfish and barracuda.

To dive Koh Tao, Koh Samui and the other divesites in the western Gulf of Thailand, you can take any of the liveaboards that go to the Gulf of Thailand. This is already possible on a 1 day/night trip.

 53 Katekwan Road,
 Kata Beach, 83100 Phuket
 Tel. & fax: +66(0)76 284580, 24/7 Hotline: +66(0)80 0408805
 info@thailand-scuba.com
 Skype: seabeeskata



TAT/OTD-no. 34/00245


 thailand-scuba.com, your personal Thailand liveaboard diving adviser