Diving on Koh Samui
The abundant underwater reefs and rocks off Koh Samui teem with colourful marine life and diving is one of the key attractions of Thai islands. Relatively shallow waters, particularly off Koh Tao are perfect for beginners, but there are also several more challenging open sea sites that appeal to advanced scuba divers. Plenty of dive schools offer courses and trips to the various sites within practical reach of the island. Competition is fierce, but in addition to finding a good price, it’s important to check that safety and equipment standards are strictly adhered to and, for the best diving, to look for operations that limit the number of divers on each trip. Generally you will find that most dive operators are managed to international standards or foreign owned.
For beginners a PADI Open Water dive course takes three to four days and includes both classroom theory sessions and practical training in the pool and sea. Before It’s also possible to try a demonstration dive with a qualified instructor and some limited instruction, but if you’re planning to dive more, then Thailand is one of the cheapest places to qualify for your PADI ‘ticket’ which allows you to dive freely with other dive shops anywhere else in the world. People who complete the Open Water course often them go on to do their advanced certificate, and some continue their dive education even further with dive rescue and dive master training, which takes several months.
Dive Sites off Koh Samui
Sail Rock is the most famous dive location in the region, and also a PADI Five star dive site with a forty-metre pinnacle that rises fifteen metres above the surface of the sea. The rock plays host to literally thousands of fish as well as other vibrant marine species such a sea anemones and moray eels. During certain seasons it may also be possible to spot whale sharks. There is a spectacular ‘chimney’ rock formation big enough to swim through from eighteen metres up to six, and the light entering the tunnel makes for some impressive underwater views. Sail rock is located forty-five kilometres from Koh Samui, half way between Koh Phangan and Koh Tao.
Nangyuan Pinnacle and Twins are popular sites for snorkelling trips and also offer good diving opportunities with three dive sites located in a small area. Nangyuan pinnacle is a short swim from the main island and starts a metre below the surface, while Twins is just off the west coast of Koh Nangyuan and consists of two rock formations from six metres down to eighteen metres. Both sites are frequented by large numbers of tropical reef fish. You can also see clown fish, pink anemone fish and black and white sergeant major fish at these sites.
Shark Island is a small outcrop named after the populations of reef and leopard sharks that frequent its deeper waters. This is another very popular site situated very close to Koh Tao with a gentle slope down to twenty-eight metres, making it excellent for novice divers and divers in training. The colourful coral gardens and large numbers of reef fish such as Angel and Banner fish make this an enjoyable multi-level dive.
Chumpon Pinnacle is another impressive dive site situated eleven kilometres northwest of Koh Tao. One large, and several smaller rock outcroppings provide a feeding stations for pink anemone fish, batfish, and large shoals of larger fish like barracudas and . The main pinnacle starts 14 metres below the surface and drops to a depth of 36 metres. It may also be possible to see large grouper at Chumpon pinnacle as well as the other pelagic species like the sharks and rays that also seasonally visit sail rock.
The Koh Yippon islands are generally considered the best sites for diving in the National Marine Park south of Samui. Large rock pinnacles descent to attractive coral gardens that reach a depth of around 18-20 metres. There are some beautiful swim-thrus and a host of marine life that includes blue rays, cuttle fish, banded sea snakes and yellow tailed barracudas.
Read more on Diving in Samui with Dive The World.
The main famous dive sites of Thailand are well documented on greatestdivesites.com along with diving resources.
