Dive in and discover the marine beauty beneath the water’s surface around these stunning Thai islands.
With opulent palaces, ornate temples, and ancient ruins at every turn, there’s just so much to witness on land in Thailand, but you’ll be missing out if you don’t make time for its equally awe-inspiring underwater worlds. To put it mildly, Thailand is a diving and snorkeling paradise, with some of the top dive sites in the world, pristine waters, beautiful beaches, and an abundance of spectacular marine life. Find out which destinations are the best for snorkeling in Thailand.
Koh Tao
Koh Tao, otherwise known as Turtle Island, is popular across the globe for scuba diving and an excellent place to learn or enhance your snorkeling skills as there are so many dive sites. Sail Rock (technically between Koh Tao and Koh Phangan) is widely considered one of the best dive sites in all of Thailand for its secret (but not-so-secret) pinnacle, which rises about 15m above water and extends 40m deep to offer a haven of marine life for divers of all levels.
Koh Rok Islands
These two small, unspoiled islands are just an hour from Koh Lanta and are part of Mu Loh Lanta Marine National Park. The island offers an abundance and diversity of marine life (with great turtle-spotting), some of the most pristine coral reefs in Thailand, and spectacular beaches. It is a good snorkeling destination for all levels.
Koh Similan
Koh Similan is a group of nine islands with crystal clear waters and a sea turtle sanctuary. It is a protected national park and is only reachable by boat from April to November. Book a day tour or stay overnight at Pakarang Beach to snorkel islands.
Koh Chang
Koh Chang is a paradise for divers. It is home to one of Thailand’s largest shipwrecks, the HTMS Chang, creating an unforgettable diving experience. There are several rock pinnacles like Hin Luk Bat and Hin Rap where you can spot whale sharks. If you’re looking to snorkel, make your way to Pearl Beach. Nearby islands like Koh Wai offer relatively undisturbed islands and uncrowded dive sites with shallow, hard coral reefs populated with leopard sharks, stingrays, and colorful reef fish.
Hin Daeng and Hin Muang
On the outer fringes of Mu Koh Lanta Marine Park and a three-hour trip from Koh Ngai, these famed diving sites are musts for experienced divers. Hin Daeng, known as Red Rock, and Hin Muang, known as Purple Rock, feature amazing steep walls, huge shoals of fish, whale and nurse sharks, tuna, barracuda, and more. Between Hin Daeng and Phi Phi, you can spot stunning caverns with stalactites, and is a great spot for a night dive.
One last tip! It is our responsibility to respect the reefs, bays, and beaches. Don’t stand on the coral reefs, swim over them so that we can enjoy them for many moons to come.
