Koh Tao Diving

Koh Tao is the most popular place in all of South East Asia to learn to scuba dive. The mix of beautiful beaches, warm water and cheap prices, plus a vibrant party scene as well as plenty of ways to escape the crowds means that Koh Tao has something for everyone. This beautiful little island in the Gulf of Thailand is ideal as a place to scuba dive and has plenty to keep non-divers entertained too.


Sairee Beach, Koh Tao

Koh Tao Scuba Diving Lessons

  • To learn to scuba dive, you need to take the PADI Open Water Diver course.
  • This takes three days and includes four dives within it. Once you’ve passed the course, you are certified to scuba dive anywhere in the world.
  • There are many dive schools on Koh Tao. Diving-Thailand.com recommends you learn to dive on Koh Tao with Ayesha and Wilco, two experienced scuba diving instructors (one English, one Dutch) who live permanently on Koh Tao. They can give you plenty of advice about scuba diving and also where to stay on the island whatever your budget.

    You can visit their website LearnToDiveOnKohTao.com or just send them a message to them direct from this page. Let them know what sort of date you’d like to arrive on Koh Tao and they can help you with booking your dive course, accommodation and getting a pickup from the pier when you arrive.

Koh Tao Fun Diving

Certified divers can enjoy diving the best dive sites in the Gulf Of Thailand – they include:

  • Chumphon Pinnacle is famous for its sighting of whale sharks several times a year and has large schools of barracuda, batfish and also giant grouper in residence
  • Southwest Pinnacle has big groupers and clouds of fish as well as friendly batfish hovering around its slopes
  • Sail Rock is a remote pinnacle with a famous coral chimney and lots of patrolling shoals of fish
  • Koh Tao has numerous macro sites to explore which are off the usual dive school schedule – for underwater photographers these are particularly interesting

Koh Tao dive boats depart every morning and afternoon and do two dives, usually at two different sites. Contact Ayesha and Wilco to book your Koh Tao fun dive package.

Best Time To Go To Koh Tao

March to October is the best time to visit Koh Tao, although diving is possible all year round. November is best avoided as the monsoon season causes some heavy rain during this month.


View Thailand’s Best Diving Locations – Diving-Thailand.com in a larger map

How To Get To Koh Tao

There is no airport on Koh Tao – the quickest (and most expensive) way to get there is to fly from Bangkok to Koh Samui and then get the Lomprayah catamaran. The cheaper way to do it is to catch an overnight train from Bangkok to Chumphon and then catch the early morning ferry to Koh Tao.

Koh Tao Hotels And Guesthouses

There is a wide variety of accommodation on Koh Tao to suit all budgets. There are discounts available on some budget accommodation if you are doing a dive course.

Do I Need To Book In Advance?

It is wise to book accommodation and dive courses in advance because Koh Tao gets very busy during June, July and August, especially just after the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan, which is the next island to Koh Tao and only a couple of hours on the ferry. Trying to find accommodation on Koh Tao when the island is full can be a stressful experience.

Non Diving Things You Can Do On Koh Tao

Koh Tao has some beautiful, uncrowded beaches for lazing around as well as many activities: wakeboarding, waterskiing, windsurfing, kayaking, paintballing, mini-golf, 10 pin bowling, relaxing at the spa, chilling at a beachfront bar, Thai Boxing training and regular Thai Boxing fights, cooking and Thai massage courses.

If you have any more questions about diving on Koh Tao, just ask us!

Koh Tao Diving – How Can We Help?

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Thailand Scuba Diving

Thailand is one of the most spectacular and also affordable scuba diving destinations in the world. The famous Similan Islands Marine Park is reknown for a stunning array of marine life both big and small, ranging from usually elusive whale sharks and majestic manta rays to tiny ghost pipefish and yellow boxfish, not to mention huge shoals of barracuda and red snapper. A liveaboard is best and cheapest way to see the Similans and also the highlights of Southern Thailand, another beautiful collection of dive sites located near to Phuket, Koh Phi Phi and Koh Lanta in Krabi province.

Whether you choose to do a liveaboard or prefer to indulge in day trips and come home each evening to a beachfront hotel and a choice of great restaurants, there is an option to suit you at budget, mid-range and luxury levels. Send us an email if you need help deciding on diving Thailand - there's so much to see in Thailand's underwater world you'll probably want to come back.