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<h1>Koh Tao Accommodation & Diving - Scuba Diving on Koh Tao</h1>
<p>Your Scuba Diving Vacation on Koh Tao</p>
<p>We run “dive trips”. Two dives on each trip, with one trip running in the morning and one trip in the afternoon. Each trip includes equipment, dive guide, hot and cold beverages and snacks.</p>
<p>We give your scuba diving vacation the personal touch – your dive guide will pack your dive bag for you and help you fill out your log book after the dive. Dive group sizes are never more than 6.</p>
<p>You’ll want to know that during your holiday, you’ll get to dive all round the island because we vary the dive locations everyday. We like to use all 20+ dive sites the island boasts.</p>
<p>Avoid the “AM mayhem!” We’re one of the first on the reef – important for you if you’ve planned your scuba diving vacation to see the grey reef sharks at Chumphon Pinnacles, or a whale shark at South West Pinnacles.</p>
<p>A night dive is run every other night.</p>
<p>Dive computers, digital camera rental and Diver Propulsion Vehicles (underwater scooters) are available for rental upon request.</p>
<h3>Prices</h3>
<p>Make the most of your scuba diving vacation with us: the more you dive, the less it costs!</p>
<p>No need to decide how many dives you’ll do in advance – we’ll add it all up at the end and give you the cheapest rate for the dives you’ve done. If you know you’ll do 10 or more dives during your dive holiday, and you’d like to stay in a divers room on our resort, it’s beneficial to book a 10 dive package (at 1,400 per trip), because that way you get the lowest rate on the room (the course rate).</p>
<p>All prices are quoted per two dive boat trip and are inclusive of dive gear rental, dive guide and refreshments.</p>
<p>1 dive trip – 2,000 THB per trip<br />
3 or more dive trips – 1,600 THB per trip<br />
5 or more dive trips – 1,400 THB per trip</p>
<p>Night Dive – 1,500 (one dive)</p>
<p>10% discount if you have ALL of your own kit (excluding tank and weight belt).</p>
<h1>Dive Sites</h1>
<h3>Sairee Reef</h3>
<p>Our very own house reef, handy if you fancy doing a couple of shore dives. Home to an amazing array of hard and soft corals and an interesting selection of small reef fish. Great for nice surprises - we’ve spotted black tip reef sharks, eel catfish, two families of clark’s anemone fish (very unusual on Ko Tao) and a great barracuda on a night dive.</p>
<h3>Three Rocks</h3>
<p>A dive site consisting of three huge boulders breaking the surface. It has a maximum depth of 14m, with an average of about 10m. Lots of puffer fish and scorpion fish can be spotted. An interesting dive on Ko Tao, because there is not so much coral but the boulders provide stunning underwater panoramas. There are rare sightings of leopard sharks. This site makes a great night dive.</p>
<h3>Pottery Pinnacle </h3>
<p>A group of large boulders with occasional sea anemones and coral. Porcupine puffer fish are regularly seen here hiding in the crevices. Blue spotted sting rays hide under the ledges and occasionally Jenkins Rays too. Batfish hang out on the top of the pinnacles and if you look carefully, you may see purple hinged glass fish. Large chevron barracuda, turtles and leopard sharks are also seen here from time to time.</p>
<h3>Hin Pee Wee</h3>
<p>A beautiful site with assorted hard and soft corals. Various reef fish can be found here. Look for the scorpion fish blending into their surroundings! Yellow spotted tuna and trevalies can be seen in large schools around the pinnacles. Moray eels hide in the crevices and the occasional hawksbill turtle and banded sea snake make an appearance.</p>
<h3>White Rock</h3>
<p>This shallow collection of large underwater boulders and rocks occupies a plateau just off Koh Tao's western side. It's a great place to spot blue spotted stingrays, giant trigger fish, white-eyed moray eels and puffer fish. White Rock also doubles as an exceptional night dive with a fantastic array of critters and invertebrates showing off their colours. The highlight of the dive, however, are the large yellowtail barracuda hunting small reef fish in your torchlight. </p>
<h3>Japanese Gardens</h3>
<p>Close to the beautiful Nang-Yuan Island this bay is home to a wide variety of hard and soft corals. Dive around the coral heads and over the bed of soft tube corals. Enjoy the colours of the beautiful parrot fish that are common to this site.</p>
<h3>Red Rock (Hin Dang)</h3>
<p>Start your dive by the pinnacle known as Red Rock and enjoy the colourful soft corals covering it. A short swim towards the island will bring you to a large cave-like swim-through. If you look down at the sea bed as you go, you can observe the kuhls sting rays. This area is also renowned for nudibranchs. It is possible to dive purely around Red Rock or follow the reef back towards Japanese Gardens where the boat will pick you up.</p>
<h3>Twin Pinnacles</h3>
<p>A firm favourite with the divemasters, Twins consists of 2 groups of rocks with depths ranging from 18 metres to 6 metres below the surface. There is always plenty to see; moral eels, 6-banded angel fish, blue ringed angel fish, batfish, pufferfish and much more. Just off the deeper rock is an entertaining family of clown fish nestling on the sand, and in between these peaks one can often encounter a rather exciting experience with a triggerfish!</p>
<h3>No Name</h3>
<p>A large pinnacle with various hard and soft coral. Various small reef fish are found here such as butterfly fish, wrasse and parrot fish. There are also some giant groupers here, while trevalies and mackerel swim around the pinnacle. Hermit crabs can be found out in the sand, but beware of the triggers!</p>
<h3>Green Rock</h3>
<p>Known by divers for its impressive collection of swim-throughs as well as the many trigger pits. Just off the dive site is the nesting home to some 50 or more yellow margin triggerfish. It is an entertaining dive with many overhangs and chance encounters with eels, batfish, groupers, sea snakes, pufferfish, scorpion fish and pipefish. Plenty of small and big stuff to keep you occupied. </p>
<h3>Mango Bay</h3>
<p>This tranquil bay on Ko Tao's most northern end is perhaps one of the most beautiful bays on the island. No current and a gentle sloping reef full of colour and activity make this an easy and relaxed dive. The white sandy beach and the crystal clear waters make this a popular site for divers and snorkellers.</p>
<h3>Lighthouse</h3>
<p>A dive site on the east of the island where one can find a wide range of hard corals; boulder, brain and table coral can all be seen providing homes for the numerous fish that inhabit the reefs. </p>
<h3>Hin Wong Pinnacle</h3>
<p>A large pinnacle surrounded by a scattering of large rocks creating a unique series of trenches, is what makes this a unique site. Add to it the beautiful gardens of vividly colourful corals and anemones found here, and the variety of marine life from whip rays to shrimpfish, Hin Wong Pinnacle is arguably the best dive site on Ko Tao. </p>
<h3>King Kong</h3>
<p>Dive around this outcropping of rocks, to a depth of around 20 metres, then work your way shallower and closer to the island and do your safety stop hanging just above the rocks and enjoying the wonderful colours. This dive site is characterised by the huge boulders, ferns and whip coral that make the vistas truly breathtaking. Take at least a few minutes to find the sea horses camouflaged against the whip coral.</p>
<h3>Laem Thian</h3>
<p>Located on Koh Tao's east side this site is a coastal dive. Over millions of years, Koh Tao’s coastal erosion has generated a display of interesting tunnels, channels, and caves below the surface. Small entrances lead to large rooms with passages in various directions. Take a torch, and look for sleeping rays, crustaceans, and sometimes sharks.</p>
<h3>Tanote Bay</h3>
<p>A bay with a large sandy area with a central rock formation and boulders along the shore line. Lots of unusual marine life can be seen here such as bump head parrot fish, unicorn surgeon fish and jenkins rays. A small turtle can often be seen on the south side of the bay. Take care on the north coast as the resident titan trigger fish can be aggressive. A small catamaran wreck can be found out in the sand, just off the rocks. A jenkins ray lives underneath, and you can spot glass dancing shrimp living in the nooks and crannies.</p>
<h3>Aow Leuk</h3>
<p>Located on the east side of the island is this tranquil bay. Shallow areas and sandy patches make this a perfect site for training dives and snorkelling, or an easy second dive following a deeper morning dive. Follow the western wall out of the bay and keep an eye open for the resident turtle.</p>
<h3>Shark Island</h3>
<p>Appropriately named for it's resemblance to a sharks dorsal fin, this is one of Ko Tao's treasures. Each side of the island is its own dive site, with one side packed with a huge variety of hard corals and sponges, making this a popular home for turtles. The other side boasts a breathtaking soft coral garden with frequent sightings of stingrays, moray eels and titan triggerfish. Currents at this site can be stronger than usual for this area which makes this the perfect opportunity for a drift dive. </p>
<h3>Tao Thong</h3>
<p>A bay with a large sandy area, boulders along the shore line and a vast array of stag horn coral. Various small reef fish can be found here such as butterfly fish, banner fish and parrot fish. There are occasional sightings of leopard sharks and look out for the huge puffer fish, normally found on the north tip of the bay.</p>
<h3>Chumphon Pinnacles</h3>
<p>This dive site is an underwater granite mountain range encompassing an area of approximately 100 square metres and is completely surrounded by deeper waters providing us with a world class dive site. Regular sightings of whale sharks and grey reef sharks make this dive site one of the 'musts' of your trip. The pinnacles themselves are completely carpeted with sea anemones, schools of batfish, barracudas, trevallies and fusiliers that create a spectacular scene in the surrounding waters.</p>
<h3>Southwest Rocks</h3>
<p>This site used to be a favourite location for fishermen due to the large schools of fish that use this pinnacle as a stopping point for plankton feeding. Now, it is a very popular dive site for exactly the same reason. Two large pinnacles covered in pink anemone corals and scorpion fish, with little white eyed morays nestled in the cracks, surrounded by an expanse of scattered rocks and soft and hard corals rising up from a depth of 30 metres to just 5 metres below the surface- perfect for a safety stop. Look for whale sharks out in the blue and leopard sharks on the bottom. </p>
<h3>Sail Rock</h3>
<p>Shaped like an iceberg, this rock emerges from 40 metres, and impressively soars 15 metres out of the water. Underwater you can explore the huge walls of the rock, carpeted in colourful soft and hard corals and experience the famous "chimney"- a large vertical cylindrical room with light penetrating the length of it. Entering at 5 metres you can descend enjoying the breathtaking views before exiting at 18 metres below into the silver fields of trevally, and barracuda. Other known visitors include mantas, marlin, and various species of shark including the whale shark. On a good day this truly is a world class dive site.</p>
<h3>Wreck diving – coming soon to Ko Tao!</h3>
<p>Ko Tao is proud to announce the discovery of two new shipwrecks in the Gulf of Thailand.</p>
<p>The team of divers led by Tim Lawrence of Davy Jones’ Locker, located the two wrecks just 1hr 40mins outside of Chumphon.</p>
<p>Both of the wrecks are believed to be a result of attacks by the American Balo Class Submarine, USS Bugara, active in this area late in World War II.</p>
<p>Upon initial investigation, wreck 1, nicknamed the “Inverted” wreck, appears to be a metal sloop of around 300BRT. It is inverted and sits in 40 metres; she has a large single screw 4 paddle propeller with a metal grid intake for a diesel engine.</p>
<p>Wreck 2 – nicknamed the “Dum Dum” Maru, is a slightly larger cargo vessel. On initial inspection she appears to be around 1500BRT. She sits upright in 26 metres, making her Ko Tao’s first ever recreational shipwreck!</p>
<p>Tim will be returning to the sites in the very near future to carry out further investigations, surveying the wreck more thoroughly and hopefully correctly naming them.</p>
<h3>Support the Recompression Chamber on Ko Tao!</h3>
<p>Ko Tao, one of the up and coming leaders in diver training, now has its own recompression chamber, thanks to the Thai Navy in conjunction with Baldaveda.</p>
<p>Obviously the chamber is a place a diver would like to avoid but it’s reassuring to know that even in a remote part of the world, treatment is just down the road. To enable the chamber to remain on the island, all that’s required is your support. For the price of 100 THB - the price of a couple of beers - you can help keep the chamber on Ko Tao, AND receive 7 days of insurance cover for the recompression chamber on Ko Tao.</p>
<p>On behalf of all the staff at Coral Grand, we would like to acknowledge what Bob, Stephen, Sajja and Dr Chasit are doing. With your help, we’re giving them our utmost support, so the chamber can remain on Ko Tao. Thanks guys!</p>
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