Picture vibrant coral reefs, rocky formations, a variety of sea creatures, and mesmerizing underwater scenery. When you dive and explore this amazing natural world, it's like you're free and deeply connected to the vast blue ocean, leaving scuba divers with long-lasting feelings of astonishment and joy. The best part is, it's a new adventure every time.
No wonder Ko Pha-ngan is a hit with divers of all levels, from beginners to experts. It's in a perfect location, with Koh Tao to the north and Ang Thong Marine Park to the west, both offering fantastic dive spots. Plus, you're not far from Koh Samui, a popular tourist spot, which you can reach by a 2.5 to 3.5-hour ferry ride from Surat Thani.
So, whether you're planning a vacation or thinking about moving to Thailand, and you love diving, snorkeling, water sports, or just exploring a beautiful tropical island and experiencing Thai hospitality, make sure to put this paradise on your list. This guide will tell you all about the top dive sites.
Where to Dive
The lower Gulf of Thailand, including Koh Tao, Ang Thong Marine Park and Ko Pha-ngan, are deemed to be one of Thailand’s best diving areas. Take a look…..
Sail Rock
Features a 15m granite pinnacle rising above the water. The underwater topography showcases diverse marine life like barracuda, trevally, fusiliers, moray eels, butterfly fish, and the odd whale shark. Novices enjoy shallow coral gardens while experts delve into deeper waters and the thrilling 3m wide vertical swim-through chimney passage.
Chumphon Pinnacle
Located north of Koh Tao, it exhibits several pinnacles and underwater boulders, ranging from around 14 to 36m depths. Batfish, snappers, barracuda, fusiliers, groupers, tuna, mackerel, and leopard sharks frequent these waters. The shallower section is home to anemones with beautiful pink anemonefish.
Ang Thong National Marine Park
Includes 42 limestone islands worth visiting for hiking to the Blue Lagoon, viewing breathtaking scenery, kayaking and snorkelling. Some excellent quiet dive sites are also in the northern part of the archipelago.
Ko Pha-ngan Dive Sites
Ko Ma is a boulder and reef dive with 5 to 20 m visibility, weak currents, and a favorite for novices. Many schools of fish, bannerfish, grouper, barracuda, queenfish, and hard corals are prolific.
Ko Tae Nok, just off the west coast, features gorgonian sea fans, sponges, hard corals puffer fish, parrot fish, wrasse and snapper. Blacktip reef sharks are sometimes sighted too.
Haad Yuan, near Haad Rin Beach, is great for training dives, with a depth of 12m and usually weak currents. Some nice hard and soft corals, nudibranchs, and many other reef fish are visible. Ko Kon Rin, also nearby, is a boulder dive site with strong currents sometimes.
Other locations offering relaxing coral reef dives to about 15m, showcasing a splendid array of reef fish and hard corals, include Haad Salad, Haad Yao, and Ao SriThanu reefs.
Dive Schools
PADI dive courses are available year-round, and with approximately 20 dive schools on Koh Pha-ngan, it can be hard to choose. Chaloklum has the most dive shops, as it has its own pier and is away from Thong Sala Pier.
Courses include introductory first diving certification, open water, specialty courses, rescue, deep diving, and more. Koh Pha-ngan diving centers also have dive instructors from many countries, in case you prefer an instructor who speaks your own language. Single, multi-day, and live aboard are available.
More prominent schools include Sail Rock Divers, Chaloklum Diving, Haad Yao Divers, The Dive Inn, Blue Horizon Diving, and France Plongee.
Best Time to Visit
Diving may be enjoyed throughout the year, with water temperatures of 28 to 31 degrees, the coolest being around January and February. The best time for optimal diving conditions is from March to September, with visibility reaching 30m in the latter part of the season.
Conclusion
Ko Pha-ngan has many great places for diving. If you're an expat in Thailand and want a getaway from Bangkok, Ko Pha-ngan is a fantastic option. People who live here and tourists both have fun exploring the island, eating out, staying active, and just unwinding. If you're thinking about buying property in Ko Pha-ngan, you can check out Nestopa's listings. And keep an eye out for our next post, where we'll tell you all about living in this tropical paradise.
