Sairee Beach - Diving Holiday Destination

Sairee Beach (Thailand)

Geographically Thailand sits 14 degrees North of the equator, bordering Burma, Laos and Cambodia to the West, North, East and tapers into the Malay Peninsula to the South. It has over 2,000 kilometers of coastline, brushed by hundreds of offshore islands. It enjoys a tropical climate and its waters are warm and clear and home to an immense variety of marine life and coral reefs making it heaven for scuba divers. Diving in Thailand is concentrated mainly around the tourist centers of Phuket and Koh Samui, although there are notable sites elsewhere.

500kms south of Bangkok in the gulf of Thailand, the tiny island of Koh Tao with its natural beauty and charm provides everything for a fantastic scuba diving vacation or even your first scuba diving lesson. Not long ago, Koh Tao was still unexposed to tourism, but word spread quickly amongst travellers around Thailand and this little island fast became Thailand's most popular scuba diving destination. Koh Tao (Turtle Island) is a tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand with lush vegetation, beautiful beaches, and numerous fascinating dive sites, all with abundant wildlife. Add quality, low-priced accommodation, great restaurants and vibrant nightlife, and you’ll realize that Koh Tao has earned it’s reputation for being the best place in the world to learn to dive.

Koh Tao Thailand is a Scuba Divers Dream. All scuba diving courses from beginner to a full PADI IDC - a suba diving instuctor training - are availlable on Koh Tao plus great fun diving on more than 30 dive sites. Dive into the warm clear waters in the gulf of Thailand. Explore coral reefs and immerse yourself in shoals of barracuda and batfish .

Climate

Tropical Climate; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot.

Conditions are usually favorable from mid-December with temperature and visibility increasing and flat seas until April.

May to August can bring changeable weather which can include slight showers and windy periods.

Between the months of September and October conditions re-peak with good visibility and flat seas. Monsoon usually occurs for the month of November.

Temperatures rarelly drop below 30 degrees, except in the monsoon season, where they can plummet to 28 degrees.

Hottest month usually is April, because of this during the month water temperatures normally stay around 29/39 degrees.

Dive Facts

Visibility: increases mid-December from 10 meters until April where it can reach 30+. During the months of May to August conditions are dependant upon wind and sea-state. During September and October visibility can increase to 20+ meters. In November, during the monsoon season it cannot be predicted.

Currents: Koh Tao is one of the few islands in the world, that only has one tide (Diurnal tide) a day. Due to this unique feature the island doesn't suffer the same amount of tidal exchange that is common on the Andaman side (West cost) of Thailand. This results in safe and calm diving conditions. The only time that the island experiences any form of current is around the dates of the full- and black moons.

Dive Attractions

See more about Koh Tao Dive Sites in our Dive Sites Directory, and Koh Tao Dive Clubs & Tour Operators in our Dive Club Directory.

Koh Tao offers 25 dive sites, with the majority close to the island. Average depths around the island are approximately 14 - 18m with deeper off shore sites offering depths of 30m+. The close proximity of these sites, combined with their depths, allows divers up to 5 safe dives a day.

Whichever diving activities you engage in, expect to see a wide variety of marine life, shoals of barracuda, batfish, angel and butterfly fish on and around the coral covered boulders. Blue spotted rays, moray eels and boxfish hide amongst the many cracks and crevasses while titan triggerfish graze on the coral.

Giant groupers and turtles are not uncommon and Koh Tao is famous for one giant seasonal visitor, the gentle whale shark, which often appears around March and April. All though whale sharks are seasonal, they also have spotted out side the so called whale shark season. You will have a higher chance of diving next to one of these friendly giants from February till May and from August till November.

Dive Sites Include:

Chumphon Pinnacle
Average Depth: 20m (66ft) Maximum Depth: 36m (120ft)

Koh Tao's most impressive dive site. See more detail in our Dive Sites Directory.

Green Rock (Hin Kee-Oh)
Average Depth: 15m (50ft) Maximum Depth: 25m (83ft)

Swim Throughs. See more detail in our Dive Site Directory