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Despite its size, Koh Tao has many beaches where you can relax, swim or do other water activities. Many of the beaches are rarely visited, so you will often have the opportunity to enjoy the peace and the sound of the sea.
Snorkelling is one of the best activities in Koh Tao. The island offers many bays that are home to intact coral reefs. In addition to various colourful fish species, you can encounter stingrays, turtles and even sharks with just a little luck. You will find out at which snorkelling spot you can even dive with baby sharks at the end of this article.
Tanote Bay
During our Koh Tao stay in 2022, Tanote Bay was the first place we went snorkelling. The bay offers mostly clear water with good visibility and a nice reef since there is a large rock formation in the middle of the bay and many life forms around it.
If you are brave, you can even climb on the rock with the help of a rope and jump down about 5 meters. There is no entrance fee for Tanote Bay.
Ao Leuk Bay
Ao Leuk Beach is a beach that disappointed us a bit. At this beach, unfortunately, vast amounts of garbage are washed up. The locals take care of the problem but can't get rid of everything. Still, I couldn't help it and also had to go snorkelling here. Despite the more substantial swell, I had a great time underwater. In Ao Leuk Bay, I saw some fish I had never seen anywhere else on the island. Even a sizeable giant triggerfish appeared in front of me.
The entrance fee is 50 baht. It's a fair price for us, as we saw that the locals try to keep the beach as clean as possible.
About Giant Triggerfish
Please do not get too close to these beautiful creatures. They can be dangerous for divers. Since they are territorial fish, they defend their territory. Especially when they are in the mating season, you should keep your distance. If you get too close, you can tell by its erect dorsal fin that it feels threatened. You should take flight at the latest when he lies down on his side and watches your movements. It is the preparation for an attack.
Mango Bay
For us, Mango Bay is the most beautiful snorkelling spot in Koh Tao. Mango Bay offers clear water and is a hotspot for snorkelers and novice divers. A depth of 2 to 12 m and a colourful coral reef that runs through the rock formations are perfect conditions. Explore the left and right edges of the bay if you want to see many colourful fish species.
Getting to Mango Bay by scooter is not too easy. You should be able to drive safely on off-road tracks. You have to park at the entrance to Mango Bay Boutique Resort. The hotel usually charges an entrance fee of 100 baht. However, when we were there in April 2022, the hotel was undergoing renovations, so we were able to pass free of charge. You have to walk down many stairs to get to the bay, but it's worth it in the end!
June Juea Beach
June Juea Beach is another beautiful snorkelling spot. You'll enjoy your trip here because you probably won't have to share the beach and water with anyone. The beach is not very crowded. It can get a bit crowded when a tourist boat docks at it from time to time. It is one of the few places where you have to swim far into the sea to snorkel. A few meters from the beach, you will find only a few fish and a lot of seagrass. On the rock formations to the left of the beach, I spotted a group of batfish. If you don't want to swim too far out, you can also explore the left and right edges of the beach.
June Juea Beach is relatively unknown, and few tourists come there. The entrance is fortunately also free of charge.
Freedom Beach
At Freedom Beach, unfortunately, our luck ran out. In other blogs, we often read that this is supposed to be one of the best snorkelling spots on Koh Tao. So shortly after our arrival, and although I was still tired from the climb up John Suwan Viewpoint, I took our old snorkelling gear in hand and ran into the water. Unfortunately, I had to stop after a few minutes because the snorkel was leaking, and I kept breathing salt water.
Tip for you: When buying your snorkelling gear, always pay attention to the quality and density of the silicone! I still wanted to include the Freedom Beach snorkel spot in this post. Feel free to leave a comment with your on-site experience.
The entrance fee to Freedom Beach is 50 baht. Admission to John Suwan Viewpoint and Taa Toh Lagoon is included.
Hin Wong Bay
Hin Wong Bay offers good visibility underwater due to coarse white sand. Due to the beautiful rock formations in the water, there is much marine life. With a bit of luck, you can meet turtles and stingrays. You can park your scooter for 20 baht, and the restaurant charges another 50 baht for the use of the beach area.
Haad Tien Beach / Shark Bay
Let's move on to our favourite spot in terms of wildlife diversity. At Shark Bay, we saw several batfish, two sea turtles, and some black tip reef sharks. Don't worry if you visit one of these sharks. They may be a bit curious, but they quickly lose interest in you and disappear as soon as they appear. The largest one we saw was around 5 feet long. One of the best experiences we ever had snorkelling!
You usually have to pay a 200 baht entrance fee for Haad Tien Beach.
We recommend the Shark View Bar on the left behind the Rocky Resort. Luguide is a good host and will gladly show you where you can get into the water to snorkel for free. He'll even give tips on where to find baby sharks and turtles. After you get out of the water, he is already waiting to prepare you a cool drink to relax.
Besides the snorkeling spots, Koh Tao also has insanely beautiful beaches to offer. Check out our eleven beach recommendations on Koh Tao!
Is Koh Tao safe or dangerous?
There are bad stories about the island, and the media even call it death island because of this. After 24 mysterious deaths, of which only two have been labelled murders by the Thai government, the world is wondering what happened to the remaining 22. We do not want to comment on this in more detail because we are not sufficiently informed, but there are many reports of cover-ups and flawed autopsy reports.
We want to point out to you that these things did happen. However, in order not to make you unsure whether you should include Koh Tao in your itinerary, we would like to point out that Koh Tao's murder rate is low, with 1.5 million tourists per year, so statistically, it is considered safe. So you can move freely.