Snorkelling & Boat Trips

If you come to Koh Tao, you have indeed come to a snorkelers' paradise. There are so many great places to go snorkelling, either straight off the beaches or by taking a short boat trip offshore. If you want to try out snorkelling off one of the many suitable beaches around the island, one way to do this is to book a "round the island snorkelling trip". This will give you a 'taster' of the best snorkelling beaches, and is an excellent way to get to know the island, and what is on offer for you as a snorkeler. Boats are normally booked for a day trip and prices vary according to the itinerary, although a rough guide is around 550B per person for a long tail boat and 650B for a larger boat. Most trips include a pickup from your hotel/resort and lunch. They can also be booked through your hotel or a travel agent. If you wish to spend several hours on a particular beach (or beaches), you might think about hiring your own longtail boat for the day. This will cost you in the region of 2500B, but you can take some friends with you to share the cost. You'll find the friendly boat-taxis hanging around Sairee Beach, especially near Lotus Bar. Snorkelling beaches Starting at Sairee, let's examine some of the best snorkelling beaches. - Sairee itself offers good snorkelling near the rocks at either end of the beach. - Moving south, there are some great areas at the southern end of Mae Head beach, including a small offshore shipwreck. - Continuing south, the three small beaches of Haad Sai Nuan, Ao Kul Jeual and Laem Je Ta Klang offer some of the best snorkelling on the island, with a wide range of underwater marine life and even the occasional reef shark. - Another beach which has a shallow seabed and is great for snorkelling is Chalok Ban Kao on the southern coast. - Haad Sai Daeng Beach, also on the south coast, is another beach that is good for snorkelling. - Rather isolated, but still the most popular beach on the remote east coast is Au Tanote which provides good snorkelling opportunities. - A little further north is Ao Hin Wong which is mainly a rocky bay that is excellent for snorkelling. - Mango Bay on the northern coast is another great snorkelling location. - We end up our tour of snorkelling beaches at the tiny island of Koh Nang Yuan, in the northeast corner, where snorkelling is one of the main activities for those staying at the island based resort. Ang Thong Marine Park A popular offshore destination for snorkelers and other watersports, or a day's fishing, is a day trip to the beautiful Ang Thong Marine Park, where there are numerous little islands providing you with beautiful snorkelling adventures. Unseen Tours do a 3 days 2 nights trip to Ang Thong Marine Park where you can do lots of snorkelling, kayaking, caving and trekking. Check out their website for further details. Webiste: www.unseentourskohtao.com/