Looking for the best snorkeling spots in Koh Tao?

Koh Tao is everything you could want in a Thai Island. For me, it’s the cream of the crop.

It has everything you could want: a lively atmosphere, mountains with splendid views, and some incredible beaches with an amazing array of marine life.

Of course, the island is most known for being one of (if not the) cheapest places in the world to get scuba certified. I highly recommend that you don’t pass up on that opportunity.

But regardless of whether you scuba, snorkeling on Koh Tao’s incredible beaches is a must. And there are so many great spots for it.

So grab some snorkel gear (your hostel should rent for cheap, if not rent one in town)- and listen up.

I spent over a week riding a scooter around in search of the best beaches and snorkeling spots on the island.

Let’s get into the top 5.

And when you’re done here, check out my ultimate top 10 list of the best beaches on Koh Tao, which factors in everything about the beaches, including- but not limited to- snorkeling.

Top 5 best snorkeling spots in Koh Tao

5- Tanote Bay

We kick off this list with Tanote Bay.

Tanote Bay is located on the eastern end of the island, and is one of the more popular beaches on Koh Tao.

For a few reasons: one, the beach is gorgeous; two, it’s free; three, there’s a massive boulder out in the middle of the bay you can jump off of; and four, the snorkeling is great.

There are some incredible reefs here, and they’re full of life. I saw a school of what must have been 30 barracudas.

The best spots to go are close to the big boulder in the middle of the bay. The side closest to the beach is best- otherwise, it gets too deep.

Just be careful and make sure no one jumps on top of you from the boulder. Wouldn’t be too much fun for either party. Primarily you.

There’s also some artificial boxes set up on the sea floor to attract fish. It was built for scuba divers, so it’s quite deep but you can see them from afar from the surface, or free dive down if you’re comfortable with that. They’re just to the right of the boulder.

All in all, a great spot.

4- Shark Bay

Shark Bay is right at the base of the peninsula on the southern end of Koh Tao.

It’s a picture perfect beach- long and wide, with perfect white sand.

And, of course, the name wasn’t chosen because it sounds cool. This beach is one of the best chances you’ll have to see a blacktip reef shark, the most common shark that inhabits the waters of Koh Tao.

Unless you’re afraid of them, of course. I don’t see how- I happen to find them quite adorable. Something about the uneven, crooked, razor-sharp teeth.

And yes, it’s safe. There were only 56 reported shark-related fatalities here last year, so things are definitely on the right track.

A joke. Just a joke. Only 53.

Go snorkeling here in the late afternoon for the best shot of seeing a shark. The same goes for turtles.

Keep in mind that you’ll have to pay a 100 baht ($3 USD) fee to access the resort at Shark Bay, which you’ll need to do as it’s the only entrance to the beach.

Another option is to drive further down the road, where you can pay 50. However, you won’t have access to the sand beach- only to the rocky area along the side.

It’s equally beautiful, though. The image at the top of the page is actually an aerial view of this exact rocky spot.

As a bonus, it’s possible to kayak out to Shark Island, a snorkel spot I heard was great but never checked out.

Just make sure to go when the water is calm. It shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes to arrive. It’s much closer from another spot further on in this list though- stay tuned.

3- Ao Hin Wong Beach

Ao Hin Wong became one of my personal favorite spots on the island. It’s especially magical in the morning, as it faces eastward and gives you some nice morning sun.

And it’s silent- it fills up sometimes during the day but in the morning it’s exceptionally quiet and peaceful.

The snorkeling here is just perfect and relaxing. Quiet, beautiful corals, lots of brilliantly colored fish. No chance of being eaten by sharks.

The best spot here is along the rocks on the left-hand side of the beach.

You can go decently far out too, as the rock wall continues a long way out.

2- Artlantis Beach

This one isn’t really a beach, but we don’t care since we’re not going to these places to relax on the sand.

The “beach” here is a small enclosed area with sand and chairs stairways up to view spots and down to the water. I’ve named it Artlantis Beach due to its proximity to the Artlantis resort and restaurant.

There’s one main walkway down to the water, and all you have to do here is swim along the rocky coastline. You’ll be amazed by how much you see.

Incredible corals, bright colors, so much variety in the marine life.

The best time to come here is at sunset. Hop in the water, do some snorkeling, then watch the sun set over the nearby Nang Yuan Islands.

Doesn’t get much better than that.

1- Hat Sai Daeng

This is the best snorkeling spot in Koh Tao, as well as the best overall beach in Koh Tao. In my humble opinion, of course.

The water on this beach is a sparkling turquoise, with alternating patterns of deep blue and bright sea green as a result of the abundant coral formations under the surface.

You can find these corals on either side of the bay by the rock wall.

I would recommend heading to the rock wall on the left side of the beach and swimming around the corner. You’ve got a good chance of seeing turtles and blacktip reef sharks here, especially later in the afternoon.

The further you go, the better it seems to get. If you’re a good swimmer, go ahead and round the corner of the peninsula. Just be careful with the currents if you do- they can get quite strong and you can get swept out pretty easily.

Suffice to say I learned the hard way.

Shark Island, which I mentioned earlier, is also accessible by kayak from Hat Sai Daeng. In fact, it’s far closer from here. According to this page it should only take 10 minutes.

And there you have it- the best snorkeling spots in Koh Tao.

Scuba diving is amazing, don’t get me wrong- but there’s something about the simplicity of snorkeling that makes it equally awesome, in my view.

Go check out all these spots and let me know which one you liked best!