Thailand is known for its picturesque and paradise islands, so its no surprise that beneath the tropical turquoise water the underwater world is teaming with life. The country has some of the best snorkeling in the world, and there are coral reefs to explore regardless of your ability. If you’re planning a holiday, this guide has everything, you need to know about the best snorkeling in Thailand.
For more information on the best places to visit in Thailand click here. There’s some excellent destinations to combine with your snorkeling holiday.
If you need help to purchase your own snorkel gear, you can find all the information on the best snorkeling gear here and the information on the best underwater cameras for snorkeling here.
Many Thailand islands have snorkeling off the beach, but if you want to see the best snorkelling destinations, you’ll need to catch a boat. For the ultimate way to explore a liveaboard trip is recommended. However, those sorts of trips are expensive and staying on a boat isn’t for everyone.
For that reason, this post concentrates on the best islands for snorkeling in Thailand.
| Table of Contents – Best Snorkelling in Thailand | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Best Snorkeling Koh Lipe |
| 2 | Best Places to go Snorkeling in Koh Nangyaun |
| 3 | Best Snorkeling Koh Tao |
| 4 | Best Thai Islands for Snorkeling Koh Lanta |
| 5 | Snorkeling in Koh Lanta with Children |
| 6 | Best Snorkeling Phi Phi |
| 7 | Best Snorkeling Phuket |
| 8 | Best Snorkeling in Krabi |
| 9 | Best Snorkeling in Koh Samui Island |
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Guide to the Best Islands in Thailand for Snorkeling
These places have all been tried and tested either by myself or fellow travel bloggers so you can be assured that these best snorkeling spots are worth a visit.
Best Snorkeling Koh Lipe
by Melissa of Thrifty Family Travels
There are some stunning places to go snorkeling or diving in Thailand, with one of my favourite places being Koh Lipe. This tiny Thai island is located on the outskirts of the Marine Tarutao National Park near the Malaysian border. The area is just perfect for snorkelling with its calm, crystal clear waters. You can see straight down to the ocean floor; it’s that clear.
To go snorkeling, you can join a snorkeling tour where you will be transported to the best snorkeling sites around Koh Lipe. These tours also include several stops at small islands within the marine park as well as picnic lunch on a deserted island.
for more information on a tour of the Tarutao Marine National Park.
DIY Koh Lipe snorkeling
However, my favourite way to go snorkeling is via a DIY tour. Hire yourself a kayak from one of the various vendors on the beach, particularly around the end of Sunrise Beach (the end closest to Sunset Beach) or Sunset beach and head out.
Paddle around past the main resorts on Sunrise Beach and you will find a few little coves where you can have your own private beach to swim from.
Swim out straight from the beach for some of the best marine life. Just keep doing this over and over but be sure to leave some energy in the tank as you will need to paddle your kayak back!
If kayaking is not your thing you can go snorkelling right from the shore of any of Koh Lipe’s beaches – we found Sunset Beach the best snorkeling beach though.
How to get to Koh Lipe
Koh Lipe is 60 km from the Thai mainland and just 30 km from Malaysia. The best way to get to Koh Lipe is via 90-minute ferry ride from Langkawi.
Best Places to go Snorkeling in Koh Nangyuan
By Kylie Gibbon of Visiting Dordogne
Koh Nang Yuan is a beautiful island, about 1.5-hour high-speed ferry ride from Koh Samui or a 10-minute ferry ride from Koh Tao, making it a very accessible and enjoyable day trip out into the Gulf of Thailand.
It’s one of the most picturesque islands anywhere in Thailand and has fabulous snorkeling in a coral reef right off the beach.
Entrance to the island is about US$3, and there is a restaurant and small souvenir shop available if you need refreshments. There is no plastic allowed on the island, which got our tick of approval after seeing how plastic has impacted other parts of Asia.
Koh Nangyuan is split into three landmasses joined by a beautiful white sand beach, and it offers excellent snorkeling with plenty of colourful fish. We also saw beautiful undamaged coral of lots of different varieties, clam shells and spikey sea urchins down below us.
Once you’ve had enough of the underwater world, there’s also the option to hike up to the top of the southern point of the island (about 15 minutes each way) to reach an outstanding viewpoint.
We stayed on the island for about 3.5 hours, but we could easily have spent longer there if we were able. If you can make your own way to the island, you would be able to enjoy it for a little bit longer once the day trippers have left. There is even the option to stay overnight.
It was one of our highlights in Thailand and the best place we snorkeled during our whole trip.
Best Snorkeling Koh Tao
by Sophie Marie of Remote Rainforest Mum
When a friend asked if I wanted to meet her in Koh Tao to do the open water and advanced qualifications, I jumped at the chance! I had travelled to Thailand a lot but never made it to Koh Tao before; when I arrived, I was met by the typical picturesque Thai island beaches.
Learn to Dive at Koh Tao
The difference was the sheer amount of dive schools and travellers doing their scuba courses there, and I knew straight away we must have chosen the right spot. The island is one of the best snorkeling spots in Thailand and its one of the most popular places in the world for people to take scuba training. When you visit some of the dive sites, you can see why.
Whale Shark Snorkeling Thailand
Every site we dived was covered with brightly coloured sea anemones and various fish species. We saw huge triggerfish, impressively spiked anemones, schools of barracuda and so much more. I was particularly eager to see a whale shark, but unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. They are being spotted more frequently in the area though, so chances are getting better, and later I found out the next days trip had been lucky enough to see one!
As well as some of the great coral and rock habitats, Koh Tao is also home to a shipwreck which is great for slightly more advanced divers. The ship begins at 18m to a depth of around 30m, so it’s the perfect site for anyone taking the advanced course to experience something a little different.
Best Snorkeling spots-Koh Tao
Koh Tao snorkeling spots cater for all levels of skill and, if you’re not keen on heading out for a full dive, try your hand at snorkelling directly off one of the beaches. Usually, you can walk out a good distance before the water begins to get deep, and even these shallow areas are teaming with marine life.
Best Thai Islands for Snorkeling -Koh Lanta
By Chris of More Life in Your Days
Koh Lanta is a wonderfully relaxed gem of an island Thai island in the Andaman Sea. Here you can enjoy miles of sandy beaches, warm, calm seas and beautiful sunsets.
Koh Lanta is an excellent base for divers and snorkelers of all abilities but it is particularly suited to less experienced divers and snorkelers.
There are plenty of operators on the island that offer everything from half-day beginner dives to PADI certification and multi-day live-aboard adventures.
One of the best places to head towards is Ko Haa (five islands). The underwater world here features an impressive cathedral-like cavern and some stunning coral. It is suitable for beginners as there is a large lagoon that slopes gently down into deeper waters allowing you to explore further as your confidence grows.
This also makes it a great place to go snorkelling as so much of the underwater action is close to the surface. You will be likely to spot seahorses and octopuses hiding among the coral.
Other options include Ko Rok, where hawksbill turtles and black-tip sharks often swim by, and Ko Bida, where there is a decent chance to spot leopard sharks (this is close to Phi Phi so it can get a bit busy)
Koh Lanta is easily accessible from the airports at Krabi or Phuket and makes for a great stop on any Thailand itinerary. There is a wide range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets, and overall, the island offers fantastic value for money.
It’s also a very affordable place to base yourself.
Check out the best snorkeling tours from Koh Lanta
Snorkeling in Koh Lanta with Children
By Jessica Averett of Bring the Kids
Koh Lanta is an island south of Krabi with its own laid back vibe that makes it feel so much less touristy than the surrounding areas of PhiPhi, Railay and Phuket. It has excellent beaches all over the island that are easily accessible.
From the island, it’s easy to take a day trip out to Koh Rok which has some of the best snorkeling in the Andaman Sea. The water is clear and warm, so it’s a great place for people looking for a WOW factor when snorkeling. You can see several types of coral, anemone, and sea urchins along the sea floor, as well as lots of colorful giant clams.
Most trips from Koh Lanta will take you to two dive/snorkeling spots, feed you lunch and then return through some of the limestone cliffs on the east of Koh Lanta, where you might have a chance of exploring some caves.
Note: Koh Rok and several other areas in the Andaman sea are seasonally closed from May-October. This is also the rainy season so the water isn’t as clear and it allows the ecosystem not to be as stressed by tourism.
Best Snorkeling Phi Phi (Koh)
Fiona of Passport and Piano
Phi Phi island is a great place to go snorkeling as no matter what your ability, there’s something for everyone. One of my favourite Koh Phi Phi snorkeling spots is Maya Bay although it has become a little overpopulated since its appearance in the film The Beach.
The best time to visit the bay is between November and April as the water is calmer and you’ll have no difficulty booking a tour to get there.
The water here is crystal clear, and the white silica sand almost sparkles when the sun beams down on it. The whole bay is a reef system, so there’s plenty of corals to see and explore.
It’s a favorite spot so sadly you’re unlikely to be alone, but if your a beginner to snorkeling it can be comforting to have other people close by in the water.
Bamboo Island
If your looking for somewhere quieter to go snorkeling, then Bamboo Island off the coast of Phi Phi Don is an excellent place to go. Coral surrounds the island, and within a few metres of the beautiful white beach, you’ll be swimming amongst shoals of fish.
The further out you swim, the better the underwater world becomes so this is a great place to visit if you’re looking for somewhere for beginners and more advanced snorkeling.
Monkey Beach
One other bay worth mentioning in Koh Phi Phi is Monkey Beach. Not only are the monkeys a delight to see, but the snorkeling is also fantastic here. You can either hire a kayak to get here or a longtail boat from Tonsai Jetty.
The water is perfect for less confident swimmers as its both shallow and calm, and you’ll feel like your swimming in an aquarium.
While the above islands are considered amongst the best islands in Thailand for snorkeling, the more popular islands of Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui can still make great snorkeling destinations.
All of these places offer snorkelling tours to nearby coral reefs, and you’ll find some beautiful snorkeling sites off some of the beaches.
Heres a quick guide to good snorkeling destinations around the most popular Islands.
Best Snorkeling in Phuket
Three of the best snorkeling beaches in Phuket are Ao Sane, Kata Noi and Laem Ka.
Ao Sane
Ao Sane is just a short distance from Nae Harn Beach resort. There are two separate snorkeling areas, both of which are excellent. It’s only a small beach and its not the best for children as its quite rocky.
Kata Noi beach
At the north end of this beach, there are some colourful coral reefs just below Mom Tri’s Villa. However, the current here can be unpredictable, so it’s only suitable for strong swimmers.
Laem Ka
This Phuket snorkeling beach is where you’ll find locals and only a handful of tourists. It’s a good family beach, and at high tide, it’s possible to enjoy some fantastic snorkeling here.
Snorkeling Phuket Tours
Phuket is one of the most popular islands, so the best snorkeling tours do get booked up in advance. To avoid disappointment, and book yours now.
Best snorkeling in Krabi
In Krabi snorkeling off the beach is not very good.
If you’re staying on the island its best to take snorkeling tours to the nearby island of Koh Phi Phi.
For more information on Krabi Island snorkeling tours
Best Snorkeling Koh Samui Island
On the east side of the island, Coral Cove is the best place to snorkel.
As the name suggests, this small bay has a wide variety of coral and an abundance of marine life to enjoy.
Taling Ngam
If you want to avoid the crowds though Taling Ngam is the best beach for snorkeling in Koh Samui. This long beach is on the west coast of the island about 20 minutes south of Nathon Town.
It’s possible to snorkel all the way down the beach, and many of the reefs are just a short distance from the shore. This side of the island is much less developed than the east, and the coastline is stunningly beautiful.
Don’t waste time when you arrive at your destination trying to find the best snorkeling trips.
to book your snorkeling trips from Koh Samui in advance that way you can relax and enjoy from the minute you arrive.
If you’ve found this snorkeling guide useful, you may also wish to check out my post on the best places to stay in Thailand.
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Hi, I’m Fiona Berry- I live in Lancashire in the North of England, but my job as an instrumental music examiner takes me all over the world. Travel has enriched my life in so many ways and allowed me to experience different cultures, make new friends and see extraordinary sights. Through this blog, I share my knowledge and expertise so that my readers have all the resources they require to ensure their travels provide unique and unforgettable memories to destinations that are beyond the ordinary.
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