Advice on Scuba Diving in Ko Samui, Thailand

The picturesque island of Ko Samui, one of the most popular of Thailand’s touristic outlying islands, has a well-deserved reputation as a scuba diving paradise. Located in the Gulf of Thailand, and somewhat sheltered from the harshest of weather by the curving mainland, this palm covered playground attracts over one and a half million visitors a year to enjoy its colorful festivals, whether it’s bull fighting or competing or a triathlon, and to discover the unique marine life for which it is so famous.

Recreational diving on Ko Samui became popular around the 1980s, when travel to these outlying islands became easier to manage, and this tiny atoll, a mere 25km long at its widest point, became home to a growing number of local and internationally run dive shops. The island is divided into seven sub-districts, and the northern and eastern coastlines are where most shops are concentrated, close to the best of its beaches. Lamai Beach in the south is generally considered the main tourist destination, and as well as its long stretch of golden sand, it’s also relatively easy to get to by ferry from the mainland.

在KO Sa1zplaymui上的海滩潜水很丰富，非常适合初学者。温暖，浅水和轻轻倾斜的海床是首次潜水的理想条件，而且都不缺少海洋生物。1zplay参观泰国这一地区的经验丰1zplay1zplay富的水肺潜水员也有很多具有挑战性的选择，著名的帆岩及其12m垂直烟囱要探索，或者北部Ko Tao周围水域的迷人珊瑚礁和参观北部水域的鲸鱼鲨鱼。通常是由专门的潜水店经营的快艇进入一些更偏远的潜水地点，但是独奏潜水员1zplay经常利用从苏梅岛（Ko Samui）到昂顿国家公园（Ang Thong National Park）的渡轮。这是一个几个小时的过境点，但是这些偏远的岛屿是最终的静修。

苏梅岛（Ko Samui）与泰国其他地区一样，有一个季风季节，可能会影响潜水条件。最热门的月份始于2月和9月左右，当时最糟糕的降雨开始到达。十月至十二月是季风狂风和雨雨真正抓住的时候，尽管游客仍然以小家伙到达岛上，但这次的海浪膨胀使能见度较差，而且潮流的友好程度较低。

泰国湾有如此多的潜水地点，苏梅岛的位置非常明显1zplay，可以通过Speedboat到达一日游的大多数景点。1zplay在这里潜水范围从柔和的初学者潜水，通常从海滩或乘船到较浅的礁石到露天水域的深处沉船和有趣的岩层。

The most famous of all dive sites in this part of the Gulf is the dramatic face of Sail Rock, rising 15m above sea level and forming a solid barrier beneath the waves. This remarkable structure descends to the sea floor 40m below and attracts a variety of marine life, from barracuda and whale sharks, to tuna and yellow margin moray eels. And beginning at 6m below the surface, a vertical chimney descends into the depths, taking divers on an underwater exploration as unique as this remote outcrop.

附近的Chumphon尖塔Ko道提供类似diving experience, with a range of peaks rising and falling at various heights, but always below the water’s surface. This undulating ridge is home to all manner of marine creatures, including some dramatic corals and wandering seahorses, larger shoal of tuna, mackerel and trevally. This dive site is not often used by beginners, unless conditions are exceptionally good, but it remains a firm favorite with advanced divers, and can easily be reached by speedboat for a two or three dive trip.

For advanced divers only, the submerged Samran Pinnacles can be spotted by their cresting tops that reach two meters above sea level to the north of Ko Samui. The formation is actually three pinnacles lying in deep waters, and they offer superlative wall dives for confident scuba divers. The currents here are strong but they bring with them some of the Gulf’s largest predatory fish, including jacks and the ever-present barracuda.

A final favorite is the little known Green Rock, just north of Ko Tao. This more recently discovered dive site in Thailand offers an outstanding selection of shallow and deep dives, with swim throughs, caves, and archways to explore. It’s colorful and busy, with plenty of exotic reef fish to admire. Divers with a keen eye might manage to spot the resident group of blue-ringed angel fish.

随着对苏梅岛（Ko Samui）的潜水如此受欢迎，过去二十年来，专门的潜水商店的数量迅速增长，提供了前往该岛最佳地点的课程和游览。1zplay大多数潜水商店都在北部和东海岸，1zplay在梅南，博·帕特和马雷特地区，本地跑步的服装和国际品牌商店的集合中发现。

On the north shoreline of Ko Samui, just north of the Ko Samui International Airport, Bo Phut beach is home to some of the longest running dive teams on the island. The aptly named 100 Degrees East dive center is a five star PADI certified outfit with recognition for their outstanding services to training. They’re also the first PADI Eco-Dive center on the island, picking up the prestigious title in 2006, as well as beach dives and day trips to Sail Rock and Ko Tao, they also offer additional snorkeling tours for non-divers or to extend your trip.

Lamai Scuba Divers在该岛的南海岸在旅游最喜欢的目的地Lamai Beach上运营，将客人带到偏远的潜水站点，例如Chumphon Pinnacles和Ko Tao北部的较1zplay1zplay不知名的芒果湾，以及当地的海滩潜水去他们的商店。它们为减少减压时间提供了丰富的空气，用于扩展潜水会议，并为首次使用者提供相关的1zplayPADI培训课程。在岛上这一地区，它们是一个流行的选择，那里的水上运动是真正的旅游重点。

Back up the east coast, just north of Chaweng, Silent Divers is a five star multicultural PADI outfit with a great reputation for interesting dive trips. Running regular speedboat and tour boat trips to exciting sites like Shark Island, they also operate high-speed catamaran sailings to outlying Chumphon Rock. One of their specialty trips is a wreck dive to the HTMS Sattakut, a scuttled Thai Navy vessel lying in 29m of water just of the island of Hin Pee Wee, purposely sunk to provide an artificial reef in these remote waters.

Ko Samui is the second largest of Thailand’s islands, and despite its position off land, it’s relatively easy to get to. Tourists tend to arrive on the island by plane through its dedicated international airport, but when a more elaborate route is required, ferries run regularly from the mainland just east of Surat Thani.