Koh Samui Diving & Snorkel Walk
Dive the waters around Koh Samui — while the island's own reef has been degraded by coastal development and boat traffic, the surrounding marine environment includes accessible diving at the Ang Thong Marine Park, the underwater pinnacles south of the island, and the dive sites around the adjacent islands of Koh Tao and Koh Phangan.
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Koh Samui Dive Centres
The dive centres along Chaweng and Lamai beaches offer the full PADI course range and day trips to the dive sites accessible from Koh Samui — the centres provide access to the offshore pinnacles (Chumphon Pinnacle, Southwest Pinnacle) that are the premier dive sites in the southern Gulf of Thailand, to the Ang Thong Marine Park's protected waters, and to the world-famous dive sites of Koh Tao accessible by the speedboat services that connect the islands. The Koh Samui dive industry occupies an intermediate position between the premium live-aboard operations of Koh Tao (the dive training hub) and the recreational day-dive market of the resort guest who wants one or two memorable dives.
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Ang Thong Marine Park Snorkel
The snorkeling in Ang Thong National Marine Park, the protected archipelago northwest of Koh Samui accessible by day-trip boat, provides the clearest water and most pristine coral accessible from a Samui base — the marine park's restricted fishing zone and the restricted boat access that the national park status imposes have allowed the coral reef around the limestone islands to maintain substantially higher coverage and fish biomass than the more accessible reef around Koh Samui itself. The snorkel tour visits at least two or three snorkel sites within the marine park, typically including the reef around Ko Paluay and the area near Ko Mae Ko's saltwater lake.
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Koh Tao Day Dive Trip
Koh Tao, accessible from Koh Samui by a 2-hour speedboat or 4-hour ferry, is the world's largest training island for PADI Open Water certification and one of the premier recreational diving destinations in Southeast Asia — the island's dive sites include the famous Chumphon Pinnacle (whale shark encounters), the Southwest Pinnacle (large pelagics and sea fans), and the accessible bay dive sites that are used for training dives. The day trip from Koh Samui to Koh Tao allows visitors to experience Koh Tao's dive environment without transferring their accommodation, combining the resort amenities of Samui with the diving of Thailand's premier dive island.
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Mae Ko Lake Kayak
The sea kayaking excursion to the saltwater lake hidden inside the volcanic crater of Ko Mae Ko in Ang Thong Marine Park is the most dramatic single-activity experience accessible from Koh Samui by day trip — the kayak journey through the sea cave that connects the open sea to the enclosed emerald green lake, surrounded by the 360-degree walls of the volcanic crater, provides a revelation of a completely hidden landscape that is among the most dramatic geographical discoveries accessible in a day trip from any Thai resort island. The lake's still green water, the reflected crater walls, and the birdsong from the surrounding forest create a complete sensory transformation from the open sea environment of the outer park.
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Shark Cove Koh Samui
The rocky headlands of Koh Samui's coast, particularly around the northern and southern capes of the island, have underwater rock formations that support small reef fish communities in the relatively clear water away from the beach resort areas — the snorkeling at the rocky headlands is less dramatic than the dedicated marine park sites but provides accessible marine environment encounters without the boat trip. The blacktip reef sharks that occasionally patrol the deeper water around Koh Samui's headlands provide the most exciting wildlife encounter accessible from the island's shore.
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Koh Phangan Day Trip
Koh Phangan, 12km north of Koh Samui and accessible by a 30-minute speedboat, is famous worldwide for its Full Moon Party beach rave but also offers excellent diving, snorkeling, and quieter beach experiences than the Samui resort scene — the quieter northern and western beaches of Phangan (Haad Salad, Haad Yao, Haad Mae Hat) are less developed than the Koh Samui resort areas, and the diving at Koh Ma Marine Park off the island's northern coast provides accessible coral reef diving in the protected waters of a small marine sanctuary. The Full Moon Party (and the Half Moon, Black Moon, and Jungle Experience parties that have proliferated) at Haad Rin beach provide the most internationally famous beach party experience in Asia.