Koh Chang Diving & Snorkelling
There are some excellent diving and snorkelling opportunities around Koh Chang and the region is rapidly developing into a major centre of diving in Thailand.
quality
The diving in the area is primarily at reasonably shallow depths with good reefs located at 5 to 25 metres. Visibility can reach 30m but is variable. You can dive year round but the best time is between October and the end of May since rougher seas during the rainy season can reduce visibility or make it difficult to reach the dive sites. However there are calmer periods in the rainy season when diving conditions are OK.
sites
There are impressive reefs in the area with a variety of soft and hard corals including Massive, Columnar and Stagshorn Corals. These support a range of tropical reef life including Blue Tipped Rays, Moray Eels, Trigger Fish, Grouper and Batfish. Turtles can be spotted and Whale Sharks are also seen in the area from time to time.
There are a series of dive sites offering good diving at 5-18m around the seamounts and small islands to the West of Koh Chang. These include Koh Man Nok and Hin Sam Sao.
The deeper dive sites are located off some of the islands and seamounts to the South of the Archipelago. Hin Luk Bat has a lot of good coral and some good swim-throughs. Hin Raap is a deeper rocky site with good soft corals. Other good sites lie off Koh Rang.
Koh Chang has quite a few dive operations. Search our activities database for some more information on the different dive shops. You can book your diving by visiting the offices of the dive shops or from resorts and travel agencies on the island.
prices
The price for a two-day Discover Scuba course is about 3,500B whilst full diving certification costs around 11,000B. Pleasure dives cost 2,200-2,400B, depending on site, for two dives with lunch. Many other diving courses are also available.
snorkelling
Whilst the beaches of Koh Chang themselves offer little opportunity for snorkelling other islands in the chain can be reached by boat trips and there is some excellent shallow reef for snorkelling at these sites. Additionally there are a few good snorkelling sites on Koh Chang. The rocky shorelines at Hat Kai Mook and Bang Bao Cliff Cottages offer some good snorkelling. Additionally most of the dive shops will take snorkellers on their boats. Contact them for prices and details.
