The epitome of a paradise island, Koh Tao (aka turtle island) is a small island nestled in the Gulf of Thailand with pristine beaches and lush greenery.

The perfect escape from Singapore’s relentless rat race. Do everything and more, as this island has everything you could possibly imagine for a retreat from the city: massage, snorkeling, hiking, yoga and meditation retreats, and parties like no other. You can end each day with the most beautiful sunsets.

Unique creature sightings

Most importantly, Koh Tao is a diver’s paradise. You can’t really say you are a diver if you’ve never dived in Koh Tao, can you? It is perfect for a new diver or even one with 100+ logged dives. With easy waters, enormous underwater pinnacles with humungous schools of fishes, and the occasional visits from gentle giants like black tip reef sharks, Bryde’s whales, and dolphins. What more can a diver wish for?

A school of yellow-striped trevally at Chumphon Pinnacle

As expected from an island named “Turtle Island”, there are turtles, turtles, and more turtles. What’s more, New Heaven Dive School (which will be Sotravel’s Koh Tao vendor) occasionally runs turtle rehabilitation program. So you might not only have the chance to see turtles up close underwater, but also baby turtles in rehabilitation.

And one simply cannot forget the holy grail of Koh Tao… WHALE SHARKS! Every Koh Tao-ian diver’s dream is to encounter one of these gentle giants on their dives. While places like Cebu ensure a guaranteed sighting of whale sharks, there’s something so much more special when coming across one of these here unexpectedly. It is as though you have been chosen by the ocean.

And there are so many more amazing fishes… like an adorable yellow boxfish or even a huge, majestic Rhizostoma sea jelly.

Or an enormous school of Chevron Barracudas.

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How to get there from Singapore

So how do you get to this paradise island you might ask. It is simply a 2-hour direct flight to Koh Samui International Airport and a short ferry ride afterward. Koh Tao is perfectly situated for Singaporeans to pop over for a spontaneous paradise escape.

Of course, being a backpacker’s paradise, for those embracing the full kiasu backpacking and adventurous vibes, there are many options to get there. Such options include taking a flight to Bangkok and then riding on a sleeper bus across Thailand, or flying to Surat Thani and sailing on a sleeper, or even taking the train and riding the rails across Thailand, ending the epic journey in paradise.

Best time to visit

Surprisingly, the island’s season is open all year long! One of the reasons why Koh Tao is such a famous dive destination stems from its year-round diving opportunities. There is a monsoon season from late October to early December, however, diving remains not just possible but beautiful during this time.

The high season in Koh Tao typically starts from late December to May and again from July to August. The most impeccable diving times are usually between April and July.

Unique characteristics of dives

Diving in Koh Tao offers dives in shallow coral gardens to deeper, majestic pinnacles and haunting WWII shipwrecks.

Sail Rock

Koh Tao boasts accessibility to the BEST dive site in the Gulf of Thailand, known as Sail Rock. This dive site is coveted by divers all over and is well known for its chimney swim-through, as well as the constant presence of fish soup. With occasional sightings of whale sharks, great barracudas, enormous schools of jacks, trevallies, queenfish, and much more!

WWII Shipwrecks

Come up close with haunting sunken WWII shipwrecks in the waters of Koh Tao and meet huge Jenkin’s Rays and Giant Groupers. Koh Tao’s original sunken wreck is the HTMS Sattakut and is well known for being a highlight of advanced courses here (as part of the wreck dive).

However, Koh Tao recently sunk two new WWII shipwrecks in its waters! Come dive in Koh Tao and see all three, and witness the effects of the ocean on sunken wrecks as you see the hauntingly spectacular difference between a new and older wreck!

Chumphon Pinnacle

One of the sites with a high possibility of seeing whale sharks, Chumphon never disappoints (with or without a whale shark). With tall peaks underwater covered in anemones that stretch up to 30m, including one named Barracuda Rock with huge schools of small, medium, and large barracudas. This site is a sight to behold. A must visit when in diving in Koh Tao, the majesty of the large peaks underwater and great schools of fish will likely leave you in awe (as it has me even though I’ve dived there a million times).

Every trip to this pinnacle is always a special one.

Southwest Pinnacle

Yet another site with a high possibility of encountering a wild whale shark. This site is dear to me, as on my birthday, the sea gave me the greatest present of all and presented a whale shark right under me as I jumped off the boat to dive. It was no deeper than a meter and swam by ever so gracefully, playfully chasing my fins.

But not only that! The sight of the epic schools of fish there is simply breathtaking. With more than four different species of large school fishes around, you will truly be swimming in a real fish soup. The best part is watching these large schools evade the swift trevallies and barracudas underwater as they manoeuvre majestically in the utmost synchronised manner.

Artificial reefs

Like a true conservation island, Koh Tao offers a variety of artificial reefs in its waters. From coral nurseries to beautiful sculptures and reef blocks, even the shallow bays around the island feature these stunning artificial reefs. They even have electrified mineral accretion artificial reefs that promote the growth of a new reef.

The conservation program attached to our vendor, New Heaven, is also responsible for installing many of these reefs to conserve the waters around Koh Tao.

Diving deep with Sotravel X New Heaven

IG: @newheavendivingschool

Sotravel’s official dive vendor in Koh Tao is none other than New Heaven Dive School! A school that not only spurs on one’s love for diving but as well as for the ocean. With a partnership with Conservation Diver, they have a marine conservation program led by two wonderful in-house marine biologists.

Their dive shop is located at Baan Chalok beach, with the prettiest sea view and easy accessibility to their dive boats. Their accommodations are also located just across the street too! Head down to the beach in just a few steps each and everyday, for a beach day or just a beautiful sunset.

With a homely and warm vibe, New Heaven Dive School is unlike other schools on the island, with only one boat dedicated to recreational diving and the other to conservation diving. It takes on a free-and-easy vibe that’s perfect for those on holiday. With its boat departing at 10:30 am, instead of godforsaken early departures like 6:30 am. And their school’s dive boat schedules manage to miss the crazy diving traffic at dive sites with the different timings that they set sail at!

A keen focus on safety, New Heaven limits the Instructor to Student ratio to 1:4 for both courses and fun dives. So fear not, and have stress-free dives with us.

Affiliated diving agency: SSI

New Heaven is affiliated to SSI (Scuba School International) and the licenses given will be SSI diving licenses. SSI is a dive agency equivalent to that of PADI, NAUI, and CEMAS. Diving licenses granted here will allow you to dive all over the world, as PADI and SSI are recreational scuba diving licenses are recognised internationally.

Courses

Our Sotravel Koh Tao trip is perfect for divers of all levels. Be it if you are getting your first diving license or your advanced, or even fun dives! This trip offers both courses and fun dives. Dive with us on this paradise island and forge new bonds with fellow Sotravelers in the majestic blue waters of Koh Tao.

Get your diving license!

Should you be a newbie to diving, come on this trip and embark on your Open Water Course (OW), which gives you your first license in diving!

Why should you do it on Koh Tao? Because Koh Tao is known as the cheapest and yet reliable place to get your license.

The OW course allows you to go up to 18m and will take 3 days. In the first day, you will have a confined lesson in shallow waters/the pool. For the next 2 days, you will go out into the open water and have progressively deeper dives as you practice and perfect your skills.

Accommodations

Our accommodations are located opposite the dive school! Making the commute to it just a nice easy, breezy walk. With a plethora of rooms available to be booked, you will undoubtedly find one that suits you just fine!

Not to mention the incredible location of it, being right beside the beach and surrounded by restaurants and bars to keep your nights entertaining.

What to pack

Pack for your dive trip, just like any other beach travel destinations that you would go to!

Beach Towel
Dry bag
Reef-safe sunscreen
Swimwear (trunks/bikini)
Rashguard
Water bottles
Medication (if necessary)

If you already have some of your own dive equipment, feel free to bring them as well!

There is also a pool with a seaside view and restaurant (Koppee).

Local eateries, cafes & restaurants

Koppee

Next to our dive school and opposite our accommodations is Koppee! As mentioned above, a restaurant with a pool and seaside view. They have the most delicious Western and Thai cuisine. Their prices may however be on the pricier side but then again, why not indulge when you are on holiday!

Mellow Submarine

A quaint little cafe-gallery up the road from New Heaven. This cafe serves Western and Asian cuisine, with some fusion dishes. With wonderful coffee, most New Heaven customers find themselves winding up there for a quick breakfast before starting their day diving. It is also a gallery, filled with amazing shots of Koh Tao’s landscape and underwater beauty by a local photographer.

Asia Mood (Japanese and Korean)

A delicious Japanese and Korean restaurant, they have the most authentic food of these cuisines on the island. This restaurant tends to get crowded at dinner time, so it’s recommended one heads there a little earlier!

Big Bubble Restaurant

A restaurant with a beach view right beside Koppee, this restaurant primarily sells delicious Thai cuisine for an affordable price. There is also a small little bar tucked away at the back of the restaurant known as Bubble Bar, right on the beach.

Ananas Cafe

A fusion of Western and Thai cuisines, they have delicious food and are located a little up the road from the dive school. They have pizzas as well as arguably the best Khao Soi on the island.

Chill Bar

A bar just two shops down from New Heaven, they have delicious cocktails and good music. A perfect beach bar to celebrate a nice day of diving.