Diving is the reason most people come to Koh Tao, and the island is purpose-built for it. Dozens of dive schools cluster along Sairee and Mae Haad, offering everything from a half-day 'try dive' to the four-day Open Water course and on to Divemaster training, generally at some of the lowest prices anywhere. The dive sites are close and varied: Chumphon Pinnacle, a granite seamount famous for schooling fish and occasional whale sharks; Sail Rock, out toward Koh Phangan, with its dramatic vertical chimney swim-through; Southwest Pinnacle; and the HTMS Sattakut, a former navy vessel sunk as an artificial reef and now a popular wreck dive. Warm water, gentle conditions and shallow reefs make it ideal for beginners, while the pinnacles keep experienced divers happy. Book with a school that keeps small groups and check its safety record rather than chasing the rock-bottom price. Non-divers can join many boats to snorkel the same sites.
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