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Koh Samui (Samui Island) , Thailand Scuba Diving Guide
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Koh Samui is an off shore island located 84 kilometers off Thailand's
east coast. This is the place where you will find Southeast Asia's most coveted
coconuts. Each month, Koh Samui produces millions of coconuts that are shipped
throughout the region to people whom adore their flavor.
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Very often, you will hear people compare Koh Samui to Phuket. And both islands
indeed share many common attributes. Both have beautiful beaches and warm
sunshine. They even share a common characteristic of being a base for divers to
explore diving paradises in their respective regions. While Phuket sits in the
Andaman Sea, Koh Samui lies beautifully in the Gulf of Thailand. To know more
about scuba diving in Phuket, please visit our
Phuket's scuba diving guide.
Using Koh Samui as a base, divers can choose to visit Koh Tao (which many claim
to have the best dive site in Gulf of Thailand). For non divers, this maybe the
best place in the world for you to take that first step to this wonderful
sport. Diving lessons are offered at competitive prices and many packages will
include diving in the water of magical Koh Tao. To know more about scuba diving
in Koh Tao, please visit our Koh Tao's
scuba diving guide.
The water around Koh Samui is always warm (about 25 degree celsius). The water
visibility though, is not fanastic. This however is not a big damper as some
dive sites in Koh Samui do offer a slim chance of seeing whale sharks or even
bull sharks (an uncommon shark in Thai waters).
Although Koh Samui may not be a top class diving destination, the combination
of laid back-charm, beautiful scenaries and a day trip to Koh Tao will make
your dive trip all worthwhile.
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Dive Sites around Koh Samui
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Sail Rock (Hin Bai)
This is the favourite dive site of Koh Samui. The rock juts out of water like
the islands around Koh Phi Phi. Water depth around Sail Rock is about 30 meters
with with a number of pinnacles around it. Most of these pinnacles are covered
with either Tubastraea micrantha, that looks alike green trees, or
Dendrophylliidae coral.
Sail Rock diving is exciting as it offers the opportunity to see sharks. Some
divers claimed to have sighting of bull sharks. But most would prefer a whale
shark diving experience, which is a possibility here.
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Ang Thong Marine National Park
The marine park is actually a small archipelago of over 40 islets. The scenary
of these beautiful islets above water more than make up for the otherwise
average dives here. Water visibility is seldom exceed 20 meters.
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Best Time to Dive in Koh Samui
Koh Samui offers diving opportunity year round. From March to September, all
dive operators will offer trip to Sail Rock and areas around it. During the
rest of the year, the choice destination will be the Ang Thong Marine National
Park.
Where to Stay in Koh Samui
We have carefully combed Samui to look for the best hotels deals for you.
We have more than 10 hotels offering you rooms with great discount.
For Last Minute Reservation (Lowest Rate Guarantee)
For Hotel Reservation (Best Rate Guarantee for Hot Rate Offers)
See a complete listing of Samui Hotels and Accommodations
How to Get to Koh Samui
Samui Airport is located near Chaweng Beach. This is by far, the easiest way to
reach Samui. And travellers would do well to remember that there is a
surchange of 500 bahts to depart Samui from this airport.
Flights to this airport usually departs from Bangkok's Don Muang or Singapore's
Changi Airport.
From the airport, travellers can take taxis to their hotels. These are air conditioned,
yellow color car taxis that used meters to charge commuters.
Please be reminded to ask the taxi driver to turn on the meter or settle the price first
before taking the ride.
Major airlines offering daily flights to Samui include
Other Interesting Dive Sites
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