After visiting the Red Sea’s coral-lined coastline, the Great Barrier Reef’s world-renowned marine ecosystems and even Indonesia’s nearby underwater paradise in the Raja Ampat islands, I arrived in Southern Thailand for a 40-day snorkelling adventure, under the promise of crystal waters, bountiful marine life and even the possibility of snorkelling with whale sharks, black tips, turtles, and endangered Dugongs. But did it deliver? 

Overall, yes and no…

 The Reality of Snorkelling in Thailand

Nowadays it’s a little tricky to find the picturesque underwater scenes that every reef in Thailand used to look like 20 years ago. But just because you now have to search for the best snorkelling spots in Thailand doesn’t mean they don’t exist and aren’t worth it, because they absolutely are. 

The first step is escaping the overall poor water quality, plastic pollution, bustling boat tours and bleached coral. This is the sad reality of much of Thailand’s once outstanding marine life. The increase of cyclones combined with the levels of water pollution, and over-tourism has pushed their marine ecosystems to the brink of collapse. To reach the protected areas we now have to dive and snorkel to faraway destinations or befriend (failing that bribe) locals to uncover hidden bays and secret coves.  

The best islands for snorkelling in Thailand?

After our month-long underwater adventure, we created a ‘Thailand snorkelling guide’ that will walk you through where you can find the best reefs in Thailand for snorkelling: 

1.          Surin Islands

These 5 islands are part of the Mu Ko Surin National Park which covers over 135km of underwater paradise where 76% is officially marine protected.

These crystal waters feature 68 types of healthy coral reefs which are home to over 260 tropical fish species including, Clown Fish, Barracuda, Leopard Sharks, Butterfly Fish, Trevallies, Butterfly Fish, Puffers, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Bluespotted Ribbontail Rays, Maskrays and countless others. Yet take a boat trip to deeper waters and the underwater spectacle continues as you’ll find multiple underwater pinnacles which often attract an array of larger marine life including, whale sharks, manta rays, leatherback sea turtles, white tips and hawksbill sea turtles. To get to Thailand’s snorkelling paradise you’ll first have to reach Khuraburi or Khao Lak where most of the snorkelling and diving tours depart from.

2.          The Similan Islands

A protected archipelago of 11 islands just 91km away from nearby Surin islands and 60 miles North-East of Phuket. This archipelago features many of the same species of coral and fish as the Surin Islands but is also renowned for its beautiful treks, white sand beaches and dramatic viewpoints inland. 

The added popularity of the Similan Islands has affected the corals health and biodiversity of this marine ecosystem in recent years however it is still undoubtedly one of the very best snorkelling destinations in Thailand. In a bid to recover the islands coral ecosystems you are no longer permitted to stay overnight on the Similan Islands and three of the Similan Islands, Ho Huyong, Ko Payang and Ko Payan, are now entirely prohibited for visitors as they are commonly used by endangered species of Sea Turtle who hatch their eggs in the calm bays and white sands. These protected bays have enabled an increase in the sea turtle population across the Similan islands making it arguably the best place to see Sea Turtles in Thailand.

3.          Koh Tao

This world-renowned scuba diving location unsurprisingly also hosts some incredible reefs for snorkelling that are just a short swim off the island’s pristine beaches. 

 Freedom Beach was our favourite location, just a few yards off the beach you’ll find an incredible array of tropical fish amongst colourful coral. For a more advanced snorkelling experience start at Freedom Beach and swim along and around the palm tree-lined peninsula until you reach the other side at Sharks Bay. At sunset or sunrise, this route will display blacktip reef sharks, loggerhead turtles and other predatory fish that stay out in the deeper waters. Yet be sure to have a float with you as there is a fair amount of water traffic. 

Other incredible snorkelling spots include Tanote Bay, Mango Bay and Ao Leuk all these bays offer a brilliant chance to see a variety of coral, colourful fish and potentially even baby sharks. 

4.          Koh Kradan

An overall criminally underrated Thai Island, and one that has exceptional off-the-beach snorkelling.

Koh Kradan is yet to be hit by the wave of tourists that constantly washes up across most of the Southern Thai Islands and because of this the reefs and marine ecosystems are surprisingly healthy around the entire island. The reef with the most amount of marine life is located on the south-eastern tip of the island, to the right of Ao Niang Resort. 

5.          Ko Chang

This island has multiple shipwreck snorkelling sites to explore which offer some unique underwater panoramas.

Ko Chang is also a favourite place to swim alongside Whale Sharks in Thailand at the famous underwater pinnacles of Hin Rap and Hin Luk Bat. These uncrowded reefs are yet to be spoiled by over-tourism and offer a chance to spot rarer species such as leopard sharks, leatherhead turtles and Bluespotted Ribbon Tail Rays. 

6.          Taruato National Marine Park

This mini archipelago has 30 smaller islands including the famous Island paradise of Koh Lipe where we stayed on our trip.

This was an incredible base to visit the bountiful reefs of the more remote nearby islands on a snorkelling day trip. The reefs in these islands are far more beautiful and abundant than the main reef of Koh Lipe so we recommend taking a boat trip to properly explore these unexplored snorkelling gems. 

7.          Koh Talu

For those not wanting deeper offshore snorkelling trips the shallow-water reefs of Koh Talu will be a perfect destination.

This is one of the few private islands in Thailand and the islands owner make a conscious effort to maintain healthy levels on coral regrowth by seeding fresh coral. This island is full of large shoals of tropical fish which enjoy using the numerous reefs for protection and food. 

8.          Koh Muk/ Koh Mook

Koh Muk/Mook has the largest population of the extremely endangered Dugong which grazes the seagrass fields that line the island’s coastline.

These seagrass fields make the perfect habitat to snorkel with grazing sea turtles in the crystal waters. The off-the-beach diving isn’t quite as beautiful as the other locations mentioned on this list, but you can spot some stunning fan coral. 

How to Snorkel without damaging the reef? 

1)    Never touch the reef – Scraping your flippers on the reefs and damaging the coral can prevent its growth. 

2)    Only where reef-safe sun cream or a rash vest – the chemicals in most sun creams are a leading factor in why many reefs die in touristic coastlines  

3)    Respect protected areas – Many prohibited dive spots are still regularly visited by divers or snorkellers in Thailand despite clear instructions and regulation. Protected areas provide a vital chance for a reef or endangered species to recover and should always be left alone in Thailand or anywhere else in the world. 

4)    Try to reduce the number of offshore snorkelling trips you take. Thailand is famous for offshore snorkelling excursions but each engine leaks pollutants into the ocean which directly affects water quality, marine ecosystems and the health of the coral reefs

Can Thailand’s coral recover? 

COVID-19 provided a glimpse of how our marine ecosystems can recover in places that suffer from over-tourism. In Koh Tao’s strict 2-year lockdown locals saw dolphins return to the island, new coral growth and greater whale shark sighting, a glimmer of hope for an island that has watched mass coral bleaching and fish stock decline. The Thai governing bodies needs to work together with ocean conservation groups to preserve the last few healthy reefs and regrow miles of now entirely bleached coral. We suggest the following: 

–       Widespread coral seeding programmes, where tourists can give a small donation to seed their very own piece of coral in Thailand. 

–       Boat Traffic restricted from certain coral regrowth zones

So, should you bring a snorkel to Thailand? 

Definitely! Thailand still has some of the best snorkelling in the world, with over 12,000Km2 of ocean floor covered by coral reefs. Whether you are planning on visiting offshore dive spots and underwater pinnacles or just exploring the off-the-beach marine life, you are certain to spot plenty of tropical fish and coral in crystal clear waters. While it may no longer be an overall, world class snorkelling destination, there are still plenty of islands and secluded bays that showcase a panorama of abundant marine life and healthy coral reef that is just as beautiful as anywhere else in the world.