Koh Samui beaches are not renowned for offering outstanding snorkelling opportunities, but a few spots around the island offer decent underwater landscapes filled with tropical marine life. Most of these interesting skin diving sites are located in small or hidden coves, so getting to them to enjoy a swim in an aquarium-like environment is something of an exciting soft-adventurous journey off the beaten track.
If you really are a hardcore snorkeler, the best snorkelling beaches in Samui maybe won’t meet your expectations. In this case, you should join a day trip to nearby Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan, located 60km north of Samui. These islands are world famous for their stunning underwater scenery and offer some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving sites in the Gulf of Thailand.
Interested in this tour? Book it here.
Coral Cove
Coral Cove is a tiny bay located just south of Chaweng Noi on the east coast of Koh Samui and is the most highly-recommended place to enjoy snorkelling on the island. Featuring big boulders outside and inside the water, as well as a wide variety of corals – hence its name – housing schools of fish and abundant marine life a few metres off the beach, Coral Cove will surely please all underwater exploration aficionados. Two hotels – Coral Cove Resort and Coral Cove Chalet – occupy and keep the beach clean.
Choeng Mon is a splendid series of small bays situated on the northeastern coast of Samui, a short distance from the international airport. Despite its rapid development with the construction of hotels and satellite businesses, it is an excellent destination to spend a relaxing holiday in Samui. Featuring two islets – Koh Fan Yai and Noi - lying a few hundred metres off its shore, Choeng Mon is famous for providing visitors with excellent water activities, including sea kayaking, scuba diving, and snorkelling. The best snorkelling spots at Choeng Mon are toward both ends of the main beach, and between the two islets. Read More...
Silver Beach – aka Haad Thong Ta Kian – is a small bay located between Lamai and Chaweng beaches, on the east coast of Koh Samui. Housing four mid-range resorts, Silver Beach has all the assets of a small and hidden tropical paradise. You have to pass through one of the resorts to reach the public beach, which is framed between two rocky capes. Silver Beach offers pleasant snorkelling playgrounds along granite boulders at both of its ends. You’ll find small patches of coral reef with marine life here. Read More...
Taling Ngam is a long beach facing west, located 20 minutes south of Nathon Town (the main port of arrival in Samui). Scarcely developed for tourism, this area is rather remote and only hosts a handful of hotels ranging from budget to luxurious. Snorkelling is possible all along this part of the coast, which hosts rocks and reefs a short distance from the beach. Getting there is some kind of an adventure as the many roads found there create something of a maze. Roaming around this part of Samui is extremely pleasant, the landscape and the coast are very beautiful here, and the lack of development allows you to discover a more genuine side of the island. Read More...
Ao Phang Ka
Ao Phang Ka is a square-shaped bay located at the southern tip of Taling Ngam Beach. There’s not much apart from a few hotels in this area, which offers the perfect tropical getaway from the highly developed areas of Samui. Snorkelling is good in Phang Ka Bay itself, and off the beach located to the south of the bay. The best snorkelling spot is situated toward the southern tip of the bay, after a short drive on a trail through the jungle.
