Shore Diving

There are a couple of excellent local dive sites around Koh Pha Ngan, one of the most interesting being Koh Ma island. This island is connected to the mainland at Mae Haad by a sandbar and offers excellent dive sites for all levels and some great easy snorkeling. The marine life around the island is diverse with some pretty reef fish, nudibranches, groupers, schools of fusiliers and maybe even some cuttlefish. Along with many shallow sites around bays such as Haad Salad or Haad Yao there is also the slightly trickier site of Rock Point. This site is great and only a few minutes from shore but isn’t dived as much as others as it has unpredictable conditions, such as the vis and current. When the conditions are right it can be a very interesting dive for all experience levels as it has some stunning topography and a great variety of marine life including the usual reef fish but also batfish, barracuda and some lovely soft corals and sea fans brought in by the currents.

Day Trips

The best dive site of the area is Sail Rock which is a rocky pinnacle just north of Koh Pha Ngan. This site is a must dive for anyone in the area, not only does it have colourful coral gardens and steep walls dropping off to 30m plus, but it also includes a swimthrough called the chimney and regularly has big schools of trevally, fusiliers, batfish and barracuda! To top it off it is also one of the best places in the area where you are most likely to spot the elusive whale shark!

Most of the other sites visited are closer to Koh Tao and are accessed on day boats. Diving around Koh Tao caters for all levels of experience from beginners to more advanced as there is a range of dive sites from easy shallow shore dives such as Mango Bay to deeper sites like Chumphon Pinnacle. Mango Bay is a typical beginner dive which has a sandy gently sloping bottom and plenty of marine life including a huge shoal of fusiliers which can reliably be found every dive. Chumphon is a much deeper pinnacle offshore which can have strong currents but also the chance of Whale Sharks in season. This site isn’t for beginners but is an excellent advanced deeper dive if the currents aren’t too strong.

How to get there

Koh Pha Ngan can be easily reached by regular ferries from the mainland which arrive at Thong Sala and also ferries or speedboats from both Koh Samui and Koh Tao. You can get around the island to most of the main bays by jeep or also by water taxi. The nearest airport is on Koh Samui which receives  regular flights from Bangkok and Phuket. Thailand has a months visa upon arrival for most countries but it is best to double check in advance.

Where to eat and drink

Each beautiful sandy beach on the island comes with a selection of beachside restaurants all serving a variety of food, from western to traditional thai food. There are excellent food markets in places such as Thong Sala or you could visit Haad Yao or Haad Salad which have some beautiful beachside restaurants all facing west so you can watch the beautiful sunset whilst dining.

Other Activities

Koh Pha Ngan is famous around the World for its monthly Full Moon party and sometimes up to 30,000 people flock to the island during this time to take part in these infamous beach parties. These take place on the beach at Haad Rin and is the ultimate party experience involving many performers, a selection of dj’s, and a lot of alcohol, most of which is in buckets! Koh Pha Ngan does also host Black moon and half moon parties through the rest of the month but this Full Moon is still the biggest and the most popular.

If you arent a party person there are still many beautiful, tranquil places on the island away from Haad Rin partying where you can stay where you can relax on peaceful sandy beaches and enjoy a relaxing day in a spa or have a thai massage or take part in a Yoga class.

Diving in Koh Pha Ngan is not the only water based activity, theres also kayaking around to secluded bays, fishing trips and of course snorkelling. Other activities include hiking through the jungle to visit picturesque waterfalls, elephant treks, archery or taking a Muay Thai boxing class!

Tips

The Full Moon parties can be great fun but there you do need to behave safely and protect your valuables, its best to leave any valuable items at your accomodation in a safety deposit box. Wear shoes or sandals to avoid injuries from broken bottles or burning cigarettes. A lot of the party goers will only visit for the one night so the boats and ferries are packed the next day with people trying to leave the island after the party. So you may have to wait a while to catch a boat out.

Thai vendors can sometimes make some people feel uncomfortable. They can approach you with goods to buy or  to persuade you to enter their shops or restaurant. A calm and clear, “No, thank you,” will usually do the trick.

Motorbike accidents are very common, so ensure you wear a helmet and do not drink drive! Most roads on the island are only dirt roads and are not recommended unless you are an experienced rider. If you do hire a motorbike bear in mind that although the vehicle hire shops are cheap it can be very expensive paying for scratches on the newer bikes, so try to hire an older bike. 

Healthcare

There are clinics on the island but the nearest hospital is Koh Samui or on the mainland at Chumphon. Koh Samui also has the closest recompression chamber to Koh Pha Ngan.