The Phi Phi Islands are one of the most popular tourist attraction in Thailand, located in the South of the country, in the Andaman Sea. The Islands are known for its paradise beaches, islands, limestone cliff landscape, marine life, and hotel resorts. Made up of two islands, the main island of Phi Phi Don, and the uninhabited Phi Phi Leh home to Maya Beach and Pileh Lagoon.
In this guide we will run through the best 8 snorkel spots at the Phi Phi Islands, to help you plan your next trip!
Snorkel Snaps
Where is the Phi Phi Islands?
1.
Bamboo Island
Bamboo Island is a remote paradise island located a 40min boat journey from Koh Phi Phi Don (Main island). You can pay to go onto the beach on the front of the island, but you can also snorkel around the front of the island, and it provides an awesome snorkel. The corals are pristine and stretch to the beach.
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2.
Pileh Bay
Pileh Bay is the most beautiful lagoon bay in the Phi Phi Islands, it is truly stunning. The bay has towering cliff faces surrounding it, making you feel like you’re on a different planet! On the right-hand side of the entrance to the cove, there is a fantastic snorkel spot, which covers the sandy sea floor with coral and fish. The water visibility is incredible, and the depth is 1.5 meter. It can get very busy here, but worth a stop.
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3.
Shark Point
Shark Point is a popular snorkel spot on the South Easterly point of Koh Phi Phi Don. It is approximately a 45-minute walk from the main pier of the island. Shark Point is located 50 meters out from Long Beach. Here you will see some larger, beefy Blacktip Reef Sharks that circle the shallow waters. To improve your chances, go earlier and beat the crowds, as the sharks can get frightened off. You can hire a boat for around $15 for 90 minutes to take you out, or there are tours.
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4.
Loh Lana Bay
Loh Lana Bay is in the North of Koh Phi Phi Don, on the way to Bamboo Island. It is generally quite quiet, but as it is far off the coast, wave conditions can affect whether it is viable. The sea floor is packed with diverse coral and fish. At this spot, I was lucky enough to see a Leopard shark as it swam off the coral. A great spot to stop off at on the way to Bamboo Island.
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5.
Nui Bay
Nui Bay (Nui Beach) was a surprise, following rainy weather, the waves were too large to go to Bamboo Island, so my friend and I went to Nui Bay which is a 10 min boat journey north of Koh Phi Phi Don. The cove is jam-packed with coral, new coral from what the locals told me, which was very colourful, with relatively good visibility. Mainly Stoney Acroporidae, Table, Boulder coral. Nothing big to see, but a pleasant snorkel.
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6.
Viking Cave
Viking Cave is on the North-West of Phi Phi Leh island just south of the main island of Phi Phi Don on route to Pileh Lagoon. There is a small cove just next to the cave, although where we snorkeled was along the outside of the cove to the right of the photo above. This is dependent upon the wave conditions, but it made for a great snorkel for 30mins or so. There was a reef along the rock face, made up of mainly Boulder coral and many other types including Fan, Brain, etc. There were very few snorkelers, and we had a good snorkel, seeing Angelfish, Starfish, and clams. You can see large schools of fish on the drop-off.
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7.
Loh Sama Bay
Loh Sama Bay is in the South East of Koh Phi Phi Leh, just before Maya Bay. There wasn’t the best coral, but there were small patches on the sandy/rocky sea bed. Many juvenile Blacktip Reef Sharks swimming along the sandy channels. There was a paradise beach you can swim up to which has a breath-taking backdrop.
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8.
Maya Bay
Maya Bay is probably the most famous tourist attraction at the Phi Phi islands, known for being featured in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie ‘The Beach’. It is possible to visit and walk along the beach for a small fee. The bay is a sanctuary for baby Blacktip Reef sharks and was closed, but recently reopened in 2022. The snorkeling wasn’t the best, with a deep sea bed (6-7 meters) and spots of coral. We did see a small baby shark cruising, but it wasn’t as good as I’d hoped.
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Phi Phi Snorkel Reviews
Popular Marine Life
Parrotfish
Moorish Idol
Anemonefish
Butterflyfish
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Golden Gregory
Sea Urchin
Blue Sea Star
Giant Clam
Rare Marine Life
Giant Moray Eel
Leopard Shark
Blackspotted Pufferfish
Black tip Reef Shark
Banded Sea Snake
Schooling Bannerfish
Coral Reef
Table Coral
Massive Boulder Coral
Brain Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Staghorn Branch Coral
Lettuce Coral
Thailand Snorkel Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
The local currency is Thailand Baht THB. 100 THB equals approximately 2.81 USD.
The Phi Phi Islands are located in the South West of Thailand in the continent of Asia. The islands are an hour’s ferry ride from the closed city of Phuket and approximately 1.5 hours from Krabi.
If you are visiting, Thailand’s dry season will give you the best weather for snorkeling which runs October-May.
The easiest way to get around the Phi Phi Islands is by walking, there are many walkways. Hiring a Longtail boat from the Beach is a quicker way to get to other parts of the island or to the surrounding islands.
In my opinion, the best snorkel spot is Bamboo Island, especially when combined with a trip to the beach. I also really like Pileh Lagoon, as it combines snorkeling at the entrance, as well as time to experience and swim in the turquoise waters in the Lagoon. Finally, Shark Point was an incredible experience to swim with large Blacktip Reef Sharks.
There are a number of Turtle species in the Andaman sea, including the Green and Hawksbill turtle. From my experience I think it is unlikely to see Sea Turtles at the Phi Phi Islands, but not to say you can’t.
