Hin Wong Bay is a popular snorkel spot when visiting Koh Tao, where there are some healthy corals and marine life along the rocky shoreline.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral present
2-5 Meters Average Depth
OK to Good visibility
medium difficulty
No Public Toilets
No showers
No Cafe’s
Snorkel trip or private tour required
Sea Urchins Present
Sea Mosquitos Present
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
Cost:
Hin Wong Bay is tucked away on Koh Tao’s quieter eastern coast, and is a serene snorkeling haven known for its clear waters, granite boulders, and vibrant coral reef. The bay offers easy access to shallow coral reefs attached to the towering granite boulder rocky shoreline and rocky seabed. The waters are teeming with tropical fish like Damselfish, Parrotfish, Fusiliers, and the occasional Blacktip Reef Shark. This snorkel spot is quite large, and did require a 40-meter swim from the boat anchored in deeper waters. This snorkel spot was the third stop on our island snorkel trip after Shark Bay and Aow Leuk Bay.
Snorkel Spot
The bay is very large, the boat docked and anchors 40-50 meters from the rocky shoreline. There is a beach at Hin Wong Bay, but we arrived by boat. We swam out to the rocky shoreline and swimming through the blue ocean seeing schools of Fusilier and Damselfish! I then could start to see patches of coral on the seabed. We then arrived to the rocky shoreline where coral was attached and growing on the shallower sea bed.
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Hin Wong Bay Map
The large bay is located at the north of the island of Koh Tao, a short 30-minute longtail boat journey from the main pier at Sairee Beach, on the West of the island.
The coral reef was diverse with one of the healthiest Table Coral’s I’ve seen grwoing on the rock face, Brain coral, Flower, and Boulder coral. the coral at the sea bed had mainly died, however the corals attached to the rocks were prospering.
Coral Reef
There were many colourful Christmas Tree worms burrowed into the Boulder coral. These vibrant creatures burrow into the coral and display a tree-shaped feathers. These bright feathers stretch out and catch passing plankton from the water column. If you get too close to the worms they retract their feathers and close up back into the coral. These colourful Christmas Tree Worms were often seen in large numbers on the snorkel.
We spotted many fish and marine species in Hin Wong Bay, including Damselfish, Rabbitfish, Parrotfish, and Butterflyfish were a common sight. I did see some larger fish including a Titan Triggerfish in deeper water and there were many larger schools of fish further from the reef. There were Virgate Rabbitfish, and Anemonefish with multiple Anemone Structures.
Safety Tip:
There are Sea Urchins along the sea floor and in the rocky shoreline, so do not stand up and wear something to protect your feet such as water shoes or flippers. Be careful not to get too close to the coral and rocks which can be sharp.
Top Tip:
Most of the healthy stunning corals were closer to the rocky shoreline on the rock face. Be careful with the wave and current.
Summary
Overall this snorkel spot was good for a 30-minute snorkel. I think the visibility can vary with the wave, but overall was good during our snorkel. The corals growing on the rock face were healthy and there was marine life, and the large school of fish were cool in the deeper water. However the bay was quite awkward to navigate with the swim from the boat, and then along the rocky shoreline. There also wasn’t anything too large, apart from a Titan Triggerfish.
Tour Guide Options
There are multiple snorkel trips that stop off at Mango Bay as it is one of the most popular. The snorkel tours can range from $16-$30 USD each (฿550 Thai Baht -฿1000 Thai Baht). We hired a longtail boat from Sairee Beach, which we negotiates and cost $45 USD for 3 hours.
Best Snorkel Spot
The best snorkel spot was 50 meters from where the boats anchor.
Best Time Of Year
If you are visiting Thailand, the dry season will give you the best weather for snorkeling is October-May.
Frequently Asked Questions
The snorkel spot is a popular stop on most snorkel trips and I saw advertised on the tour guide boards. We stopped off during our snorkel trip where the boat anchored 50-meters from the snorkel spot. There is a beach which is accessible by moped, however it is a steep terrain and I’m unsure if it is safe.
We went on a 3-hour snorkel trip around the island which included 5x stops and we paid $40 USD each.
We went on the Premium Morning Trip with Oxygen Tours which included 5x snorkel spots around the island.
Popular Marine Life
Anemonefish
Parrotfish
Christmas Tree Worm
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Giant Clam
Black Sea Urchin
Titan Triggerfish
Rare Marine Life
Giant Moray Eel
BlackEdge Thicklip Wrasse
Giant Barracuda
Featherduster Worm
Coral Reef
Boulder Coral
Branch Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Lettuce Coral
Brain Coral
Boulder Star Coral
Table Coral
Massive Boulder Coral
What We Saw
(Seen on April, 2025)
| Seargent Major Damselfish | Nosestripe Anemonefish |
| Virgate Rabbitfish | Scissor-Tail Fusilier |
| Scissor-Tail Damselfish | Titan Triggerfish |
| Christmas Tree Worm | Crescent Wrasse |
| Eight-Banded Butterflyfish | Giant Clam |
| Black Sea Urchin | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Branch Coral |
| Brain Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Massive Boulder Coral | Table Coral |
| Mushroom Coral | Boulder Star Coral |
Luke
FOUNDER
Luke is a passionate snorkeler who started Snorkelverse to live his dream of combining his passions for snorkeling, marine life, protecting marine ecosystems, and helping others.
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