Snorkeling the island of Koh Kra (Koh Kla), Koh Lipe

On the fast boat from Koh Lanta to Koh Lipe, I was speaking with two Aussies who mentioned that you can snorkel off the island. Off the Easterly beach of Sunrise Beach on Koh Lipe, there are two islands, Koh Ursen below, and Koh Kra (Koh Kla) above. From speaking with a local in a Kayaking rental place he said that Koh Kra was the only realistic island that has good snorkeling.

Koh Ursen doesn’t have anywhere to put a kayak and is too dangerous to swim and has strong currents. However, he did say that Koh Kra is reachable by kayak and has a small beach on the side where you can leave a kayak to snorkel. He also told me that the back of the island can get choppy and have strong currents.

I returned the following day to the same Kayaking rental and hired a Kayak for ฿300 Thai Baht, which gave me 3 hours, although they said I could have it for half a day. This was a good deal, I asked further up Sunrise Beach outside some of the more expensive hotels and they were offering ฿300 Thai Baht per hour. I’d always ask a few to gauge the costs. There were two pockets at the top and bottom of the kayak to store valuables, water, etc. But beware these pockets get very hot, my water was almost boiling by the time I got to the island!

It was a cool kayak across to the island, it took about 15-20 minutes to make my way solo across, and approximately 300 meters. This would be a great activity to do in a pair, as there are two seats in the kayak, and the scenery is stunning. Before stopping off at the beach I kayaked to the rear of the island to see what the conditions were like.

There was a wave, so I decided I’d leave the snorkeling until later if the conditions changed. I docked the kayak up on the beach, there isn’t anywhere to tie the kayak, but as long as it’s not close to the water you should be fine. There is a small walkway from the beach across to the other side of the island, which came in handy later.

Left Side Of Koh Kra

I got my snorkel equipment ready and got into the water off of the beach. Be careful entering the water as I managed to stamp on a rock and cut my heel, easily done. I would recommend flippers for swimming around the island. As I swam out on the left-hand side of the island there was a field of newly grown branch coral, then the further you went out you meet patches of boulder coral with lettuce and Blue Ridge coral. I saw clownfish and many Anemonefish swimming among Anemones which was on the boulder coral reef as well as on the sea floor, 15 meters from the beach of the island.

I made my way to the coral reef which initially started with newly formed Staghorn Branch coral and then out to the larger Boulder coral reef as shown below. The beige coral covered large patches of the water with fish swimming throughout. There were also Anemones dotted within, as well as Giant Clams, Christmas Tree Worms, Sea Urchins, and other coral species. There were also some Lettuce coral, Brain coral, and a small patch of Leather coral.

Coral Reef

In the Anemone, there were Nosestripe Anemonefish, or Common Clownfish as shown below. It’s always a great spot when you find some Clownfish in the Anemone. These Clownfish were in one of the Anemone structures attached to the Boulder coral. They were darting in between the Anemones keeping an eye on me!

During my snorkel around the left-hand side of Koh Kra, I spotted other marine life including Moorish Idols, school of Parrot fish, a school of small fish, Giant Clams, and Sea Urchins. The majority of the marine life was found in and around the Beige Boulder coral reef which was about 15-20 meters from the beach. Be careful with the current which will push you towards Sunrise Beach. If the current or wave is too high, do not attempt to snorkel. Personally found that there was less of a wave on the right-hand side of the island.

Walkway through Koh Kra

I made my way back to the beach where I’d left the Kayak. I then walked through the small walkway in the middle of the island to the opposite side where many shells were lying across the very small beach.

Right Side of Koh Kra

I did meet a guide while I was on the island and he said that the right-hand side had the best corals, so I thought I’d find out. The shorelines were shallower and it took a good 15 meters of swimming to reach any coral. I wasn’t overly impressed as there wasn’t anything to see, and then towering in front of me were mini mountains of colorful boulder coral, almost reaching the height of the water. You could snorkel over most of them.

I spent a long time snorkeling around the winding maze of coral, there wasn’t a strong current and I was the only snorkeler in the water. My favorite part of the snorkel was seeing the largest brain coral mound I’ve ever seen, it was enormous as shown below.

Snorkel Spot

There were lots of different corals here to see, many many Christmas Tree Worms, lighting up the coral reef with their delicate tree-like feathers. This was a very good snorkel and in my opinion, the right-hand side of the island was the best snorkel for the corals and marine life.

Coral Reef

I came across a ginormous Brain coral in amongst the coral reef, which was unusually large! It had a stunning pattern to it in an almost perfect ball shape. For scale, the coral was about 1.5 meters wide, an amazing find! Check out the close-up shots of the intricate mazed brain pattern.

Back Of Koh Kra

I made my way to the back of the island, the wave had reduced but there was still a wave that I felt I was swimming against. I think if the conditions were calm, the back of the island would be incredible due to the coral diversity, including folded corals. However, I had to turn back due to the strong current and wave. I wouldn’t recommend snorkeling at the back of the island.

Tour Guide Options

I don’t believe any snorkel trips run to Koh Kra, the island is accessible by either Kayak or Longtail Boat. There are mainly the longtail snorkel trips that run from Pattaya Beach (main), offering either a half-day or full-day snorkel trip. You can purchase these either through your hotel, hostel or online with GetYourGuide or Klook. But I’m pretty sure they’re all with the same agency which uses the longtail boats. I booked through my hostel which I thought offered a good rate (700 Thai Baht ($20 US Dollars).

Best Snorkel Spot

In my opinion, the best snorkel spot at Koh Kra was on the right-hand side if you’re looking at the island from Sunrise Beach. The right-hand side had an abundance of very healthy coral which filled the waters about 15 meters from the island. This is also where I saw the enormous Brain coral structure which was a highlight, as well as Nosestripe Anemonefish, Giant Clams, and Christmas Tree Worms.

Best Time Of Year

If you are visiting Thailand, the dry season will give you the best weather for snorkeling which is October-May.