Maya Bay snorkel spot is on the opposite side from the popular Maya Beach. There isn’t much coral or fish to see, but you can see juvenile Blacktip Reef sharks and fish feeding along the rocky shoreline.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Video
Snorkel Snaps
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Patches of Coral
2-5 Meters Average Depth
OK to Good Visibility
Medium Difficulty
No Cafe’s nearby
Tours and boat hire approx $40 USD
Sea Urchins Present
Jellyfish unlikely
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
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Our third snorkel stop at the Phi Phi islands was at the popular tourist attraction of Maya Bay, on the neighbouring island of Phi Phi Leh. Maya Bay was closed for 4 years up until 2022 due to damage caused from over tourism. Maya Beach is famous for being featured in the Leo DeCaprio 2000 movie ‘The Beach’ which included Maya Beach. Making it a very popular tourist destination for tourists from Phuket, Krabi, and Phi Phi Islands. My first thoughts were, this is a beautiful bay, but the beach is incredibly crowded.
We hired a local longtail boat to take us out to 3x snorkel spots for 3-4 hours. My friend and I paid ฿1,500 Thai Baht which is about $45.00 US Dollars between us. Leaving from the South beach of Koh Phi Phi Don (Main Island), it took about 30 minutes to get to Maya Bay which is at the furthest point on the south side of Koh Phi Phi Leh.
Snorkel Spot
Maya Bay is a large circular bay with the beach on the far right-hand side as you enter the bay. To get to Maya Beach you have to dock in Pileh Lagoon and walk across and you will need to pay ฿400 ($10 US Dollars). The snorkeling is on the opposite side of the beach, on the left-hand side of the bay, and is centred around the coral which runs around the very small beach. The longtail boats dock up about 30 metres from the beach in a line. You have a view of the beach, which when we snorkelled in the Afternoon, it was very crowded with tourists.
As we jumped in the water was pretty deep, about 5-6 metres, and it was also clear there wasn’t a massive amount of coral. Small patches of coral on the sea floor, and the visibility was ok, but a little green, a little murky, and notably less marine life. It was less touristy and the water was very calm with low currents. As you moved closer to the beach there was some Boulder coral, Anemone, Acroporidae, but in small patches.
Top Tip:
Check out the smaller beach and get some cool pics with the backdrop.
Coral Reef
We swam up to the small bay and this was special, the coral stretches right up to the beach, it is mainly dead. You can get a very cool portrait photo aiming up on the beach, as you have the towering green cliff face behind you. My friend and I swam along the right-hand side of the cove which was mainly shallow rock and some cool orange coral. Many fish feeding on the algae on the rock when a small juvenile Blacktip Reef shark swam along past us. The current was very strong as you swim closer to the cliff face. If the area is too touristy, it is unlikely you will see any sharks.
We then made out way back to the boat. The healthier coral was further out from the shoreline, near where the longtail boats dock. While back on the boat you can get a cool picture of Maya Beach. Notably, we saw a Blacktip Reef Shark, Orangespine Unicornfish, Singular Bannerfish, Giant Clams, Anemone, Brain Coral, Boulder Coral, Acroporidae, Black Sea Urchins, Pufferfish, Parrotfish, and Moorish Idols.
Safety Tip:
Be very careful of the sharp dead coral as you swim up to the small beach. Stay away from the currents near the cliff face.
Maya Bay is a breeding ground for juvenile Black Tip Reef Sharks, which can be seen swimming in the shallows. These are very small sharks and should be treated with care, these sharks are ranked by ICUN as Vulnerable and very important to the marine ecosystem.
In Maya Bay, you will see the famous Maya Beach which is featured in the movie ‘The Beach’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, 2000 (Shown Below). The beach and Bay were closed for several years to allow the damaged coral reef and wildlife to recover from years of over-tourism. The Bay is a nursery for Juvenile Blacktip Reef shark and this was one of the contributing factors to the closure of the bay. Maya Bay and the beach have recently reopened to tourism.
If tourists want to visit and walk on the beach then they will need to pay a National Park fee of ฿400 Thai Baht, which is the equivalent of $10 US dollars. As you can see below the Beach can get crowded and is visible from the snorkel spot on the Bay. Most of the bay is roped off and protected from snorkeling and other water activities.
If you’re visiting Maya Bay, other popular snorkel spots very close to Maya Bay are Pileh Lagoon, and Loh Samah Bay, both on the same island of Koh Phi Phi Leh.
Tour Guide Options
Certain tours that run from Phi Phi Don main island which are pretty cost-effective, you can hire private long boats on the main beach to take you out to the islands and you can decide where you go and negotiate the price, we paid approx $45.00 for 2 people, 3-4 hours. If you are staying in Krabi or Phuket there are Fast boat day trips to the Phi Phi islands to Pileh Lagoon/Bay, as well as Maya Bay just around the corner and Shark Point on Phi Phi Don.
Best Snorkel Spot
Below, you’ll see a picture of the snorkeling spot at Maya Bay, it is on the left-hand side when you enter Maya Bay by boat. I found the best snorkeling spot was on the right hand side of the picture below where the sea bed was rocky with some unusual coral growing on top. It is a good snorkeling spot as many different species of fish were feeding off of the rocks, and this is where I spotted the Juvenile Blacktip Reef Shark swimming.
Best Time Of Year
Thailand’s dry season is between October-April when you are more likely to have better snorkel conditions.
Popular Marine Life
Parrotfish
Moorish Idol
Giant Clam
Butterflyfish
Blacktip Reef Shark
Powder-Blue Surgeonfish
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Golden Gregory
Rare Marine Life
Nosestripe Anemonefish
Christmas Tree Worm
Coral Reef
Boulder Coral
Acroporidae Stoney Coral
Brain Coral
Boulder Star Coral
Cauliflower Coral
What We Saw
(Seen on March, 2023)
| Blacktip Reef Shark | Orangespine Unicornfish |
| Singular Bannerfish | Yellow Stripe Angel Fish |
| Dusky Rabbitfish | Collared Butterflyfish |
| Golden Rabbitfish | Bleaker’s Parrotfish |
| Coral Rabbitfish | Powder-Blue Surgeonfish |
| Blue-Lined Surgeonfish | Beaked Butterflyfish |
| Nosestriped Anemonefish | Crescent Wrasse |
| Checkerboard Wrasse | Bluespot Butterflyfish |
| Eastern Triangle Butterflyfish | Moorish Idol |
| Surge Demoiselle | Chinese Demoiselle |
| Sergeant Major Damselfish | Golden Gregory |
| Greenthroat Parrotfish | Russel’s Parrotfish |
| Redlip Parrotfish | Spineytooth Parrotfish |
| Quoy’s Parrotfish | Giant Clam |
| Double Spined Sea Urchin | Black Sea Urchin |
| Christmas Tree Worm | Massive Boulder Coral |
| Brain Coral | Boulder Star Coral |
| Cauliflower Coral | Honeycomb Coral |
| Acroporidae Coral | Encrusting Coral |
Where is the Phi Phi Islands?
The Phi Phi Islands are located in the Adaman sea, in the South of Thailand. The Phi Phi Islands are made up of six islands, Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest and most developed island.
Maya Bay
Frequently Asked Questions
Longtail boat or Speedboat are the only ways to access Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Lee. The island is uninhabited and not accessible by any other mode of transport.
There are tours from both the Phi Phi Islands themselves, and from the neighbouring cities of Krabi and Phuket. The tours range in cost from $80-$100 from the cities, and $25-$45 from the Phi Phi Islands. I hired a longtail boat from Phi Phi, and paid $45 US dollars for three snorkels over 3-4 hours.
The best time to visit Maya Bay is in Thailand’s dry season, which runs from October to May.
The best time to visit Maya Bay is in Thailand’s dry season, which runs from October to May.
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.
Phi Phi Islands Snorkel Reviews
