Tanote Bay is a Lesser known snorkel location in Koh Tao, where there’ are very healthy corals and marine life starting 5 meters from the sandy beach and up to the large rock in the bay.
Pros
Cons
Snorkel Review
Highlights
Coral present
1-4 Meters Average Depth
Very Good, To Good visibility
Easy to medium difficulty
No Public Toilets
No showers
Cafe’s
Boat, moped, or car required
Sea Urchins Present
Jellyfish unlikely
When:
Who:
Tour Cost:
Star Rating:
Cost:
Tanote Bay (Tanote Beach) is located on the South East of the island of Koh Tao, which is to the South East of Thailand. This snorkel spot is less well known and generally aren’t included in snorkel trips around the island and accessible by road or private boat. We hired a moped and drove from Sairee Beach to Tanote Bay. There was a parking spot for bikes, and then it is a short walk down to the beach.
The beach is stunning and is one of the island’s most picturesque and serene spots, making it a fantastic location for snorkeling. This secluded bay is surrounded by lush jungle and dramatic granite boulders, giving it a natural, untouched beauty that draws visitors seeking tranquility and an unspoiled underwater experience.
Snorkel Spot
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Tanote Bay Map
Tanote bay is located at the South-East of the island of Koh Tao, a short 30-minute ride from Sairee Beach by car or moped.
The sandy beach is the entry point with the corals only 5-meters from the shoreline. The water depth ranges from 1-meter to 5 meters, with large coral reefs surrounding the large rocky island about 50-meters from the beach.
There were some really healthy table corals, boulder corals, and brain corals along the snorkel. Some of the healthiest corals and grand large coral reefs.
Coral Reef
There were many Christmas Tree worms along the boulder coral adding colourful spots to the coral reef. These creatures burrow into the coral and display a colourful tree-shaped feathers. These bright feathers stretch out and catch passing plankton. 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.
Marine Life
Top Tip:
The larger coral reefs were only 5 meters off the beach. These corals were small, but as you saw out the corals became much larger in deeper water (3-4 meters) and in very good health. To the left of the large rock and to the right of the bay were spectacular coral reef formations.
There were many fish and marine species on the snorkel including Damselfish, Rabbitfish, Parrotfish, and Butterflyfish were a common sight. There were large schools of Rabbitfish and Parrotfish to the left hand side of the large rocks. We saw Parrotfish swimming in large schools feeding on the coral.
Safety Tip:
There are Sea Urchins along the sea floor in shallow water, 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.
Summary
Overall this snorkel spot was very good for a 30-60-minute snorkel. I think the visibility generally is very good, and an excellent spot to enjoy the snorkelling and the beach. On the right hand side of the beach we saw a Blacktop reef shark cruising around the larger coral reef.
Tour Guide Options
There are few snorkel trips that stop off. The beach is a lesser known snorkel spot. There is a road that leads to theBay, on route to Freedom Bay. There is a space for parking mopeds.
Best Snorkel Spot
The best snorkel spot was 50 meters from the beach as taken below, and in the centre of the bay. This section had some of the healthiest corals and ginormous in size.
Best Time Of Year
If you are visiting Thailand, the dry season will give you the best weather for snorkeling is October-May.
Popular Marine Life
Anemonefish
Parrotfish
Christmas Tree Worm
Sergeant Major Damselfish
Giant Clam
Black Sea Urchin
Featherduster Worm
Titan Triggerfish
Singular Bannerfish
Angelfish
Rare Marine Life
Giant Moray Eel
Blacktip Reef Shark
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)
| Blacktip Reef Shark | Nosestripe Anemonefish |
| Virgate Rabbitfish | Weibel’s Butterlyfish |
| Crown Of Thorn Starfish | Black Eyed Rabbitfish |
| Singular Bannerfish | Bicolor Parrotfish |
| Orange Spike Sea Cucumber | Christmas Tree Worm |
| Feather Duster Worm | Crescent Wrasse |
| Crescent Wrasse | Giant Clam |
| Blue-Green Chromis | Golden Rabbitfish |
| Sergeant Major Damselfish | Golden Gregory |
| Black Sea Urchin | Stoney Acroporidae Coral |
| Boulder Coral | Branch Coral |
| Brain Coral | Lettuce Coral |
| Massive Boulder Coral | Table Coral |
| Mushroom Coral | Boulder Star Coral |
Frequently Asked Questions
The beach is accessible by car, or moped. There is a road that leads to the beach with moped parking which doesn’t cost, there isn’t car parking. I believe you could probably hire a longtail boat to enter the bay. Few snorkel trips stop off at Tanote.
We hired a moped and drove to Tanote Bay, and parked at the bottom of the road before the beach at the parking spot, which didn’t cost. The snorkel was free, and we snorkeled for about 2-3 hours, we loved it!
We didn’t go on a tour, we snorkelled from the beach.
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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