Koh Samui & Koh Phangan · Thailand · Reef · Wall
Haad Yao
Table corals and barrel sponges straight off the beach
Photo: Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Haad Yao is a beach dive on the west coast of Koh Phangan, where a shallow coral reef runs out from the sand to a wall drop-off. Its easy conditions make it a training ground for new divers and a snorkelling spot, with table corals, barrel sponges and brain corals across the reef.
Also known as Hat Yao, Haad Yao Reef.
Where it is and how deep
9.7762° N, 99.9660° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Divers enter from the beach and swim out over the shallow reef, which holds an abundance of colourful corals: table corals, barrel sponges and brain corals. The reef extends west to a wall drop-off between 10 m and 16 m, the deepest part of the dive.
Marine life and season
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Koh Samui & Koh Phangan: January to April has the calmest seas and best visibility; November, when the north-east monsoon can make conditions difficult, is the month to avoid.
Dive videos
Haad Yao , Ko PhaNgan · Paradise Films by Attila Ott on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Haad Yao a shore dive?+
Yes. Divers walk in from the beach over a shallow reef that runs west to a wall drop-off at 10 to 16 m, which suits diver training and snorkelling.
Sources
- Haad Yao — ScubaGo
Photo credits
- A long white sand beach curves toward a wooded headland under a pale sky, with a few people at the water's edge by Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Koh Samui & Koh Phangan
Artificial reef
Four man-made reef units on the floor of Chaloklum Bay
Reef
An artificial coral nursery beside a gentle island reef
A miniature Sail Rock of small walls and swim-throughs
Reef
Barracuda and queenfish hunting along a steep island slope
Reef
A drift around a rocky point between two coral bays
Banded sea kraits and great barracudas on a calm reef
Similar dives elsewhere
Sloping reef and island-side pinnacles, dived off a mooring
Towering rock formations and walls to 30 metres, often drifted
Sheltered cove reef with a freshwater boulder area
Coral plateau that breaks the surface, and a ridge out at 30 m