Koh Samui & Koh Phangan · Thailand · Reef
Koh Ma
Barracuda and queenfish hunting along a steep island slope
Koh Ma is a small island off Mae Haad Beach at the northwest corner of Koh Phangan. Its sides shelve steeply through hard coral into soft and whip corals at depth, and divers come for the fish life: schools of reef fish, big grouper and hunting barracuda and queenfish.
Also known as Ko Ma.
Where it is and how deep
9.7995° N, 99.9794° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
With a longtail boat the dive can circle the whole island. The island has interesting scenery and hard coral, and its sides shelve steeply to about 24 m, where the soft corals and whip corals are at their best.
Schooling fish, bannerfish and big grouper hold along the slope. When some current is running, the hunters move in, above all barracuda and queenfish hunting along the reef.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
| 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
Koh Ma is the underwater heaven, the best shore diving in Thailand, it is on Koh Phangan · Paradise Films by Attila Ott on YouTube
Sources
- Local Dive Sites - Koh Phangan — Chaloklum Diving
- Koh Ma — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Koh Samui & Koh Phangan
Artificial reef
Four man-made reef units on the floor of Chaloklum Bay
Table corals and barrel sponges straight off the beach
Reef
An artificial coral nursery beside a gentle island reef
A miniature Sail Rock of small walls and swim-throughs
Reef
A drift around a rocky point between two coral bays
Banded sea kraits and great barracudas on a calm reef
Similar dives elsewhere
Stingrays in numbers at Sting Ray Alley, the deepest site here
Close-in reef of nudibranchs, batfish and giant pufferfish
Whale sharks reported in December and again in May
Blacktip reef sharks over a granite slope on the western side