Koh Samui & Koh Phangan · Thailand · Reef
Mae Haad
Banded sea kraits and great barracudas on a calm reef
Photo: Christophe95 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mae Haad is a reef off the beach of the same name on Koh Phangan's northwest coast. It is a calm, shallow site open to divers of every level and to snorkellers, and it draws divers for a broad mix of fish life from parrotfish schools to barracuda and sea kraits.
Also known as Mae Haad Reef.
Where it is and how deep
9.7956° N, 99.9799° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Little to no current runs over the reef and visibility is good, so the dive is relaxed. The reef reaches about 14 m, and the deepest water on the site is 22 m. Schooling parrotfish and fusiliers move along the reef, with great barracudas, large cobias, stonefish, banded sea kraits and thorny sea stars.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Barracuda
- Sea snakes
| 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.
Questions divers ask
Can snorkellers visit Mae Haad?+
Yes. Mae Haad is shallow and has little to no current, so it suits snorkellers as well as divers of all levels.
Sources
- Mae Haad/Koh Ma — dive.site
- Local Dive Sites - Koh Phangan — Chaloklum Diving
- Mae Haad beach — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A wide sandbar of pale sand runs out toward a small forested island under a blue sky, with one person walking on it by Christophe95, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in Koh Samui & Koh Phangan
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A drift around a rocky point between two coral bays
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