The sheltered reef behind Koh Nang Yuan, and one of the easiest dives on Koh Tao: the island takes the weather off it, the water stays calm, and the bottom runs from a couple of metres to about 16. It is known for its hard and soft coral gardens and plenty of fish, and it doubles as the shallow finish for groups dropped on the Red Rock pinnacle next door.
Where it is and how deep
10.1195° N, 99.8149° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits in the lee of Koh Nang Yuan, and that shelter is the whole point of it. The island keeps the weather and the water movement off the reef, which is what makes this a calm and easy dive on days when the exposed pinnacles are working. Depth is never the constraint either: the bottom starts at a couple of metres and reaches only about 16 at its deepest, so a group can spend a long dive here without depth pressing on gas or no-stop time.
It is also the place other dives end. Groups dropped on Red Rock, the pinnacle northeast of Nang Yuan, work across and converge on Japanese Gardens as they shallow up for their safety stops, so you will often meet divers arriving from the deeper rock. The reef itself is the draw: hard and soft coral gardens with an abundance of fish over them, the occasional bluespot ribbontail ray and, now and then, a banded sea krait working the coral. With 16 m as the floor the navigation and the ascent are as simple as diving on Koh Tao gets.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Sea snakes
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows Koh Tao: No official closure; whale shark sightings peak March-May and September-October, while October-November bring more rain and surface chop.
Questions divers ask
Is Japanese Gardens good for beginners?+
Yes. It sits in the shelter of Koh Nang Yuan, which generally keeps it very calm, and the bottom runs from a couple of metres to about 16, so it works for course dives and first open-water dives.
Sources
- Japanese Gardens Koh Tao - Scubago — Scubago
- Red Rock - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Koh Tao
Offshore granite tower where barracuda and jacks school in the blue
Drift
Drift over the Nang Yuan rock, with 40 m a short swim west
Reef
Sheltered fringing reef, sandy bottom at 12 m
Pinnacle
Coral-covered pinnacles beside the Sattakut, 7 m to 22 m
44.9 m navy attack craft, mast at 13 m, seabed at 23 m
Upright navy wreck, superstructure at 18 m, keel at 30 m
Artificial reef
Sunken jeep and scrap at 10 to 12 m, colonised by reef fish
Reef
Plateau and canyon off the headland, sponges from 8 to 18 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Easy 3-15 m reef with hawksbill turtles seen year-round
Boulders and coral off Karon Beach, dived from the shore in mild current
Seahorses and bamboo sharks on a slope that ends in sand at 16 m
Whale sharks reported in December and again in May