Snorkeling In Koh Samui, Thailand

Koh Samui is the most popular snorkeling destination for tourists visiting Thailand.  If you are looking to be enveloped by fascinating marine life and beautiful coral housed in clear, warm water, Koh Samui is the place to go.

Snorkeling is a fabulous alternative for people that want to enjoy the once in a lifetime experience that the water here offers without investing the time and money that is needed for a PADI qualification to go diving.

Basically if you can swim, you can snorkel and gear is available to rent at nearly every beach for an inexpensive price.  The only motto to abide by when you snorkel in Koh Samui is to take only photos and leave only bubbles.

Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan are two islands that are voted a couple of the best snorkeling islands in Thailand.  The stunning coral reef here is unbelievable and there are plenty of parrot fish, sweet lips, angel fish, butterfly fish and colorful sponges.  If you are lucky, you may even have the opportunity to see black tip reef sharks, blue spotted stingrays or a barracuda.

Angthong Marine Underwater Park is made of 42 islands of mysterious caves, mangrove forests, limestone mountains.  The movie "The Beach" was filmed here for a reason!  The beautiful ocean life that you will witness here is nothing short of a dream.

As you can probably guess, Coral Island gets its name from the colorful coral reefs that are found in the quiet coves.  Coral Island in Koh Samui is voted one of the world's prettiest sunsets so it is recommended to snorkel in the late afternoon so that you can stick around and enjoy a sunset.

The most important thing that you need to remember when snorkeling in Koh Samui is to not do it alone.  If for some reason you have no one to go with you, there are plenty of group tours available.  This may seem like common sense but people still try to venture out on their own and that is when accidents happen.

• Stay Close To Shore - It is not uncommon for beginner snorkelers to misjudge their endurance and get a little over zealous.  Always make sure that you have energy to get back.
• Energy Retention - Snorkeling in Koh Samui can be intense.  It is recommended to utilize a floating device like a waist belt or snorkeling vest.  These can be left floating above you if there are not any crazy currents present.
• Know Your Surroundings - Always be on the lookout for areas that are marked to stay clear of.  It is extremely easy when snorkeling in Koh Samui to get turned around.
• Learn First Aid - If you do not know basic mouth to mouth practices before going to Koh Samui, take the time to take a quick basic class before going out into the water.
• Don't Touch - While most of the marine life will avoid you, some will feel the need to defend themselves if they feel that they are in danger.