On our trip to Thailand we ended up diving on Koh Lipe: The beautiful, small island in the very south is a top destination for anyone looking for the ultimate dream beach. But there is also a lot of diving on Koh Lipe: We were traveling with a local diving company between Koh Ra Wi and Koh Adang and made one or two spectacular discoveries. What is it like diving in Tarutao National Park around Koh Lipe? A small diving travel report with many valuable tips.  

Koh Lipe is a paradise island in the very south of Thailand in close proximity to the Malaysian island of Langkawi. It has beautiful dream beaches and lonely bays that you can hardly get enough of as a traveler and where you would like to sunbathe and swim from sunrise to sunset because the water is turquoise blue, warm and clear.

But the island and the surrounding Tarutao National Park also have a lot to offer for divers - namely an intact underwater world with a lot to discover. To the highlights around Koh Lipe Include dolphins and dugongs, although they are not seen on every diving trip. But above all lots of smaller fish. Apparently 25 percent of the world's native tropical fish species can be spotted in the archipelago.

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Find the right dive center on Koh Lipe

If you want to dive on Koh Lipe, you should first do your research and find the right dive center. There are perhaps ten to 20 diving centers on the island - that sounds like a lot, but it is comparatively few for Thailand. You'll laugh: Google searches for “diving on Koh Lipe” aren't particularly effective, so I decide to search for a diving center myself.

I set off and go from dive center to dive center on Koh Lipe to find the most attractive one for me - and finally find it. So our beach vacation that we had originally planned for Koh Lipe actually turns into a diving vacation for a few days - the anticipation is correspondingly great.

Diving on Koh Lipe - on the road with the Ocean Pro Divers

So I take a look at various dive centers on Koh Lipe on Walking Street: from a first impression, some look more trustworthy, others less trustworthy. I go in and have one or the other show me the facility Equipment and the schedule for the next diving trips. Of course, I pay attention to what the staff is like and how the dive boat is equipped.

After the third attempt I end up with them Ocean Pro Diverswhose base is absolutely perfectly located and well equipped. The Dive Center is located on the beach at the entrance to Walking Street - the perfect location on the island. From here it is only a few meters to the beach, from where the dive boats start.

Dave and Noi's diving center is fine. I receive a friendly and warm welcome and we plan a diving trip with the dive center's day boat. The team is in a really good mood and I feel at home from the first moment. We sit together, chat and plan our dives in a relaxed manner. While I'm there, Dave is preparing a young Frenchman for his diving instructor exam.

This is nothing unusual, because here on Koh Lipe many young divers start their diving careers as Open Water Diver or continue it to become a diving instructor. A diving school even reported to me that in the high season there are several applicants for each trainee position. So you can start - and what can you discover while diving on Koh Lipe?

Diving on Koh Lipe - starting point for UW tours in the Tarutao National Park

The nice thing about Koh Lipe is that it is the only island in Tarutao National Park that is used for tourism. This means that the much larger islands around are uninhabited nature reserves and are mostly visited by sea gypsies. They offer a relatively untouched natural paradise both above and below water. That is accordingly Diving On Koh Lipe it is still a relatively – and especially by Thailand standards – exclusive affair.

The next day we set off together on the Ocean Pro Divers day boat, one of the largest and most beautiful diving ships on Koh Lipe. The ship is Dave's pride and joy: in top condition and equipped with its own compressor for filling bottles. Everything is maintained by Dave himself, as the Canadian reports. Diving guide Cecile Riviere also spreads a good mood on board. The Frenchwoman previously worked in Mallorca. We have mutual friends there in the diving industry, we discover. How small the diving world is!

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Dive sites at its best when diving on Koh Lipe

We head for the dive sites. As already mentioned, Koh Lipe is embedded in an archipelago of various larger and smaller islands that are largely uninhabited and only guarded by a ranger station because they belong to the Tarutao National Park. Only Koh Lipe is not part of the national park and can therefore be built on and inhabited. As we drive to the diving sites, we are sometimes very close to the uninhabited islands. From the boat we can already see a number of dream beaches, which give me an idea of ​​how much untouched nature there is still to discover here in this archipelago.

If diving on Koh Lipe is as good as nature looks above water, then wonderful diving in the national park awaits us here. The archipelago of Koh Lipe is not called this for nothing Maldives designated from Southeast Asia. The clear, greenish water, the dense jungle to the beach and the turquoise lagoons have a magical effect. The whole area here in the south of Thailand is known for the Rainforest Beaches, where the dense jungle reaches right up to the beach.

We do two dives in this beautiful and shallow bay: I dive together with the dive center boss Noi. She is an absolute underwater expert and really shows me everything on our two dives. My first impression: beautiful, natural coral reefs. An absolute dream made of hard and soft corals, fan and table corals. I was able to see similarly beautiful reef structures on the second most beautiful house reef in the world in El Quadim Bay near El Quseir. The underwater world is that in the Red Sea Egypt Generally speaking, similar, considering that thousands of kilometers are in between.

Diving on Koh Lipe – “You won’t find whale sharks here”

As far as the fish population is concerned, the diving instructors have already warned me that I shouldn't expect any whale sharks. Unless you're really really lucky. Nevertheless, a number of schools of fish, barracuda, and various smaller animals such as crabs and anemonefish have settled on the reefs. Seahorses and rockfish are also more common when diving on Koh Lipe. Maybe we'll even see a smaller shark? Shark species in Thailand In any case, you can find enough.

The underwater landscape offers neither big game diving nor too spectacular rock formations or steep walls. The dive sites around Koh Lipe are ideal for relaxed UW tours with many colorful corals and many fish to bring a little change in the journey and a bit Adventures to take on vacation.

Gorgeous dives in Tarutao National Park

We experience wonderful and relaxed dives where there are no large fish, but there are beautiful corals and lots of macro-scale marine life. Absolutely worthwhile dives, topped off thanks to an excellent lunch on the day boat. “Great dives,” reports my diving buddy Maxim, who is studying in Bangkok and is currently visiting from his mother from Germany: “We’ll be back on board tomorrow!”

No wonder: there is an incredibly good atmosphere on board the diving boat and during the breaks on the surface you can enjoy the landscape and the lagoons while swimming. We had a perfect day and I would come back at any time - so the long research for the top diving center on Koh Lipe was completely worth it.

Tarutao National Park: Dive sites around Koh Lipe

As mentioned at the beginning, Koh Lipe is located in the middle of the Tarutao Archipelago, which includes many islands around which there are a number of fascinating diving sites. The best diving spots in Thailand include Sail Rock, Koh Pung and Stonehenge. Diving in this area is relatively easy, but exceptionally beautiful - especially for beginners.

• Sail Rock

Like the dive site of the same name in the Gulf of Thailand near Koh Tao, this Sail Rock is also a popular attraction for divers. It is mainly characterized by beautiful hard and soft corals. You can also find turtles and batfish in a school here. The maximum diving depth is a moderate 18 meters. Certainly one of the most beautiful diving spots in Koh Lipe.

• Stonehenge

Stonehenge, in turn, is located directly on Sunrise Beach and is therefore Castaway Divers' house reef. The dive site goes to a maximum depth of 30 meters. Here you can even see predatory fish in the immediate vicinity of the beach: barracudas, moray eels and many more Hedge such as reef sharks and leopard sharks can be observed here. Accordingly, the Koh Lipe Stonehenge dive site is ideal for those who don't want to do a day trip.

• Koh Ra Wi

Idyllically located off the island of Koh Ra Wi, this diving site in the national park is a nice spot for everyone who likes coral gardens and likes to look for small animals. Here, at a moderate depth of almost 20 meters, you can find many small fish, snails and even the odd puffer fish. Turtles can also be seen more often at this spot.

• Koh Pung

Something similar is the diving at the dive site Koh Pung. The area around the spot is rocky and offers a beautiful coral reef with lots of soft corals. Manta Rays can often be seen as highlights here. There are also octopuses and pipe fish. You can dive here to a maximum depth of 30 meters.

• 8 Mile Rock

Eight miles from Koh Lipe is 8 Mile Rock. The rock rises out of the blue sea and is an attraction for large fish. Schools of fish can also be observed at this diving site. If you really want to discover a shark while diving on Koh Lipe, you should look here. When there is a good current in this spot, manta rays, leopard sharks, barracuda, groupers, trevally and even whale sharks can be spotted at 8 Mile Rock.

• Koh Taru

Similar to Koh Ra Wi, Koh Taru is also a perfect and shallow spot for beginners, where there is a lot to discover and you can simply experience relaxed dives in the rather shallow area. These dives are also ideal for check dives and for anyone who just wants to get back into diving after a long time without diving.

• Far Islands

The dive spots at the Far Islands offer a lot, especially for small animal fans. There are snails, seahorses and many smaller fish to discover. When diving on Koh Lipe, of course, this spot should not be missed on this more remote grouping of islands.

The best dive center for diving on Koh Lipe

If you want to dive on Koh Lipe, you have a few choices when choosing the Dive Center. We chose the Ocean Pro Divers and really had a good time with this dive center. But apart from security aspects and service, the choice of dive center is also a matter of personal taste. Of course, you can easily choose another dive center and make your own experiences.

• Ocean Pro Divers Koh Lipe

The Ocean Pro Divers Koh Lipe are located right on the main beach of the island, Pattaya Beach, right at the entrance to Walking Street. You can not miss them! Not only the exposed location of the dive center speaks for the dive center of the Canadian Dave and the Thai Noi, but above all the high standard of quality combined with excellent service. PADI diving courses are offered.

The diving center offers daily courses and diving trips with its own diving boat, which is large and spacious and also has a filling system. This means that two-tank dives and all-day diving trips are possible without any problems. The dive sites are suitable for both beginners and advanced divers.

All information and contact to the Ocean Pro Divers can be found under www.oceanprodivers.net.

• Castaway Divers at Sunrise Beach

On the other side of the islands, the Castaway Resort is home to the eponymous Castaway Divers. The dive center starts daily from Sunrise Beach to dive trips and offers diving courses for beginners and advanced. The attached Castaway Resort you get everything from one source: accommodation and diving can be booked in the package. In addition, the Castaway Divers have a nice restaurant.

• Ko Lipe Diving on Walking Street

The Ko Lipe Diving diving center is located in the middle of Walking Street and cannot be missed as the diving center is located directly in the shopping street and is brightly lit in the evenings. The diving center is well maintained and has high quality standards. It also offers a shop for equipment and action cams, which can be quite useful in certain circumstances.

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Prices for diving on Koh Lipe

Diving on Koh Lipe isn't exactly cheap, but it's not overly expensive either: two fun dives on the small, remote island cost around 70 euros, or around 2800 baht in local currency.

Arrival to Koh Lipe

Who wants to dive on Koh Lipe, can either on the Thai island of Phuket or on the Malaysia belonging to Langkawi on the island. From both directions you can reach the island within a few hours by speed boat. For the day of arrival, however, you should definitely pay attention to the weather conditions and move in case of doubt, the journey to Koh Lipe rather on a day of relaxed weather.

The best travel time for diving

The main season for divers (and also for beach vacationers) goes from the beginning of December to the end of March. During this time, the dry season prevails in the south of Thailand. The weather is usually stable and sunny. At this time, you can enjoy plenty of sunshine between your dives and, at least in relative terms, be assured that the weather conditions allow diving excursions.

Diving on Koh Lipe – the underwater paradise in the south of Thailand is so wonderful

Diving on Koh Lipe is not particularly spectacular, but is certainly one of the best diving opportunities in the area. The Tarutao National Park is an ideal diving area. In the protection of this area, many marine animals have settled and also the corals on the reefs are very intact. The region around Koh Lipe is not without reason one of the most beautiful in Thailand and is definitely worth a visit.

The similarity with the Maldives is undeniable. If you are in the area anyway, you should definitely plan a few days of diving. We would not recommend that you travel to Koh Lipe specifically for diving. Particularly advanced divers who have already seen a lot should perhaps choose other dive sites such as the Surin and Similan Islands north of Phuket.

So we leave Koh Lipe after five days to start our next adventure. In the next article, read about our diving safari to the world-famous Richelieu Rock, which oceanographer Jacques Costeau once discovered. Diving on Koh Lipe is definitely one of the best ways for beginners and advanced divers to get to know the underwater world in Asia. The dive sites are healthy and easy to dive. Definitely worth a trip!

Have you been diving on Koh Lipe or planning a trip to the south of Thailand? Leave us a comment!