Koh San Chalarm เกาะสันฉลาม - Koh Tao
Koh San Chalarm, or "Shark Fin Island," is a nice little spot on the west side of Koh Tao, often overlooked for its flashier neighbours. It’s a shallow dive, just hitting 18 metres at its deepest, which makes it a comfortable drift for beginners or a relaxed second dive. We’ve had some pleasant encounters here, often spotting stingrays tucked into the sandy patches and plenty of small reef fish flitting around the scattered boulders. Keep an eye out for moray eels peering from crevices, especially in the late morning when things are a bit calmer. It’s a good choice if you’re looking for a peaceful dive away from the crowds, especially outside of peak season.
- Location
- Koh Tao, Thailand, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 12.466700, 100.969400
- Maximum Depth
- 18m
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Best Time to Dive in Koh Tao
The warmest water temperatures in Koh Tao occur in May, averaging 30.6°C. The coolest conditions are in January at 28.3°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.3°C
- February: 28.6°C
- March: 29.3°C
- April: 30.2°C
- May: 30.6°C
- June: 30.2°C
- July: 30.0°C
- August: 29.7°C
- September: 29.4°C
- October: 29.2°C
- November: 29.3°C
- December: 28.6°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Koh Tao
Nearest Dive Centres to Koh San Chalarm เกาะสันฉลาม
Marine Life in Koh Tao
Home to 56 recorded species including 35 reef fish, 11 sharks & rays, 4 other, 2 hard corals, 1 clams & mussels, 1 sea urchins.
Notable Species
- Stony coral (Porites lutea) - Hard Corals
- Jack (Selar crumenophthalmus) - Reef Fish
- Largescaled Terapon (Terapon theraps) - Reef Fish
- Butterfish (Scatophagus argus) - Reef Fish
- Flying Gurnard (Dactyloptena gilberti) - Reef Fish
- Lattice monocle bream (Scolopsis taenioptera) - Reef Fish
- Blackedged Blaasop (Arothron immaculatus) - Reef Fish
- Star Blaasop (Arothron stellatus) - Reef Fish
- Fluted clam (Tridacna squamosa) - Clams & Mussels
- Short Mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma) - Reef Fish
- Six-banded Rock Cod (Epinephelus sexfasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Congaturi Halfbeak (Hyporhamphus limbatus) - Reef Fish
- Comb goby (Paratrypauchen microcephalus) - Reef Fish
- Long-spined sea urchin (Diadema setosum) - Sea Urchins
- Pacific blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera) - Seagrass & Algae
- Slender Hammerhead (Eusphyra blochii) - Sharks & Rays
- Horseshoe Crab (Tachypleus gigas)
- Bluespotted stingray (Neotrygon kuhlii) - Sharks & Rays
- Deep Body Silver Biddy (Gerres erythrourus) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for Koh San Chalarm เกาะสันฉลาม
Based on average water temperature of 29.5°C, currents 14 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories