The Elephants - Koh Tao
We love The Elephants for its quirky charm, a welcome change from the usual coral bommies around Koh Tao. It’s not a natural reef, obviously, but a cluster of artificial structures shaped like elephants, and frankly, it’s just fun. Dropping down, you’ll find these concrete pachyderms covered in soft corals and sponges, a real explosion of colour against the grey. Pink anemonefish flit through the tentacles, and we often spot dragonfish tucked away in crevices, their camouflage almost perfect. The real draw here is the chance to spend time exploring the nooks and crannies. You can fin slowly around the statues, peeking under trunks and behind legs. We’ve seen blue ring angelfish browsing the growth, and it's a great spot for spotting Goldspeckled Shrimpgobies. It’s a pretty shallow site too, perfect for a longer dive, letting you really soak in the unique atmosphere. Go in the morning before the crowds if you can; the light filtering through the water around the statues is fantastic then.
- Location
- Koh Tao, Thailand, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 11.805333, 102.455414
- Type
- wreck
Marine Protected Area: Mu ko Chang
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 The Elephants
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 The Elephants
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